Sophie, a graduate of Vanderbilt University, currently lives in Memphis, TN. This is her second summer at Jacobs as the Garin Unit Head.
My job as Garin Unit Head is to oversee the big picture, but one of my favorite parts of my job is doing the little things for my counselors. Over the past two summers, I have learned that helping my staff in the smallest ways is one of the most valuable tools I can use to build positive and memorable relationships.
Whether it is painting a car for a ‘pin-the license-plate-on the Nascar’ for a Redneck program or cleaning up after an activity so my counselors can be with their campers, the tasks that I help with come in many different shapes and sizes. I have picked up a few extra items at Wal-Mart on a day off so that my counselors could decorate their table in the dining hall and make bunk night extra special for the girls. For a “Blacktop Games” Garin chug (elective), a counselor in my unit was unsure of how to fill four hour-long periods with activities—I took the opportunity to compile some print-outs of fun games, and he was able to create one of the most popular chugim choices in Garin!
For me, it is so important for my staff to be excited and feel good about what they are doing here it at camp. With so much going on for Garin counselors in one day, I am so happy that I can help them with the little things; because, in the end, the amazing experiences they are creating unfold into the big picture that is what we know as Jacobs Camp.
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