Camp Green Lane Blog Post–July 24th
This past Friday night’s service theme was family and one of our Counselors, Drew Kevitch wrote a speech that was read to the entire Camp. We hope you enjoy it as much as we all did!
When I think of camp, I think of one thing….. family. For the past 14 summers since I was six years old, that is exactly what this place has been—my family. When I think of camp I think of all of you. My best friends I grew up with, my old and new campers that I get to build relationships with each summer, my international friends from across the world, and all the unfamiliar faces I pass at the start of every new summer. The best part about this place is I don’t have to know you for you to be my family, it’s just how it is here. Every passing moment I spend within the arches, I come across a new situation that makes me realize how truly special this Green Lane family is. But, tonight I am going to share with you one special moment in particular that has touched my heart in a way nothing else could.
During the start of upper senior summer around the time of Carnival, my friends and I anxiously awaited for the voting for Carnival king and queen to begin. Within my age group, there was a boy who was quite shy, but we loved him just the same. His name was Jeremy. His camp dream was to be crowned Carnival king, and he had a dream girl in mind to go with it. On this Carnival day, my friends and I put our feelings and wants aside in hope to make Jeremy’s dream come true. Throughout the day, we roamed around during Carnival encouraging everyone to vote for Jeremy and his dream girl. Later that night, Jeremy’s dream came to life and he was indeed crowned Carnival king and won the prize of dancing with his dream girl in front of the whole camp.
Being a third-year counselor, that memory is still one of the strongest ones I carry with me in my heart. But it wasn’t until this summer when Aunt Mindy introduced to me a second part of the story that made me appreciate this place and this family on a whole new level. On that day of Carnival, Aunt Mindy was sitting on the porch of her cabin on senior boy’s lawn listening to slow music come from one of the boy’s cabins for nearly an hour. When all the guys my age walked out of their cabin she asked them why they were listening to that music. Jeremy’s cabin spent part of that Carnival day taking turns with him in the cabin slow dancing so he’d know exactly what to do if he won Carnival king.
And I quote from Aunt Mindy, “If I could take one moment and choose what made me fall in love with this place, it would probably be this one.” And I couldn’t agree more. As we reach the marking of the second half of the summer, I want all of you to please remember how lucky we are to have a family like this one. It is not too common you’re able to find a second home along with an everlasting family to go with it.
Thank you Camp Green Lane for being my family for the past 14 summers, and thank you for shaping me into the person I am today. I am 19 years old and have experienced something so special and rare that not many people ever get the chance of knowing. Even though my time here is running out, which is something so incredibly hard to face, I know that there will always be a place here and in this family for me, because family is forever. Thank you
-Drew Kevitch