This summer, I had the opportunity to go down to Council Grove and spend a

week working during Cottonwood Camp. It was a week of activities, games, and

absolute joy, for both the campers and myself. Coming this summer was a wonderful

experience for me, particularly because I first came to Camp White as a volunteer 6

years ago. At the time, I was a junior in high school. Earlier that summer, I went to

Emporia State for a week-long teacher preparation camp. One of the other attendees

told me that she was going to go work a camp in a couple of weeks. She said they

needed more male volunteers and asked if I was interested in coming with her. I thought

on it for a bit and then decided to give it a try.

At the time, I was trying to decide what I wanted to do for my career and was

seriously considering if teaching was going to be a good fit for me. Now, six years later,

I returned to White Memorial Camp as a special education teacher. I came back having

a skill-set that I didn’t have previously. It allowed me to not only better serve the

campers, but to enjoy my time there more. It was great to be able to give the campers a

week where they could enjoy all that the camp has to offer. My interactions with each of

them were wonderful. Never have I painted, laughed, or danced more in a week than I

did during those five days. It was easily the highlight of my summer and I look forward to

returning as a volunteer next year.

Garrett Tatro, Volunteer Counselor