If you know Girl Scouts you know one thing that they love to do. No, not sell cookies, go camping! One popular day camp that kids, teens, and adults alike can attend is “Camp Tag-A-Long.” Camp Tag-A-Long is a week-long camp near the beginning of August that hosts elementary school kids as campers and is staffed by teen and adult volunteers.
Camp Tag-A-Long has many activities that are enjoyed by campers and volunteers alike. These activities include, but are not limited to, tie-dye, gimp, archery, games, and cooking. This camp has many different jobs for volunteers, they can either work in a center where they host an activity for the whole week, or they can work in a unit where they are with a group of campers and go visit all of the different centers throughout the week.
Camp Tag-A-Long campers have many different camp traditions that they follow during their week of camp. One of the classic camp traditions at Camp Tag-A-Long is that all volunteers will come up with fun names for the campers to call them. These are called camp names. Another classic tradition that is held at almost every girl scout camp is having swaps. Swaps are small gifts that campers can make, that are often attached to a safety pin to be pinned to vests, that they swap with other campers at the end of camp.
Freshman Rebekah Lilienkamp, Marina at camp, has volunteered at Camp Tag-A-Long the past few years and currently works at the center “Outdoor Skills.” She likes to work at camp as it is a fun experience for her to see some of the same girls from different camps each year. “Last year, I was put with a group of girls. I was an Aid with at a different camp a couple years ago, and getting to see them and say, ‘Oh you’re a fifth grader now you were a 1st grader last time I saw you,’ is really fun,” Lilienkamp said.
Sophomore Isa Ruebelmann, Wonder Woman at camp, has been going to Camp Tag-A-Long since she was in elementary school and currently works at the Leatherworking center. To help prepare for camp Reubelmann likes to babysit and help watch her little sister as well as work with her group to prepare their camp activities. “My group and I try to work through what the topic is going to be this year and how we’re going to execute it properly,” Ruebelmann explained.
Senior Samantha Mare, Giggles at camp, has been going to camp ever since she was born and is currently in her last year of being able to be an aide volunteer. She currently works with the unit Fly-Ups, which is the age group of rising fourth graders. Mare thinks that camp has helped her with her organizational and teamwork skills, and that it will be important in college. “I think organization and teamwork is going to be such a big point because…I think that’s going to help me in college projects or being a leader in the workplace,” Mare shared.
However, it is not only teens that work at this summer camp, as there is a high number of adult volunteers too. Strings teacher Mrs. Samantha Oakley, Arco at camp, has worked at Camp Tag-A-Long for the past three years. Both her daughters are campers, and this year she is working with Juniors which is the age group of fifth graders. Oakley thinks that through camp her daughters have learned skills they have not learned at home. “Camp Tag-A-Long has helped with their confidence; they are taught skills that we don’t teach in school or at home, and they are encouraged to be creative and try new things,” Oakley explained.
Going to Camp Tag-A-Long helps people of all ages learn new skills and have once in a lifetime experiences. It can help someone make new friends or learn new leadership skills. With the help of your fellow peers it is clear that going to camp is a big deal for a lot of people. Going to camp has created friendships, new experiences, and lifelong memories that encourage people to go back year after year. Hopefully Camp Tag-A-Long will continue to grow and create new memories in young girls over the upcoming years.