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Salutations from the wonderful world of Kalamazoo, Michigan (and no this is not a fictional place, although it is a fun word to say out loud!) My name is Lori but most people call me Lori Deeeee (with an emphasis on the "D" of course). I am excited to be a part of this magical family, because I am kind of a wide-eyed kid trapped in a 21-year-old body. I play urban capture the flag, I frolic at playgrounds and I can play a mean game of hide and go seek inside a department store. I dig old fashioned cartoons, ice cream for breakfast and I even still fall off my bike! My friends can judge how happy I am by what they call my "giggle-meter.” In other words, I like to laugh. A lot. This will be my very first year at Camp Augusta and I am stoked to be your arts and crafts director. This is also my first time ever visiting California, although I am not new to enjoying the outdoors and absorbing the wonders nature has to offer.
So obviously I like arts and crafts :) I may not be able to draw more than a stick person to save my life, but ever since I was old enough to utilize a glue stick I have done numerous artsy projects and made all kinds of homemade things. I have dabbled with everything from tie-dye to hemp jewelry to knitting. I think my favorite crafty thing to do is to sew. My mom taught me how to use a sewing machine when I was young and I have enjoyed it ever since. I've always had a thing for super-heroes so for Halloween a couple years ago, I designed a "Super-Lori" costume from scratch with my favorite color as my suit....purple! You should ask me about the other fun costumes I have put together. When it comes to making things, I also love being resourceful. I find most of my materials from garage sales (which is another hobby of mine), thrift shops and sometimes even the trash bin! All in all, I'm really excited to teach campers how to make some cool stuff.
Another great love of mine is being outdoors! I'm a bit of a bike fanatic (that's an understatement), so anything that has two wheels and no motor gets my heart dancing. I have spent most of my college career without a car and my work is over 5 miles away from my house. We have a 30 mile trail that goes from my town to the coast of lake Michigan where there are big sand dunes to run down and miles of lovely beaches to explore. Riding that trail at sunrise, spending the day at the beach and riding back at dusk is one of my all-time-favorite things to do. In addition to biking, I spend most of my time outside, whether it be fly-fishing, camping, disc golfing or even studying. I enjoy sleeping outside (when it's not a brutal Michigan winter of course), calming my spirit with nature walks and learning about gardening and plants. I am so excited to share my love of nature with the other counselors and staff as well as the campers!!!
My third passion is music. I love to sing. I sing everywhere. In the shower. On my bike. Sometimes in places where it may not be appropriate to sing out loud, but I accidentally catch myself doing it. I'm pretty classically trained so my pipes can kick out a good opera aria. But, if I'm just being silly, I can sound like anything from a deranged cat to a chipmunk....but that's okay! I listen to everything and anything when it comes to music and I probably know every single lyric to any Beatles song....or any "oldie" or classic rock tune for that matter. I've played piano since I was seven, but I'm a little rusty now. I have dabbled a little with guitar, and I hope to build on that this summer. I CAN'T WAIT to sing fun camp songs around the bonfire with you all!!!
So, all of the above is fine and dandy but you are probably wondering what am I doing at a summer camp? Why am I not trying to race the tour de France, build a statue-ette of Styrofoam cups in the shape of a Greek goddess or auditioning to be a rock star in a Beatles revival band? Well, the answer is simple....I love working with kids! I'm here because it's what I want to do with the rest of my life. Most kids change their mind a gazillion times of what they want to be when they grew up. One day it's an astronaut. The next it's a firefighter. Or a dinosaur. But for me, I remember sitting in elementary school just simply wanting to take the place of the teacher. And it hasn't changed! I am currently a junior at Western Michigan University for what? Yup you guessed it, elementary education! I have a desire to teach in places where education is struggling, such as the inner-city or the deep south. Education reform is one of the issues I feel most strongly about, ask me about it if you want to see me get really passionate.
My experiences working with kids has really mounted my view that this is the right career fit for me. I have mentored for Big Brothers Big Sisters for three years and worked with kids in New Orleans after the hurricane to help them build their own bikes at a local bike shop. I home-schooled a 4th grader in social studies, science and language arts for a semester. I tutored at a program in an underprivileged area to help kids who were behind in reading. On top of this, I have had countless experiences babysitting, teaching Sunday school and working at a couple week long summer day-camps. All these activities have given me hope in my future as an educator and valuable skills that I hope to build on at camp this summer! I am excited to gain new insight, new experience and new personal growth in a new part of the country I have never see before!
Most of all, I am looking forward to joining a collaborative effort to foster appreciation for nature, a healthy lifestyle and just plain ol' fun. Only a few more days and I will be in the sunny California forest singing camp songs, making dream catchers and looking at the stars! I can't wait to see all your smiling faces! Much love yo!
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