Paige has been volunteering with the Anaheim Family YMCA Resident Camp Program for 12 years. She started as a camper and loved the programs so much that she knew she wanted to give back.

I loved the person I was at camp. I wasn’t the same person at home during the school year. I loved being with my “camp friends” and who I was around them. They made me feel good. A common ground we shared, was wanting to give back to a program that gave so much to us growing up. The idea of giving a group of campers a similar experience my leaders gave me, was something I really desired as a young adult (and still do). I wanted to be involved with the program for a long time because I believed in it.”

Paige’s typical responsibilities at Camp Fox & Camp Miehana are to keep campers safe and make sure they are having a spectacular time. However, Paige explains that it’s so much more than that. She feels it’s her responsbility to be completely present for them, to be empathetic and a good listener. She teaches them to be kind to one another. She is there to hold their hand as they try new things and to motivate them to be the best versions of themselves. Campers come with varying challenges and personalities and Paige is there to navigate a life-changing week of camp through all of it.

Campers quickly learn that for one week, out of fifty-two, they can be fully and authentically themselves. Every camper is given the opportunity, as soon as they get to camp, to be their true and best self. And when our campers are given the safe space to do so, they flourish into their best selves. Coming back to camp is a great reminder of who they are and who they are striving to be. It’s a great reset button for many. By the end of the week, our hope is that all our campers take camp home with them– and they absolutely do.”

Paige shares that she continues to volunteer for the camping program every year because it pushes her boundaries, she is constantly being tested and learning how she can be better. She explains that as a volunteer, she gets to build strong relationships with her group of campers in the short amount of time she’s at camp.

We become so invested in their journey, and they allow us to be a part of that. There is nothing more humbling and rewarding. They trust us and want us to be involved in their goals in life. It truly is the BEST feeling in the world.”

My name is Aubree Martz, I am 14 years old and I am a freshman at Cypress High School. I have been involved with the Y for about 6 years. The first program I was ever in with the Y was Camp Miehana , then I went to Camp Fox and also became a J.L.T.

When I first got to Camp Miehana, I realized that I never wanted to leave. I loved every minute of it and knew that I wanted to come back. I went to Camp Miehana for 5 years until I turned 13 and could no longer go. That’s when I went to Camp Fox.

Camp Fox is a lot of fun. A really big part of camp is all of the friendships I have made. All of my cabin mates are really important to me, they are all pretty much my sisters and I trust them all more than I trust anyone in this world. Another big part of camp Fox is all the fun activities. I have done some things that a lot of people have never done, I have gotten to go paddle boarding, snorkeling, and even got to go on a human swing! Camp Fox is what I look forward to every summer and I love having the opportunity to go.

When I found out I couldn’t go to Camp Miehana anymore I was devastated, but when I found out about the J.L.T program. I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I remember being a camper and looking up to the J.L.T’s , C.I.T’s, and leaders. They all inspired me to be the person I am today. I wanted to be that J.L.T which campers looked up to, I wanted them to have the same experience as me. Something I will always remember from last year at Camp Miehana , my first year being a J.L.T was a talk I had with a young girl. She began talking to me about her problems and  I tried to give her the best advice I could give to a 7 year old. After our talk she told she never really talked about those things with other people, and told me that she trusted me. Right then I knew I wanted to continue volunteering at camp. Just being able to help that one young girl made me feel like I was doing my job as a J.L.T. It’s about being there for the kids, its knowing that some of the kids look up to you, it’s being able to bond with these kids and just be there for them.

The Y has changed my life in many ways. I want to thank the Y for always finding a way to get me to camp with the money from people supporting the Y, without them I would not be the person I am today. The Y has molded me into the person I am and still continues to make me a better person. I would like to thank all of you for supporting the Anaheim Family YMCA. I think others should support the Y because it gives kids that don’t have much a chance to have the same experiences as me.