Hi! My name is Haley and I’m the new Staff Recruiting Intern for Camp Alleghany for Girls.
I’m a first year business management student at James Madison University. I’ve also been coming to ‘Ghany for many years as both a camper and later a Counselor.
I first went to Mini Camp back when I was seven and then was a camper for seven years before becoming a Junior Counselor (JC) in 2019.
I love camp and the campers so much and was so excited to take on a leadership position by being hired as the Head of Unit 2 Jr. Camp last year. And then? Camp was unfortunately cancelled.
I really missed camp and am very excited that camp will be operating again this summer for our 99th summer!
What’s kept me coming back for so many years was the love everyone has for each other. It’s also very special the way Counselors and other Staff empower young girls. I’ve gained so many powerful life skills in each role I’ve had at camp — as a camper, JC, and as someone moving into leadership roles. Skills like resilience, imagination, strategizing, problem-solving, creativity, and more. I use these many skills on a daily basis, whether in school, at work, or in relationships with family and peers.
I realized that camp was really helping me prepare for my career ahead in business…or whatever I decide to do.
Jumping on Board
So after the start of the 2020 fall semester, I reached out to Camp Alleghany for Girls Director Elizabeth Shreckhise and to Program Director Casey Tucker to see if they had any ideas of internships I could do in order to gain experience in the business world. I hope to start my own woman-centered business one day and I’m confident that there’s nowhere better to learn vital skills and strategies than at Camp Alleghany!
Together they came up with “Staff Recruiting Intern,” a marketing and outreach position focused specifically on cultivating staff for the summer of 2021. I’ll be reaching out to places like colleges, doing a few blogs, working on Instagram stories, and ads, and more.
And the best part? Not only am I working on the logistics of a business, but I’m also doing something I love!
And I’m here for you, too. Please reach out if you have any questions about jobs at ‘Ghany — what it’s like to work here, what our camp culture is like, what it’s like to be or work with campers, or whatever! I’d love to hear from you.
Making a Difference in a Young Girls Life
As a camper, I was greatly impacted by not only the beautiful grounds at ‘Ghany, but even more so by the people here, specifically my counselors.
I vividly remember one summer when I was around eight or nine and my grandparents picked me up. As I was crossing the Greenbrier River to head home, I began to cry because I didn’t want to leave. This place was magical in my life because my counselors fostered that magic with every activity, every campfire, every funny antic, and every time they were there for me as I was on my camper journey. I really looked up to them and they were important mentors and guides in my young life.
Taking on that role myself was amazing — I had some big shoes to fill!
The most rewarding part of my job as a counselor was watching the campers in my tent, along with the ones I taught and built relationships with in activities and events, learn, grow, and embrace their time as a camper with its many opportunities.
With this internship, I’ll be able to help find more young women to keep ‘Ghany as special as it’s been since 1922.
I’m thrilled to be working with Camp Alleghany and to be able to help build an amazing staff who will be able to grow from the same experiences I’ve had. Won’t you join us?
Go ‘Ghany
Go Dukes
Go Blue (my Alleghany team color)
— Haley McClelland, Alum and Staff Recruiting Intern, Camp Alleghany for Girls
