"Link"  “My name is Link and I am 20 years young. I am a student at Augustana College, with a double major in International Business and Asian Studies, as well as an intended minor in Japanese. I am a member of the Delta Omega Nu fraternity at Augustana and am very proud of it. I chose to come to camp because I love working with kids and am pretty much just a big kid myself. Therefore coming to Camp Abe Lincoln was a no brainer!” Please join us in welcoming Link to the 2010 summer staff! "Zonkers"  Zonkers is originally from Normal, Illinois and graduated from Augustana College in 2010 with a degree in Accounting and Finance. “I came to camp to give these kids a great summer. I had a blast at the various summer camps back in the day and want the kids who come here to have as much fun (hopefully more!) as I had.” Join us in welcoming Zonkers to the 2010 summer staff! "Oakley"  “This is my 3rd summer lifeguarding at Camp Abe Lincoln. I couldnʼt ask for a better job. I look forward to camp all year long. My favorite things about camp include camp songs, building relationships with the staff and kids, ad being at the pool. I go to Scott Community College in the “off season.” What I really want to do is work with special needs children. I have a great passion for them, I find it very rewarding to get to spend time with the kids and they have a special place in my heart. See you at camp!” Join us in welcoming Oakley to our 2010 stummer staff! "Tonka"  Tonka is originally from St. Joseph, Illinois, and graduated from Augustana College in 2010, with a major in Elementary Education. “I came to Camp Abe Lincoln because I want to have a better understanding of the way kids act. This is my first year and Iʼm excited to be here!” Join us in welcoming Tonka to our 2010 summer staff! "Springs"  “Hi, my name is Springs and Iʼm going to be a senior at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. I am majoring in secondary Education and Spanish. I enjoy traveling and plan on teaching English in Costa Rica for a year after I graduate. I applied at Camp Abe Lincoln because I love working with kids and being able to teach them about nature. I have grown up camping and hiking so it makes me happy to be able to pass on my love of nature with the campers. I look forward to meeting everyone and spending the summer teaching (and learning from) your kids!” Join us in welcoming Springs to the 2010 summer staff! "Ducky"  “Hello friends! My name is Ducky. I am excited to be spending my first summer at Abe Lincoln! I love camping; it is something I’ve been doing my whole life. My favorite part of camping is canoeing, singing crazy songs, and cooking over a campfire. I grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and I just graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. The reason I came to camp is because I have a passion for working with kids and I think that everyone can have a life-changing experience out in nature with great people. Enjoy camp!” Join us in welcoming Ducky to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Chongo"  Join us in welcoming Chongo to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Snowstar"  Snowstar is from Andalusia, Illinois and is currently attending Truman State University and is majoring in Chemistry and Education, with a Music minor. “Camp has given me the opportunity to connect with friends and children, and it allows me to get involved with kids.” Join us in welcoming Snowstar to our 2010 summer staff! "Batter"  “I am from India and am 25 years old. I have graduated from my college and my passion is working with younger and older kids. I came to camp to have fun, make new friends, to be creative, and teambuilding.” Join us in welcoming Batter to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Jitterbug"  I am going to be a freshman to UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA! I am going to pursue my happiness in music education with a minor in theater performance. I was a 2 year male cheerleader at davenport west and i will continue my role as a male cheerleader at UNI! Join us in welcoming Jitterbug to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Buzzie"  Buzzie is currently attending Western Illinois University and is majoring in Psychology. She is a first year counselor for us at Camp Abe Lincoln but we look forward to great things from her. "This will be my first summer at Camp Abe Lincoln and I couldn't be more excited. I love working with children and I hope to do so for the rest of my life. I was encouraged to attend a Camp Job Fair by a professor and that's where I found out about Camp Abe Lincoln. I then applied to be a counselor, and visited camp. It surpassed my expectations by a long shot. I hope to have a great experience and make an even better experiences for the kids. I can't wait to teach the campers new things, but I'm even more excited to learn from them as well. I am currently majoring in psychology at Western Illinois University but in my free time I hang out with my family and friends, go to concerts, and I love sports! I hope this summer is one of the best, for the campers, and myself." Join us in welcoming Buzzie to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Cpt. Flake"  Captain Flake is currently a student at Augustana College. She is majoring in Elementary Education. She is a first year counselor for us at Camp Abe Lincoln but we have high hopes and expectations. Please join us in welcoming Cpt. Flake to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Nacho"  Nacho began working at Camp Abe Lincoln in the summer of 2008. He is one of our international staff members whom we bring to camp so that your child may experience cultures other than their own. This will be his third summer with us, very rare for international staff. He is a great addition to our team. "I have been at YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln for two summers. 2008 was my first time at there and it was a good experience. I made a lot of friends and had so much fun around camp with my campers and my co workers. But the most important thing that happened there…was that I learned how to be a child again. I began to forget all my small worries and problems. I was just thinking about planning wild and crazy activities where my campers could learn how to be caring to each other, how to be honest in all the contests an activities at camp, how to realize that everybody is different and all of us are human beings created by God. I also taught them to be responsible for their behavior and material things and let them know why their parents sent them to camp and how really important is for a child to have fun. In 2009 I came back at camp to see if my campers still remember me. If they learned how valuable is to be in contact with nature and make a strong relationship with my friends. I definitely made a family. It was a great summer, the best one ever. Now, in 2010, I am thirsty again. I need to become in a child one more time and do a great job this year. Let my campers know that I can be more than a counselor for them, I can someone who they can trust and believe in. I miss starting a water fight, a mud fight, a mud slide while it is raining, cooking out snails, frogs and worms, swimming in the pool every day and singing a camp song at every meal, that’s why I desire to come back." Please join us in welcoming Nacho to 2010 summer camp staff! "Echo"  "I’ve loved Camp Abe Lincoln since I first stepped foot there as a camper when I was six years old. Last year, I returned as a counselor to be able to give kids the same great experiences I had. I’m spending a second summer at camp because although I taught all the kids how to make friendship bracelets and lanyards, I learned more from them than they ever could have learned from me. I love how at camp the staff encourages the four core values: caring, honesty, respect and responsibility, but how every day the kids are the ones who show us how to live by them. Camp isn’t about just canoeing, campfires, and horseback riding, it’s about family, friends and growing together by doing the things we love. I couldn’t stop at just one summer. Right now, I’m a psychology student at the University of Iowa, but in my free time, I play my guitar and violin, make friendship bracelets, and wait for summer." Please join us in welcoming Echo to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Prancer"  "Since last summer, I have been teaching English in South Korea at an elementary school. I've loved watching the students progress in their English skills, and the kids have really enjoyed when I teach them games, songs, and activities that are from camp. I absolutely love camp, and passing anything along from Camp Abe Lincoln helps me get through the countdown until next summer! Working here has changed my life, and I only hopethat it changes each campers life too." Please join us in welcoming Prancer to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Boomer"  "The last four years of working at camp have truly been the most rewarding times in my life, I absolutely love this job! I get to work beside people who share my passion for working with children as well as the passion of the four core values and mission of the YMCA. A lot of people don’t understand the work that we do at camp, and they often ask about pay, and how much we make. When I tell them, they don’t understand why I keep coming back to work at camp. I come back to work at camp not only because we get to work with children, but also because of the relationships you make with not only the children, but also the staff over the years. Those relationships are worth more than a pay check and have helped shape me into the individual I am today." Join us in welcoming Boomer to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Tada"  "Coming from an island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea I had no idea what to expect when I boarded a plane to go to be a counsellor at Camp Abe Lincoln. However now a few months after camp has ended I spend most of my day either humming camp songs or thinking of all the life-changing experiences I had in those 3 months. Now I am back home I am studying Economics and Accounting at the University of the West Indies while still trying to find time for rugby in my week. I love the YMCA since they embody everything I try to be in my self as they express through the core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility. They have sincerely changed my life and I look forward to having more positive life altering moments with the awesome staff that made me feel so welcome and the campers that helped me to develop into a more all round person through the time we spent together. I am looking forward to another AMAZING summer with you all." Join us in welcoming Tada to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Steggie"  Steggie was awarded the "Spirit of Camp Abe Lincoln" award for the summer of 2009. This awarded is voted upon by the counselor staff. It is given to the counselor for service to youth and for demonstrating the positive characteristics, commitment and unselfish dedication to our campers. Join us in welcoming Steggie to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Band-Aid"  "I have been working at camp for the past eight years and was a camper before that. This upcoming summer will mark my 15th year at Camp Abe Lincoln. I cannot imagine a better job than the one I have. Every week I get the opportunity to watch children grow through the relationships they build with counselors and other campers." Band-Aid has been working for Camp Abe Lincoln since 2003, beginning as a junior counselor/lifeguard and most recently as the Resident Camp Coordinator. In May she will graduate from Elmhurst College with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing. Band-Aid has been contracted to be the Resident Camp Coordinator for the 2010 summer season. She will be responsible for making sure all resident campers have an unforgettable experience based around the four core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility. Join us in welcoming Band-Aid to the 2010 summer camp staff! "Dr. Justice"  "During my past two summers at camp, I have had the honor of working with a truly outstanding staff dedicated to the development of campers through the core values of the YMCA. Knowing that I am part of a team that makes a positive difference in the lives of children and young adults is the most rewarding experience. Camp will always have a special place in my heart." Dr. Justice has been contracted to be the Program Coordinator for the 2010 summer season. He will be responsible for making sure all campers have the opportunity to participate all the great programs matched for their age. He will also be working with retreat groups and conferences to schedule their program curriculum as well. Join us in welcoming Dr. Justice to the 2010 summer camp staff! Below is a video from one of our counselors who is not sure if she is going to be able to come to camp next year or not. Enjoy her video. Tinkerbell-Spain |
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