Forty One Years and Still Counting

It seems like yesterday that my new bride Stefanie and I first came to Sewataro. It was the summer of 1971 and we were looking for a camp job. We both taught at Hopedale High School and Stefanie suggested that I check the Yellow Pages for a camp in the area. Thus began our love affair with Camp Sewataro.

When we met with Alba, we were amazed with the camp grounds. It was plain to see that Alba really cared about the camp and the people who worked there.

We inquired as to what positions were available. To our delight fishing and tennis had yet to be filled. Stefanie had some tennis experience and Alba made it clear that her prime interest was for the campers to have fun first and skills second.

Fishing was an activity I learned as a child as my dad was an avid fisherman. At camp, Fishing had been taught with a Huck Fin approach, using bamboo poles and string. For some reason the campers never caught a fish. I had a lot of work to do.

Stefanie worked for three summers until our first child Josh was born and three years later our daughter Emily. I had a fabulous opportunity to watch my children evolve into wonderful and giving people thanks to the skills and positive role models that Sewataro instilled in them.

Fishing has become a very popular activity at camp. In the summer, I become “Dan Dan the Fisherman”, a name that I am very proud of. It is difficult to put into words the joy and wonder on a child’s face the first time they catch a fish. You just know that this moment in time will be etched and never forgotten and I feel blessed to be a part of this.

I now have two grandchildren, Jacob and Lindsey. The happiest day in my life will be when they attend Camp Sewataro. A second generation of my family will enter their adult lives with all the skills needed to lead happy and productive lives.

Although Alba is no longer with us, she lives on in the hearts and minds of thousands who will always remember Camp Sewataro as being a special place that they will never forget.

Posted By: Dan Dan the Fisherman

Bio: Dan and Stefanie are retired teachers living in Framingham. Their days are occupied by caring for their grandchildren so that their children can continue their careers, Emily, a child psychologist and Josh, owner of Pioneer Real Estate Appraisers. Dan continues at Sewataro as “Dan Dan the Fisherman”.

Work?

The whole concept of “camp” is inextricably related with the season of summer for two extremely practical reasons.

1. You need excellent weather in order to play outside all day.

2. You need an extended mandatory vacation from all things “work-related”.

This extended mandatory vacation only exists in the form of summer vacation from school. As a child, I can remember the lure of the outdoors and of uninterrupted play as a constant desire that could only be adequately quenched during those still too short summer months. I may have exaggerated some details in my own mind, but I remember the entire student body at my 1-5 elementary school staging a sit-out protest when we learned the school was going to be eliminating “morning recess” from the schedule. That same innate desire to play made me cherish my own varied experiences at a great range of day camps, overnight camps, and sports camps throughout my childhood.

The first summer I began to work at Sewataro as an 18 year old after my freshman year of college, I came to a rather incredible realization. I was getting up at 6:30 in the morning (no rare feat for a college student), putting all of my energy and focus into my job the entire day through, and yet I didn’t feel like I was “working” at all. Quite literally, I was being paid to have fun and make sure others had fun as well. At first, I felt guilty. What if someone found out? I was young sure, but I knew you weren’t supposed to actually enjoy work, right? But the longer I worked there, the more I realized that this was a place where the entire mandate is to spread joy. From the owners to the staff supervisors to the staff themselves, Sewataro is truly a community of people working together to bring joy to the lives of children in a safe and accepting way. It may sound hokey to say it like that, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

And the longer I worked/played at Sewataro, the more I realized that I didn’t have to settle for slogging my way through a “job” for the rest of my life. The experiences I had at Sewataro (along with the people I met) inspired me to build my career around finding work opportunities that did not feel like work at all. Sewataro is a big part of the reason why I am now a teacher and a coach as well as a counselor. I had no idea as an 18 year old that one summer job would turn into three rewarding careers, but I soon came to find out that a summer at Sewataro can have life-changing effects for both campers and staff.

Posted By: Ben

Bio: I grew up in nearby Wayland, MA before going on to earn degrees from Boston College and Tufts University in English and Secondary Education respectively. I have worked for Camp Sewataro since the summer of 2003 as a General Counselor, Extra, and Section Supervisor. During the school year I teach English and coach the Boys JV Basketball team at Framingham High School.