into the living room with his Camp Joy shirt, Camp Joy tote bag, Camp Joy Songbook, and his Camp Joy hat. At that mo- ment, we knew that this young man had definitely benefited from the Camp Joy week that summer. “The following summer, Camp Joy moved to two sessions. I planned to work at both sessions. For some reason, this
young man who had now finished two years of teaching, was put into the position of Staff Assistant. One of my jobs was to help send the counselors to bed and make sure they observed curfew. At the end of the week, Miss Frances (Sanders), called me aside and said, “You really do get those counselors in bed on time.” How would you like to work more on an administrative level with Camp Joy. I agreed and thus began my time of learning to be a camp director. “The next summer, Miss Frances, left Camp Joy, and I became the Assistant Director with Ann Brice. Little did I know
that my life was about to change in a huge way. Over the next 13 years, I learned from Ann Brice, “how to be a Camp Director.” Ann took care of all camper applications and I began the task of recruiting high school and college students to work as Camp Joy Counselors (Special Friends).
How has Ann Brice impacted my life? “I learned over my 15 years with Camp Joy that the uniqueness and specialness of Camp Joy is found within the one-on-one relationship between camper and counselor. This relationship is built the strongest, when the counselor and camper are either both male or both female. The relationship between camper and counselor (special friends) is not just walking around with each other, not just singing in worship together, not just being in Bible class together or eating meals together but the true service happens in the adjoining rooms in Memorial Hall, where two campers room together, and their counselors bunk in the adjoining room. The true service happens in the room! The sacredness and selfless giving of helping a camper dress, clean up in the restroom, tie shoes, transfer into a wheelchair, and get into bed at night happens in the room. The one-on-one relationship is the key and core of the servant leadership that a counselor comes away with after having served as a Special Friend for the week. “After leaving Camp Joy to become the Camp Director of the Bonclarken Music Drama Camp and to become the Co-
Director of Camp Bonclarken, I realized even more the impact of Camp Joy on my life. More specifically, I realized the impact of Ann Brice on my life as a Camp Director. I had learned how to recruit young people, and to work with campers. I had learned how important it is to have high expectations. Ann expected the best from her counselors and staff. She also expected the best from the campers. I have never met anyone who can get a special needs camper to do “exactly” what she expected, but Miss Ann could do it, and still can do it! “If you were a counselor or staff member under Ann Brice’s direction, you were being taught how to love, teach, listen
and learn. Ann has always said, ‘Camp Joy is not my camp, it’s God’s camp!’ Ann was training all of us to be in some sort of ministry! Ann’s high expectations along with her love and passion, have helped to train future special needs teachers, responsible business leaders, youth leaders, and ministers. Many of those in leadership in the ARP denomination today, were influenced by the love and leadership of Ann Brice. “Hebrews 13:1-2 says, ‘Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strang- ers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.’”?
A Camp Joy Poem By: Darrell Hopkins (former camper) July 1997
CAMP JOY is a summer camp up in the North Carolina mountains, where boys and girls from all around, some come from South Carolina and some from North Carolina. Boys and Girls come in cars with their moms and dads and other boys and girls come in buses with smiles on their faces, where the director of Camp Joy will say a big hello, then will take you to meet your special friend, and after you have unpacked your suitcase, you and your special friend will go and sing Camp Joy songs, new ones and some old ones. Camp Joy will be here for years to come and that’s why I love to go to Camp Joy.
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