CITs Reflect on Their Time at Camp

CIT group picture with counselors.

During our last assembly, the CITs gathered to share some beautiful words with the rest of the camp. Their script went as follows:

Do you know what's strange?

When we first came to Camp Sarah, we were counting the days until we could be here. We couldn't wait to see our friends, play games, sing songs, stay up late, and laugh until our stomachs hurt.

And now, we're counting the days again.

But this time, we're counting them because we don't want to leave.

Camp Sarah gave us a summer we didn't know we'd miss this much.

Camp Sarah isn't ending, but this summer is. And somehow, that feels almost just as difficult.

Because soon, we'll pack our bags, say our goodbyes, and go home. Life will go back to normal.

But will we really go back to who we were before Camp Sarah?

To our counselors...

To the staff...

To everyone who woke up early when we were still sleeping.

To everyone who stayed late when we were already tired.

To the people who planned activities.

Who cleaned.

Who organized.

Who solved problems.

Who encouraged us.

Who corrected us when we needed correction.

Who laughed with us.

Who sometimes had to say “NO!” about a hundred times a day. 😂

You probably don't realize how much you have given us.

Sometimes we saw the activity.

But we didn't see the hours of preparation behind it.

We saw the smile.

But we didn't see how tired you were.

We saw the fun.

But we didn't see the work that made the fun possible.

So today...

we see you.

And we want to say:

Thank you.

Thank you for giving us a summer worth remembering.

To the People Behind Camp

There are also people we may not always notice.

The people behind the scenes.

The kitchen staff.

The cleaners.

The organizers.

The security.

The people who make sure things work.

The people who prepare things before we even arrive.

The people who make sure we are safe, comfortable, fed and cared for.

Maybe we don't say it enough...

But Camp Sarah wouldn't be Camp Sarah without you.

So from all of us:

Thank you for everything you did—even the things we never saw.

And then...

There are you guys.

The people standing beside me.

When we arrived, we were just a group of people.

Now?

Look at us.

We have inside jokes nobody else understands.

Stories nobody else will believe.

Moments that only we experienced.

We have laughed together.

We've been frustrated together.

We've been tired together.

We've probably annoyed each other a few times. 😂

But somehow...

We became a family.

And that's what makes leaving difficult.

Because when you leave Camp Sarah...

You're not just leaving a place.

You're leaving people you got used to having around.

When we leave Camp Sarah, we won't be taking the chairs.

We won't be taking the camp buildings.

We won't be taking the activity equipment.

We won't even be taking the camp schedule. 😂

But we're taking something much more valuable.

We're taking memories.

We're taking friendships.

We're taking lessons.

We're taking Jewish values.

We're taking confidence.

We're taking experiences that changed us.

And maybe...

We're taking a little bit of Camp Sarah inside each of us.

his summer made me think about the kind of counselor I want to become.

And I realized something.

I don't want to be the counselor that children simply remember because I was funny.

I want to be the counselor they remember because I made them feel seen.

I want to be the counselor who noticed the child sitting alone.

The child who was afraid to participate.

The child who didn't think they were good enough.

The child who just needed someone to say:

“Come. Sit with us.”

Because maybe...

That's what Camp Sarah has given us.

A chance to become the person we once needed.

We came here at the beginning of summer as CITs.

But we're leaving with something more.

We're leaving with responsibility.

With memories.

With friendships.

With stories.

With lessons.

And with a promise.

A promise that what we learned here won't stay here.

Because Camp Sarah was never supposed to be something we experience for one summer and forget.

It was supposed to prepare us for what comes next.

The children we'll lead.

The communities we'll build.

The families we'll have.

The people we'll influence.

The lives we'll touch.

And maybe...

Many years from now...

We'll be older.

We'll have our own lives.

Maybe some of us will have children.

Maybe some of us will even have grandchildren.

And one day, someone might ask us:

“What was the best summer of your life?”

And maybe...

Just maybe...

We'll smile.

And say:

“Camp Sarah.”

Because some summers are measured in weeks.

But some summers...

change you forever.