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Camp Director

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It's a hockey enthusiast's dream.

Camp director Lance Barrs runs a hockey camp for boys and girls ranging from beginners to AAA. The camp's hockey program combines about three hours of on-ice instruction with off-ice lectures and exercise programs.

"I love being involved with hockey for a living," says Barrs. He has worked at the camp for about 25 years. "I have a lifestyle many people might envy."

He adds that kids may participate in other sports offered by the camp, including climbing, swimming and mountain biking. Adventurous campers may don snorkeling gear to explore Big Chief Island. Kayakers may tackle the Distress River. "There's something here for every kid to enjoy," he says.

Barrs is quick to point out that his job isn't all fun and games. "If you go into this work, you have to be prepared to put a lot of hours in," he says. He works 16 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week.

About 1,800 kids attend his camp during the summer. He supervises approximately 300 at a time. "Kids learn self-confidence here," he says. "They can always find some activity they're good at."

Barrs' favorite part of his job is seeing the campers' progress. "They develop life skills that they take away from camp," he says.

Sometimes he doesn't get as much personal contact with the campers as he'd like. "I do a lot of administrative work, like preparing budgets, that keeps me in my office," he says. "I'd like to go down and play with the kids, but I don't always have the time."

He also must be conscious of his behavior -- the children often look up to him. "I have to model the proper language, work habits and attitude," he says.

Carolyn Daly is the camp director of the Kids Cancer Care Foundation. She says her job presents unique challenges. "Dealing with children who have cancer requires being sensitive to the needs of the campers," she says. "For instance, if one of them needs medication or a drive to the doctor, I might take care of that."

Daly sympathizes with Barrs about not being able to spend as much time with the campers as she'd like. However, she often rearranges her schedule so she can spend some time with them. "I try to get to know most of the kids," she says, "even if I just chat with them for a few minutes."

According to Daly, the most rewarding aspect of her job is seeing kids with cancer do things they normally wouldn't do. "The kids go out on the climbing wall, they go rafting and swimming and they go on out trips," she says. "We also have a dance every week."

Ken Robinson is a camp director in Montana. He says he began his career wanting to achieve more than what he realistically could. "I wanted to change the world," he says. "Now I'm happy to see the little changes in the children at my camp."

He adds that the changes include an increased confidence and desire to try new things.

Barrs says he enjoys watching the changes in a child's behavior that indicate the child has learned a valuable lesson. "I've had homesick children I've struggled with for about a week," he says. "Then, they decide they like camp and don't want to leave. They grow up a bit."

Daly recalls seeing how a river rafting trip transformed the sister of a child with cancer. "She'd been sheltered for so long because her sibling was sick," Daly says. "It was like the world opened up."

Daly says camp often drains her energy. "I'm always on duty," she says. "If no one's available to do something, I have to do it."

Barrs recently traveled to Australia so he could truly leave the camp experience behind for a while. He says he must make sure he takes breaks from his job. "It's easy to forget to take time off work," he says. "There's always so much to be done and it's often fun."

Daly says one of her most important duties is ensuring the safety of campers. "All precautions must be followed carefully," she says. "If anything happens, people wonder why you didn't handle it properly."

Robinson says people have a right to have high expectations of his work. "If they respect you, they expect a lot," he says. "I try to teach campers to expect a lot from themselves and others."

He says he can tell as soon as children begin to understand what they can accomplish. "When they recognize their gifts, they carry a confidence that no one can destroy. I've seen this with kids who were teased -- they have the confidence not to let it get to them anymore."