camp counselor

lifeguard

camp manager

outreach coordinator

facilities technician

FVCA (Fox Valley Christian Action)

I was hired as a camp counselor, but I transitioned over to facilities assistant after realizing I preferred it to managing children constantly.
Being a counselor requires handling a group of kids 24/7, so you need to be able to keep that energy up constantly and know how to keep children entertained.

Being Facilities Assistant is basically like being the right hand man of the Camp Supervisor with the respect and authority of being lower than even Facilities.  To be fair, they were shifting jurisdiction between Facilities, Facilities Assistant, and Camp Supervisor after quarantine, but it seemed like no one really knew what I did.
For example, I was supposed to be both the official liaison between Facilities and the Camp team and the one in charge of handing out keys to the vans, logging trips, and maintaining them.  However, no one went through me for either point.  For the most part, I was basically just waiting for Activities to need their next supplies since I didn't have any other jobs I was allowed to do, and then I was criticized for sitting around.  Eventually I just made up my own responsibilities so people wouldn't think I was being lazy.

So basically, if you're going to be a Facilities Assistant, you MUST do the following from the get-go:
-Forge a relationship with the Camp Supervisor, Facilities Manager, and Activities Supervisor.
-Get a detailed list of your responsibilities.
-Make sure the Camp Supervisor and Camp Program Manager **RELAY** those responsibilities to the rest of the team.


Other than the horrible communication issues, though, it was a great place to work.  The people were great, the kids were fun to work with, we had good activities for the kids, and I got to have all of the fun of a camp counselor without having to micromanage a group of five-year-olds constantly.

You are responsible to wake-up the kids. You are also responsibility to send them to sleep. As a climb counselor, you are like the kid's parent for a week. In addition, you are engaging in camper versus counselor challenges. Plus, there are activities that you have to engage them into. You aren't a bystander. You should play with them, build with them, get messy, and enjoy the spontaneity alongside them. If you aren't willing to, this may not be the position for you. The campers care deeply about you. You have the opportunity to relay Jesus is a vibrant way. During my tenure, our cabin had individual counselor group devotional time and whole cabin devotional time. They go home Friday afternoon. Before you know it, those kids are gone, but your seeds stay in them. I've seen the moment the hands go up to accept Jesus. If you choose this place, the reward goes beyond material pay; these kids may have an eternal relationship with Jesus. 
It was my first summer working with them. Furthermore, I had never worked directly with FVCA. I must say, the experience is something I cannot leave behind. I am thankful to the supportive management. When the weather got difficult (thunderstorms, for instance), they respond promptly with compassion. Also, meetings are done to follow-up with feedback. The management regards your input. I needed nightlights to settle my kids down one night and they bought it two days later! That's just how much they care.

1. A typical day is I make phone calls to families and allow appointments to families. However on Sunday and Friday's I am to load and unload bags for campers in the hot sun without a chance to say no. I also carried a variety of items to different locations.
2.I learned that people are backstabbers and that higher ups don't want to help but instead keep things hush up.
3. Management was terrible they did not help in solving most of the problems presented to them. Talked down to workers and gossiped about others on the daily basis.
4. In my work place my supervisor was great she was fun and treated me with respect and consideration. However many co workers bad mouthed each other and the workplace did very little to hold themselves or the kids accountable for negative actions.
4. The mistreated of camp workers. Trying to stay positive. Put up with the lack of help. Not being able to have a proper meal. Not long rest period. Not following their own rules. Gave cult like feature. Make you do things outside what you had verbally agreed to. Items were stolen.
5. That I did not have to work with the kids 24/7 and had a break from them unlike the camp counselors 

P.s
Poor food, management was unhelpful, poor communication,higher ups not held accountable, planning behind people back,mistreated of workers,emotional distress,workers not protected, none stop work,1 day off, had favorite's

Working at Riverwoods for two years I saw it all. It is not a good environment and the kids are allot of the time in harms way. The only reason I stayed was to help the kids. You get paid next to none and you're actually forced to ask for donations from family and friends by the organization itself. You have to raise your own paycheck. The management is horrible in the sense that it tares everyone under it apart. Working 150 hour weeks for $220 a week and with only a 30 minute break a day, you are up most nights and are constantly witnessing the management yell at you and the staff. The treatment of staff is horrendous. Living conditions are not very far off. I was forced to sleep in a room infested with bed bugs for three month. I sent in complaint after complaint yet nothing was done about it, even brought then evidence by a dead bed bug I had found on my bed, yet they did not do anything and still forced children to sleep in the same bed bug infested beds and sent them home to infest their homes. horrid summer, horrid management. The only thing worth it was helping the kids and hearing their stories. That was what got me through the summer, the kids.

I am blessed and honored to say that FVCA has made a huge impact and contribution to my life. I am blessed that I was able to came out and serve Him through the low income communities kids whom some have heard a little about God some never ever heard of him. It takes a lot of energy and a lot of patience and effort to be at camp there will be constant changes in schedule due to weather or it could be anything. But that’s fine because you get use to it, it is summer camp after all I had learned a lot from serving the kids and serving with the staffs. On Sundays when we checked them in some will say I don’t wanna be here don’t want to participate in activities but the next days comes the  walls start coming out too they are slowly getting out of their comfort zones and started to change. Fridays are always bittersweet moments with campers. If you are a night owl person like me get ready to convert that in some ways. 

FVCA is a summer camp in Illinois. The campus is beautiful and  the nature is refreshing. Is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. A typical day depends on the job that you choose to do. Camp counselors take care of kids and everyone else helps out with that in whatever kind of way they can. This is not an easy job, one must be willing to go through lots of complex change. This is in fact a job that will grow you as a person in many different ways. The culture there is very diverse. People from different walks of life come from all over and serve kids. The hardest part of the job is different depending a persons weaknesses. The most enjoyable part of the job is the relationships that are built with the kids and the staff. This is a very unique job and it’s a privilege to work there. This is not a robot this is a real review I promise! 


My typical day at work was just being with the kids and supervising them! We all had different activities everyday to attend and participate in with awesome coordinators and leaders. Workplace culture was really great, everyone was there for the right reasons. The hardest part of the job was definitely having some kids who were just dealing with a lot so they’d react a little more than others would (storming off, cussing, fighting etc.) but just being that safe person for them through all of it and helping those walls come down was definitely the most enjoyable part of the job. 

Overall the work is sometimes hard and the hours are long but it extremely rewarding. There are many roles such as counselors, floaters, coordinators, and more. Most spend nearly all day every day with the kids.
I learned how to help kids and be there for them.
Workplace culture is very positive, with amazing administrators and coworkers.
Hardest part is probably the long hours.
Most enjoyable part are certain activities such as the pool and basketball.

Working at FVCA was such an impactful experience. Getting to share Jesus with campers, interacting with all campers and staff, and finding new areas of personal growth were some of my greatest memories from summer '23. As in any job, there are challenges, but the reward of ministry highly outweighs the challenges. The campus is beautiful, and there are so many other towns to explore in the outer-Chicago area. If you are looking to impact the future generation of children, and you're no intimidated by personal and spiritual growth, I would highly suggest spending a summer working at FVCA. 

At Fox, Valley Christian Action is a place were you able to grow spiritually and connect with others. You get to meet amazing people from across the country to work together with. You will learn about God and how to help the children grow in their journey with Jesus. Having fun with the children in various activities that revolve around the sharing gospel. The camp is located an hour away for Chicago, so you can use your time off to explore the city, trying different cuisines, and doing activities in the surrounding area. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Camp counselor 2 salaries reported	$410 per week
Lifeguard 10 salaries reported	$410 per week
Camp manager 1 salary reported	$24.00 per hour
Outreach coordinator 1 salary reported	$47,500 per year
Facilities technician 2 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour

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