Hi everyone! I’m Mary!

Date posted: May 22, 2015

Hi Everyone! I’m Mary, and I’m the new Program Coordinator at the Stepping Stones Allyn Campus. I’m very excited to be joining the Recreation and Leisure department and working alongside Katie Scholp at Allyn!

I was born and raised in Michigan (I know, I know, be nice to me anyway please).

My first experience with camp was when I was probably seven years old. My parents shipped me off to Girl Scout camp, where we slept in platform tents that leaked when it rained, tried not to get lost walking to the outhouse at night, scratched mosquito bites and poison ivy, and ate an infinite amount of s’mores. I learned important life lessons there, like how to tip someone else’s canoe over without tipping your own, what foods tasted best when burned over a campfire, and which camp songs would annoy my parents most when they picked me up. But I also learned that I could be an independent young girl, that I could go somewhere like camp knowing absolutely nobody and come away with some of the best friends I’ve ever had, that I could cook food over a fire and pitch a tent and paddle a canoe. I learned that camp is an amazing experience that you can’t recreate anywhere else.

I had always been interested in therapy and healthcare, so I decided to study therapeutic recreation in college. I went to Grand Valley State University in west Michigan, and graduated with a bachelor’s of science in therapeutic recreation. I earned my Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credential shortly after graduating.

During my first year of college, the idea of working at summer camp came to me. Be at camp and get paid for it?? It sounded amazing. I worked at Indian Trails Camp as a counselor for a summer and then as a ropes course staff for a second summer; it’s a teeny tiny camp in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that mainly serves kids and adults with physical disabilities. I was able to trade in the platform tents and outhouses for real cabins with flushing toilets (I was pretty sure I was in a hotel). It was very different from Girl Scout camp, but also very similar. We did the same silly things like sing songs and roast marshmallows and have wacky hair days; we also helped the camp participants learn skills that can’t be experienced anywhere else, promoted a sense of independence for all participants, and encouraged them to make friends.

I worked at ITC for two summers, and then I worked at Bradford Woods, a camp in Indiana for kids with disabilities and chronic illnesses, for three summers. I then began working at YMCA Camp Copneconic in eastern Michigan as a program specialist, working with their year-round outdoor education program and their summer medical camps. I am very excited to be joining the Stepping Stones team in Ohio, and I am looking forward to meeting the participants, helping the summer staff learn and grow, and making sure EVERYONE has an incredible summer experience!

When I’m not doing camp stuff, I enjoy baking, making origami animals, yoga, and spending time with family and friends. My favorite book series is Harry Potter. My favorite food is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I love finding and wearing brightly colored socks–I have quite the collection. 

I am looking forward to a fantastic summer! If there is anything I can do to help you have a fantastic one with Stepping Stones as well, please let me know!

-Mary