KINDNESS AND COMPASSION

Thankfully, we know that there are kind and wonderful people all over the world. But yet, there is something special about the kindness and compassion we see at Alford Lake Camp each summer. We witness kindness in action each day at camp from returning campers helping new camps acclimate to life at ALC in the early days of the summer, to friends supporting one another while climbing a mountain, to tentmates working together to move their trunks at the end of the summer. While these are all wonderful examples of kindness in action, they are not completely unique to ALC. What makes kindness at Alford Lake Camp unique is our intentionality in practicing being kind.

There is no doubt we must all continually practice these habits - after all, it’s hard to be kind when a tentmate isn’t doing her share of tent cleanup. At ALC, we have the gift of time, which allows us to learn how to share our thoughts and feelings in a productive, kind way, thereby building trust and a deeper connection with each other. Eventually, this helps us create friendships that last well beyond our days at camp. Friendships built on a solid foundation of trust, connection, and kindness are strong as they have been forged through quality time with one another. 

Over and over again we hear from alumnae about how much they cherish their ALC friends. As they share their stories of time with their ALC friends, the themes of kindness and trust quickly emerge. Uninterrupted time together, be it laughing while setting up a campsite, or walking down to the waterfront, or maybe just being together in their cozy tent, creates those lifelong memories of living in our kind community.

Of course, we hope that our campers and counselors lessons of kindness practiced in camp each summer give us the confidence to reach out to others kindly and compassionately at home throughout the year, knowing that each act of kindness does make a difference in the world.