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Student Coordinators
Brian Wanyoike
Camille Brown
Garrett Celestin
Seth Judson
Trevor Kalkus
Nicole Kofman
Alex Samuels
Whitney Wells
Co-Chairs
Owen Falk
Scott Swartz
Camp Director
Heather Paul
Advisory Committee
Dr. Michael Amylon
Judy Applesmith
Niki Calastas
Hamsika Chandrasekar
Michael Claeys
Zeina Daoud
Adam de la Zerda, PhD
Matthew Hart
Shari Ilsen
Courtney Khademi
Raymond Klein
Julie Koenig
Phyllis Mayberg
Peggy Mendelson
Amy Padilla
Teddy Steinkellner
Stanley F. Wanat, PhD
Lyndsay Vogel
Peter Wright
Sponsored by
Hillel at Stanford
Dear Friend,
Thank you for your interest in volunteering for Camp Kesem! We are thrilled that
you are applying to be a part of the team that will make Camp Kesem 2014 the
most magical week yet!
Camp Kesem is an overnight camp for children aged 6-17 who have a parent
who is currently suffering from, in remission from, or has died of cancer. In many
ways these children are just as much the victims of cancer as their parents, but
they are often overlooked and underserved. Camp Kesem provides these
children with the unique opportunity to build friendships and gain strength from
peers facing similar challenges, in addition to enjoying a week of fun made
especially for them.
Camp Kesem is a secular camp that is open to all children regardless of race,
religion, color, national origin, or financial status. It is also free for all of the
families served. Camp Kesem welcomes a diverse staff of dedicated, responsible
and caring students to serve as counselors.
As a Camp Kesem counselor, you will be expected to participate in a mandatory
counselor training program during Spring Quarter from the evening of Friday,
April 4th through the afternoon of Sunday, April 6th, and be present for the
duration of Camp session and debriefing, from June 16-23, 2014. We expect all
counselors to be engaged in the on-campus community during Spring Quarter by
helping with Camp Kesem preparations and participating in bonding activities
with other counselors. In addition to Cabin Counselors, we are searching for
Program Counselors who help put on activities including swimming, sports,
nature hikes, and arts and crafts. More information on these positions can be
found in the application.
In addition to completing the application you are required to get a letter of
recommendation from a colleague, faculty member, former supervisor or
employer. The recommender should have witnessed you interacting in a group
dynamic, preferably with children. Once you have completed the application you
can either turn in a hardcopy at Hillel (preferred option) or e-mail it to us. The
deadline for the application is January 31st at 5pm. Once we have your
application, we will schedule an interview with you between February 3rd and
15th. You will hear back from Camp Kesem during the last week of February. If
you have any questions, please contact the counselor coordinators, Brian
Wanyoike and Whitney Wells at counselor@campkesemstanford.org.
Looking forward to reading your application,
Brian Wanyoike and Whitney Wells
Camp Kesem 2014 Counselor Coordinators
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Where magic happens
New Counselor Application 2014
In addition to your application if you feel that your resume, or any other relevant
information, would accurately or clearly illustrate your qualifications, please feel free to
attach them to this application.
Please bring your completed application to Hillel at Stanford, located at 565 Mayfield
Avenue on the corner of Campus Drive and Mayfield, or email your application to Brian
Wanyoike and Whitney Wells (counselor@campkesemstanford.org) with the subject line
“Your Name – Kesem Application.”
Applications are due by Friday, January 31st 2014 at 5 PM.
A. Personal Information
_____________________________________________________________
Last Name
First Name
Middle Initial
_______________
Date of Birth
______
Age
__________________________
Major
Gender: M
___________________________
Year in School
_________________ ___________________
Cell Phone Number
Current Email
______________________________
Residence
F
_________________________
Permanent Email (if different)
________________________
Room Number
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B. Counselor Agreement
In order to ensure that you can plan appropriately for Camp Kesem and know what is
expected of you ahead of time, please read below and sign to indicate your understanding
and acceptance of the expectations. If you have any concerns, reservations or questions
about any of these items, please let Brian Wanyoike and Whitney Wells, Counselor
Coordinators, or, Heather Paul, Camp Director, know so that we can answer any questions
and if necessary make alternative arrangements.
I understand that if I am offered a counselor position with Camp Kesem and I choose to
accept the position, I will be expected to:
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Have a LiveScan Criminal Background Check performed by the Stanford Sherriff's
department in order to ensure adequate time for the background check to be
processed prior to camp (detailed information will be provided after selection).
Return a Medical History form and copy health insurance card no later than June 1,
2014 in order to ensure that proper care can be provided in the event of an
emergency (detailed information will be provided after selection).
Attend Counselor Training, April 4, 2014, starting at 5pm, through April 6, 2014
at 5pm. Make-up trainings may be provided on a case-by-case basis and will be
necessary for anyone who does not attend training.
Attend additional trainings as necessary for additional responsibilities I take on (i.e.
Program counselor, Outdoor leadership Program counselor, etc).
Serve as a counselor the entire week of Camp from June 16, 2014 at 8am through
June 22, 2014 at 5pm.
Attend counselor debriefing immediately following camp, from June 22 at 5pm
through June 23, 2014 at 1pm.
Participate in fundraising efforts to make Camp Kesem 2014 possible. Such
fundraising efforts may include but are not limited to letter writing campaigns, online
fundraising, events, unit fundraisers, etc.
Participate in camp preparations with my unit to prepare materials, create unit
theme, name tags, etc, and bond with my unit counselors.
Assist with general camp preparations as my schedule allows.
Participate in general camp events and activities such as Spring Reunion and
Kickoff, Counselor Bonding Activities, etc as my schedule allows.
Represent CK in a positive manner consistent with the values of Camp Kesem.
I have read the expectations of a Camp Kesem counselor and agree that if I am selected
as a counselor and accept the position I will fulfill these expectations:
Signature
Date
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C. Background Check
In order to ensure a safe environment for the Camp Kesem campers and to comply with
the standards set by the American Camping Association and requirements of Stanford
University, we require a FBI level criminal background check of all accepted counselors.
If you have you ever been arrested, charged, convicted, or plead guilty to a crime
(including felony, misdemeanor, alcohol-related offenses, DUI, etc) please attach an
additional sheet explaining the arrest, charge or conviction. Arrests, charges and
convictions do not automatically disqualify you from serving as a Camp Kesem counselor,
however failure to report any prior arrests, charges or convictions could disqualify you
from being eligible to be a counselor.
Please sign below to acknowledge your understanding of, and compliance with, this policy.
Signature
Date
D. Counselor Positions
Cabin Counselors and Units
All Camp Kesem counselors are cabin counselors, meaning that they spend the
majority of their time doing activities with their units (groups of campers) and spend the
night with the campers in their cabins.
The campers are broken into units based on their grade level. Please rank the grades you
would most like to work with in order from 1, being the most desirable, to 5, being less
desirable. Please feel free to put an X through any grades that you would absolutely NOT
want to work with.
(This information will be used when assigning counselors to units).
_____ 2nd-3rd Grade
_____ 4th -5th Grade
_____ 6th Grade
_____ 7th Grade
_____ 8th Grade
_____ 9th Grade
______ Outdoor Leadership Program (10th/11th Grade)
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The following are optional positions to apply to. Indicating an interest will not help or hurt
your chances of being accepted as a counselor.
Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP) Counselors
The Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP) consists of the two units at Camp Kesem
reserved for the oldest group of campers (primarily finishing their freshmen and
sophomore years of high school). It focuses on team building and leadership skills and
culminates in a multi-day backpacking trip at the end of the week of camp. OLP counselors
should have an interest both in Camp Kesem itself and specifically in working with older
campers in the context of outdoor leadership.
In addition to participating in all Camp Kesem preparations and commitments, counselors
selected to participate in OLP will be required to attend a 1-2 night outdoor education
training weekend trip in spring quarter. If you are interested in working with OLP, please
respond to the following question.
1. Why are you interested in participating in OLP? Please indicate any relevant experience
you may have, both in terms of working with this age group or with regards to outdoor
experience.
Program Counselors
In addition to the regular duties of a Cabin Counselor, a Program Counselor splits their
time between their units and planning/running specific activities for all campers. The
particular activities, or rotations, run by program counselors include arts & crafts, drama,
sports, and adventure/nature. If you are interested in working as a Program Counselor,
please rank the position(s) you are interested in and respond to the following questions.
_____ Arts & Crafts
____Drama
____Sports
____Adventure/Nature
1. Why are you interested in being a Program Counselor? Please indicate any relevant
experience you may have.
2. What specific example(s) do you have of activities you would like to lead within this
programming area?
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E. Experience and Skills
Please list and briefly describe your relevant experience working with children, if any.
Please list and briefly describe your relevant past camp experience, if any.
Please list and briefly describe your role(s) in any campus groups you are a part of
F. Short Essays
1. Describe a favorite childhood memory.
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2. If you could have a meal with anyone, living or dead, who would it be, what would you
eat and where would you eat it?
3. If you were trapped in a mall alone, what are the first three things that you would do?
4. Why do you want to be a Camp Kesem Counselor?
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Camp Kesem Counselor Recommendation
(Please fill out the following information and give this page to your recommender)
Applicant’s Name__________________________________________________
Last
First
Middle
____ I waive my right to review the content of this recommendation.
____ I do not waive my right to review the content of this recommendation.
____________________________________________________
Applicant’s signature
Date
Camp Kesem is a weeklong overnight camp for children in Grades 2-11 who have a parent
currently suffering, in remission, or has died from cancer. The needs of our campers are many and
varied, from a friend to play kickball or make friendship bracelets with, to a shoulder to lean on, an
ear to listen, or a comforting face to help them get over a bad dream. As a result, we are looking
for counselors from numerous backgrounds: we welcome improvisers, artists, athletes, actors,
nurturers, naturalists, dancers, singers, and more. However, what truly sets our counselors apart is
their generosity, care, and compassion.
Taking the above into account, we have selected questions that will give us valuable insight into
how this applicant might fit with our group and goals. The Camp Kesem Selection Team would like
to thank you for agreeing to write a candid recommendation for this applicant, and we truly
appreciate and value your opinions of the applicant’s abilities and accomplishments. When you
have completed the recommendation form, please return it to the applicant in a sealed envelope.
The applicant will then be responsible for delivering it to us with his/her application materials.
Alternatively, you can mail the form to us; you will find our mailing address at the bottom of this
form.
If you have any questions please feel free to our Camp Director, Heather Paul, at (650) 723-1603.
Thank you again for your input.
1. Please briefly describe the capacity and context in which you have known the applicant,
and for how long.
2. Please describe a time when you have witnessed the applicant interacting in a group.
What are his/her strengths in working with a group? What are his/her weaknesses?
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3. How do you feel the applicant would interact with fellow counselors at camp?
4. How well do you feel the applicant would interact with the campers? Please consider
the range of ages our camp serves, and how the applicant might interact with children of
different ages.
5. Do you have any reservations about the applicant working with children?
6. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Recommender Name __________________________________________
Fist
Last
Email address_______________________________________________
Phone Number______________________________
Signature
Date
Thank you again for your time and candidness. Please remember to return this form in a sealed
envelope to the applicant. Or, if you prefer, you can return it to Hillel at Stanford located at 565
Mayfield Ave at the corner of Campus Drive and Mayfield in a sealed envelope with the applicant’s
name, or you can mail it to:
Camp Kesem
c/o Hillel at Stanford
P.O. Box 20526
Stanford, CA 94309