THANK YOU, GERRY

As the seasons change and we move into a time of Thanksgiving, it somehow feels right to share some of the heartfelt messages that our Camp Director Gerry Adam has received as she nears retirement at the end of this church year.

• You taught us to look up to the sky in wonder, sing our hearts out in praise, find miracles in everyday nature and care for each other like family. Through your guidance, leadership, and storytelling, we went out into the world prepared to make it a better place in whatever small but meaningful ways we could… Congrats on your well-deserved retirement from Camp Huron!
• There was one homily last summer about mercy that has really stuck with me, and I bring it outside of camp…
• As the camp chef, one of the greatest rewards was seeing the smiles on the children’s faces as they gathered to enjoy a meal…I will always treasure our commitment to faith-based programming made camp more than a summer destination- it became a place where lives were nurtured, friendships made, and faith could grow. Surrounded by the beauty of the lake and God’s incredible creation, every summer was a reminder of how special HCC truly is…
• Gerry has an extremely graceful way of saying it like it is, which I will always appreciate because it challenged me and helped me to grow…
• I am thankful to you for fostering such a caring accepting and safe space for people in the LGBTQIA2S+ community to work alongside faith. You have never shied away from seeing people for who they are…
• One of my fondest memories at HCC was during my second-year placement when I was working in a cabin. I was outside engaging the children in a hacky sack circle, and you were quietly watching, after my placement finished you connected with all the second years to see how their placement went. I remember you sharing with me how much joy it brought you to watch all the children and me having such a fun experience. The feedback you gave me really helped my self-confidence and paved my way to a career working with children and being a mentor as well.
• My favorite memories of being at camp together with Gerry are not of any particular story, but of a place. The nurse’s porch is a special place where stories are told, support is given, laughs are shared and where life and nature are observed all around us... I will cherish those memories of my porch sitting days with a dear friend.
• As a parent, I always knew my children were safe in the embrace of Camp Huron. I trusted that they would come home more deeply connected to who they truly were, with a greater understanding if their place in the larger camp story…Your story will continue through the works and actions of everyone who comes after you- whether or not they ever stood on this scared ground at the same time you did. You have woven you right, creativity and compassion into the very fabric – and soil-of Camp Huron.…From a deeply grateful heart.
• May you always know what a difference you have made in the world by reflecting the Lord and sharing Gods love…. Thank-you for guiding our young hearts….
• You showed so much kindness and understanding – I never doubted the care you held and the love you have for life. I carry it with me; I want to carry on the kindness and spread it like glitter! THANK-YOU FOREVER!
• I learned to remember, “It’s not a funny prank if they aren’t laughing”! J 
• Gerry had a rare gift where she could walk into a cabin, a dining hall, a campfire circle, or a hard conversation and somehow leave it lighter and more whole than when she found it. She led not with authority but with love, the kind that notices, that remembers, that makes room for everyone.
• Remembering Gerry, who did some of her best coaching and mentoring on the walk up the road between the Dining Hall, past the Laundry Shed, and back to the camper compound. Always thoughtful and a chance to think while the wonderful madness of HCC swirled around us!
• I will always remember that feeling of turning onto the gravel road with the greatest anticipation to pick a bunk in the cabins…
• You were always a helping guide but also allowed me to have input as well. The volleyball court has come a long way from the day that I had the idea to start a beach volleyball court…I kept going up and down the beach stairs with buckets of sand. You eventually had mercy on me and bless your heart; you ordered trucks of sand to help finish the job... All the best on wherever the road takes you next…
• The lessons you taught me have stayed long after camp. “Is it my hill?” a reminder to choose my battles wisely and perhaps the greatest of all, “own the work you do.” These simple words have guided me throughout my career and life.
• I am looking forward to updating you about how camp continues to be a welcoming, inclusive, and leader-oriented place, long after your time as Director has ended…
• You impact on me has rippled and its waves will touch the lives of many, many young people to come… P.S. See ya at church!
• As the longest-serving director Camp Huron has ever known, you didn’t just run a camp. You built a home. A place where kids could stumble, be silly, be homesick, be brave, be exactly who they are – and know that they would be met with warmth, no matter what. I think about how many children have sat across from you after a hard day, or a scraped knee or a broken heart over a friendship gone sideways and found in you someone who made them feel safe…With so much love and gratitude…
• God’s grace flows so easily on the holy ground of Camp Huron (Huron Church Camp in my heart)! Lives have been changed tears dried, comfort given, the gospel preached, children found their voices, young people learned acceptance and grace and love…all because Gerry said “yes.” Thank-you Gerry on never compromising on being you. Thank-you for saying “yes.” And thank-you for teaching us to shift down the bench a little further to make room for some more folks who would very much like to enter the kingdom, too.
• So many of my younger camp memories include not just you, but your children. As a parent now I see what a sacrifice it was for your whole family to be so tied to the camp…Thank-you to Tom and Emily and Maggie and Charles and thank-you Gerry – these words are not enough.