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‭Piper Thiessen‬

‭Professor Emigh‬

‭RPTM 101‬

‭25 March 2024‬

‭On March 18th I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Laura Chase, the program director‬

‭of a very popular summer camp amongst children in Portland, Camp Westwind. Ms. Chase grew‬

‭up as a camper with Westwind, then was a counselor, and now has been with the program as‬

‭director for the last several years. We had a wonderful discussion over zoom, covering‬

‭everything from the mission of Westwind, to the funding and facilities and what a day in the life‬

‭as program director could look like throughout the seasons.‬

‭I was very excited to meet with Ms. Chase as my interview candidate as Westwind was‬

‭many of my friends' favorite summer camp growing up. At the start of each school year many of‬

‭my friends would return with so many amazing stories from their summer camp at Westwind and‬

‭a nice Westwind sweatshirt that I was always jealous of. However during this interview I learned‬

‭that Westwind is much more than just the sleep away camps offered in the summer. In the spring‬

‭the facilities are rented out to schools across Oregon for children in 6th grade to go to outdoor‬

‭school. There are day-long events offered for holidays such as earth day. In the fall Westwind is‬

‭home to many weddings and events as the facilities can be rented out by cabin or the site as a‬

‭whole.‬

‭After hearing about the mission, history, and events and facilities offered by Westwind,‬

‭Ms. Chase told me her story of how she came to be the program director. As a college student,‬

‭Ms. Chase studied and earned a degree in international development, with minors in French and‬

‭black studies. She then went on to work in Africa where she ran educational programs. This goes‬
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‭to show that plans can change, and as a college student I enjoyed hearing the unique journey a‬

‭person can have to a career they love, but did not anticipate having as a college student planning‬

‭their future.‬

‭Westwind is a non-profit organization located on the Oregon coast that is best known for‬

‭their incredible youth summer camp programs. Westwind summer camps are incredibly popular‬

‭among children in Portland, and many of my friends growing up attended overnight camps at‬

‭Westwind each summer. I have heard so many amazing stories about Westwind camps, so it felt‬

‭like the perfect place to look for an interview candidate. Being the director of the program, Ms.‬

‭Chase seemed to be the perfect interview candidate as she is able to offer insight and knowledge‬

‭on every aspect of Westwind.‬

‭Ms. Chase initially started at Westwind as one of the youth campers attending the‬

‭overnight summer camp programs. After aging out of the camps, she returned on the staffing side‬

‭as a counselor. She attended college and earned a degree in International Development with a‬

‭focus in Africa, and minors in French and Black Studies. Post college she ran educational and‬

‭gap year programs in Africa, and worked as an outdoor guide during the off season. In 2019 Ms.‬

‭Chase returned to Westwind once again as the Program Director, where she has been working‬

‭ever since.‬

‭As program director, Ms. Chase wears many different hats, and daily work looks different‬

‭each season. During the spring, lots of planning is needed for the summer, as well as hiring the‬

‭seasonal summer employees. While summer camps are in full swing, she manages logistics, puts‬

‭on staff training, deals with any camper or counselor situations that arise, and completes staff‬

‭evaluations. In the fall she works each weekend planning, running weekend programs, debriefing‬

‭the events of the summer, and planning for the following summer. The winter season is a bit‬
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‭slower, setting up for hiring season, updating the website and resources. Some days are spent on‬

‭site at camp, while other days are back in the Portland office, working as needed.‬

‭Westwind’s mission statement according to their website states, “The Westwind‬

‭Stewardship Group inspires people to be stewards of the environment and their communities by‬

‭conserving Westwind’s diverse ecosystems in perpetuity and fostering life-changing experiences‬

‭for children, families, individuals, and groups” (Westwind, 2024). The main attractions of‬

‭Westwind are the overnight camps provided for children ages 7 to 17, offering both camps for‬

‭children only and parent-child camps. While there are no overnight camps running, the facilities‬

‭are available for rent.‬

‭The main clientele served in the past has been middle and upper class families from the‬

‭greater Portland area, however Westwind is in the process of expanding their clientele to be more‬

‭diverse and accessible to more families. There are now opportunities for scholarships to attend‬

‭camps, and the organization is working on expanding the clientele to be more diverse both‬

‭socially and economically. Westwind holds approximately 10 community partnerships that give‬

‭families from their organizations an opportunity to attend a program at Westwind. Some of these‬

‭clients include those experiencing housing insecurities, children of incarcerated mothers,‬

‭immigrants, refugees, and more.‬

‭The services offered by Westwind include both programs and rentals. The site is a‬

‭protected wilderness area and is therefore rather limited. Facilities include a main lodge,‬

‭secondary lodge, basic cabins that have electricity, tents, and bathrooms. On the programs side,‬

‭the popular overnight summer camps for children ages 7 to 17 have been running since the‬

‭1930’s. Family camps where there is both a parent and child attending in the spring and fall have‬

‭since been added. In addition there are day-long events, such as the Earth Day event. When there‬
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‭is not a camp or program happening, the site is available for rental to the public. Cabins are‬

‭available for individual rental, or the site as a whole can be rented for events such as youth‬

‭outdoor school or weddings.‬

‭Staffing positions include both full time and seasonal employees. The full time‬

‭employees include an executive board with the director and a leadership team. These employees‬

‭work out of both a Portland based office, as well as an on site office. There is a site team that‬

‭works on site led by the site manager. Seasonal employees include a team of camp counselors,‬

‭program leads that are in charge of specific activities, as well as the general support staff. The‬

‭seasonal summer employees include young adults from the greater area, as well as some that‬

‭come from out of the country.‬

‭Being a non-profit organization, the majority of the funding is brought in by fees for the‬

‭programs offered. The youth summer camp programs are so popular that there is a lengthy‬

‭waiting list each year, and this is the program that brings in the most money. Whatever is not‬

‭made through programs and services offered is made up for through fundraising.‬

‭Ms. Chase feels that the biggest challenge for her position is how unpredictable the job‬

‭can be. She manages staff, supervising up to 50 staff in the summer, as well as hires counselors‬

‭for the summer programs. She states that it can feel as though she is never fully caught up. Each‬

‭summer she is able to watch not only the campers, but also her staff grow and change and learn‬

‭in real time. The job is located on a beautiful stretch of the coast and has a role in impacting so‬

‭many people’s lives, making it incredibly rewarding.‬

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‭References‬

‭Westwind. (2024, January 5).‬‭Our mission‬‭. Westwind Stewardship Group.‬

‭https://westwind.org/our-mission/‬