HFH Summer Camps offer a chance to experience the summer of a lifetime: rewarding work, outdoor activities, and lots of diverse and interesting people. We hire staff from the United States, Great Britain, Europe, Africa, Canada, South America and more! All of our staff members bring great personalities, remarkable skills, and a wealth of different perspectives.
Working at Camps Lanowa and Wakonda is ideal for students considering careers in childcare, education, psychology, social work, and physical education. Camp provides staff with a great opportunity to improve interpersonal and problem-solving skills, make new friends, and build special relationships to help children in need.
To make the HFH summer camp experience the best it can be, we are looking for enthusiastic team players that can work with people of all backgrounds. Successful applicants are flexible and highly creative. Maturity, responsibility, and genuine interest in children are all important to working at camp. Because our campers are often demanding, patience and sensitivity are necessary. In joining our team, we ask you to bring to camp a good attitude and an open mind. Above all else, great staff members should be ready to dedicate themselves to a group of children who are having the time of their lives.
Camp Lanowa caters to an older range of children 9-13 years old while Camp Wakonda serves children as young as 7 years old. The full program runs for nine weeks, including one week of staff orientation. Staff must commit to work from the third week of June to the third week of August (maintenance and supervisors arrive earlier in June).
Several positions are currently available at both camps:
General counselors live with the campers and are responsible for their everyday care. They also help prepare activities and are instrumental in the smooth running of each program. General Counselors bring their campers to meals, travel to their activities, and listen when campers have a problem or just want to chat. General counselors supervise the children, with breaks, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are equal parts mom, dad, brother, sister, teacher, mentor, and friend.
Unit Leaders oversee the workings of unit. They supervise 8 to 12 staff members and up to 30 campers. They problem-solve with troubled children, organize unit programs, and mediate disputes between campers and/or counselors.
Program counselors follow similar routines to those of the general counselors. They are also responsible for planning, organizing, and leading a specific activity throughout the day. They, too, live with campers, and participate in special activities. Programs include sports, arts & crafts, nature, drama, cooking, pioneering, learning center, computers, dance, and music.
A certified waterfront director with years of lifeguard experience runs our waterfront program. A team of American Red Cross-certified lifeguards work with the director to teach swimming, canoeing, and boating, and to ensure the safety of each swimmer, young or old. We also have a fulltime position for a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or Nurse. He or she handles minor injuries such as cuts, bruises, and insect bites, and administers regular medication.
Finally, we also hire maintenance, kitchen, and laundry staff to ensure that the camps run smoothly.
If you would like to work at Camps Lanowa or Wakonda, download an application and return it, along with a resume and cover letter, to the following address:
Homes for the Homeless
Summer Camps Program
50 Cooper Square, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10003
Fax: 212-529-7698
If you would like to work with campers ages 7-9, please send a completed HFH Summer Camp application, resume, and cover letter with a completed HFH Summer Camp application to Wakonda Camp Director Connie Stine: crs16@comcast.net
If you would like to work with campers ages 9-13, please send a completed HFH Summer Camp application, resume and cover letter to Lanowa Camp Director Laura Henrich: lauralanowa@yahoo.com
