Work at Camp!

Watch this video to learn more (.mpg)!

Consider a summer of mission at Camp:

Each year Buffalo Mountain brings together 30 to 40 college-aged and older staff to serve as counselors, lifeguards, and adventure leaders.

Key qualities that we are looking for:
• People who enjoy working with children and youth from all walks of life.
• People who are excited about sharing God's love.
• Poeple who enjoy working and playing outside, sharing their passion of water, stars, campfires, hiking, etc. with children who may never have experienced God's creation.

Make a difference in the life of a child! 

Pour your faith into life.

• Inpost Counselors
• Outpost Counselors
• Resource - Lifeguard
• Resource - High Adventure
• Resource Person for Archery and Crafts
• Day Camp Director
• Younger Elementary (1/2 Week) Director
• Inpost Director
• Outpost Director
• Health Officer

Inpost Counselors:

Each counselor will work with a co-counselor, accompanying a small group of eight to twelve children/youth every week. (There is also one week, or possibly two, of work with exceptional persons - developmentally delayed adults or youth). Work will include leading crafts and games, conducting hikes, nature activities and organizing bible studies/worship. These counselors will supervise campers 24 hours a day, Sunday through Friday. There will be one or two cookouts and one sleep out under a tarp most weeks. Otherwise, these groups eat in the lodge and sleep in cabins. Older groups may do an additional sleep out. Counselors accompany/supervise campers as they participate in the wide range of camp activities: swimming, night hikes, singing, archery, canoeing, rappelling, frisbee fun, parachute play, skits, dancing in the street, creek stomping, stream ecology etc. MOST CAMPERS ARE 4th-6th GRADERS OR YOUNGER - STAFF MUST ENJOY IN WORKING WITH ELEMENTARY AGED CHILDREN to apply. Work will begin every Sunday with a staff meeting at 2:00 p.m., the campers coming in at 4:30 p.m. Work ends Fridays at 6:00 p.m. First year pay is $165 per regular week with room and board. (Add $10.00 per week for each additional year of service). There are 10 fully paid weeks of summer – 8 camper weeks, 2 weeks of staff training ) plus the option of an 11th week – working with our Celebration campers. There is also the option of raising a flexible amount of up to $100 more per week of one's own Mission support. Applicants must be 19 years of age, or 18 having completed one year of college. We are looking for persons who DELIGHT in Children, who DELIGHT in the out of doors (including mud, stars, paint rocks, waterfalls and singing in the rain), and who DELIGHT in sharing God's love. Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.

Each counselor will work with a co-counselor - accompanying a small group of eight to twelve children/youth each week. Living quarters for these campers and staff will vary between the Farm Barn lofts (4th-6th graders), tree houses (6th-10th graders), hammock huts (7th-10th graders) and rusticlog cabins (7th-12th graders). Counselors will supervise campers 24 hours a day Sunday through Friday. Work will include leading games and hikes, crafts and nature activities, as well as Bible studies/worship. These groups will cook two meals daily (usually breakfast and lunch) over a campfire and then eat the other meal in the main lodge. Counselors will rotate from site to site over the summer, although we may also hire counselors for specific sites. Staff must also be flexible and willing to work within Inpost when necessary. Work begins every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and ends Friday at 6:00 p.m. First year pay is $165 per regular week with room and board. (Add $10.00 per week for each additional year of service). There are 10 fully paid weeks of summer, with the option of a 11th week – working our Celebration camp at the end of summer. There is also the option of raising a flexible amount, of up to $100 more per week of one's own Mission support. Applicants must be 19 years of age, or 18 having completed one year of college. Outpost counselors need to be in good physical condition, as this position requires a lot of walking and hiking. Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.

Day Camp Director:

This individual will be responsible for directing the Day Camp Program Monday through Friday, including organizing registration, planning curriculum, and designing/coordinating schedules with all day camp groups. On weeks where we run more than one day camp, this person is responsible for all day camp teams. Day Campers are usually 1st-3rd graders with some 4th-6th graders. This individual, if living on site, will also help with Sunday Check-In for Main Camp and will be a part of the leadership team developing all camp evening activities and covering leadership team evening chores. This individual will supervise all day camp co-workers. Work will begin every Sunday with a staff meeting at 2:00 p.m. Work ends Fridays at 6:00 p.m. First year director pay is negotiable based on experience and includes room and board. There are 10 fully paid weeks of summer, plus the option of a 11th week, working Celebration Camp. There is also the option of raising an additional flexible amount of up to $100 more per week of one's own mission support. Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.

This individual will lend consistency to our Test Your Wings programs by directing this camp every week. They will organize this younger elementary ministry, plan curriculum, plan closings, design and coordinate all younger elementary camp schedules. They will have carefully planned mid-week welcomes for those who join us mid-week. On weeks where we run more than one test your wings, this person will be responsible for all younger elementary teams. This individual will be a counselor-director….directing the program, but also counseling the same age group. They will have authority within the program for all co-workers assigned to work with them. First year director pay is negotiable based on experience and includes room and board while camp is in session. They must enjoy the younger elementary aged child. Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.

This individual will live in main camp and be responsible for the coordination of residential camp programming, coordination of scheduling, running dining room flow, and nurturing the whole staff. He or she will be a key leader of Sunday afternoon staff meetings, and will co-lead Friday afternoon processing times. He or she will assist Camp Director with staff supervision, with mid and year end interviews. He or she, along with Camp Director and Assistant Director will coordinate camper registration. He or she will be particularly responsible for arranging flow and ensuring supervision of evenings at camp, using other resource persons and day camp or support staff as his or her evening programming team. He or she will take particular care to see that resource staff persons are scheduled in such a way as to undergird the whole camp community, and to insure the coverage of all camp chore areas. He or she will share camper care responsibilities with the rest of the leadership team, particularly as special needs such as homesickness arise. He or she will be a key person involved with transportation and support of campers/counselors when they need to go to the doctor. He or she will have a major role in staff training, helping the camp director design the week, leading key units, and insuring that all is taught in accordance with American Camping Association standards. This person will often make trips to town for supplies. Administratively this person will set up camp for each new week in terms of charting of groups, housing assignments, and managing data forms. He or she, in consultation with the camp director will help make counselor assignments. He or she will spear-head the distribution of weekly evaluations. He or she will nurture the staff, providing guidance and spiritual undergirding, adopting the role of community builder/chaplain to the staff. This person must be extremely flexible, calm and balanced, willing to serve in any role, as needed. He or she will design in-service training sessions for the staff and will play a key role in weekly staff meetings. He or she will see him or herself as a servant/minister to the entire camp community, radiating a center of wholeness and well-being. He or she will also help resource worship and our Ministers In Residence folk as schedule and gifts allow. He or she will utilize whatever his or her gifts are to the full program-wise - whether they be in music, or archery, or nature study - programming him or herself as schedules allow. Work will begin every week on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and end Friday at 6:00 p.m. Base pay will be negotiable based on experience and includes room and board. Applicant should be at least 21 and preferably have a Bachelor's degree. Must have current CPR/First Aid trainings or be able to attend certification week. CPR/First Aid Instructor Training is a plus. As with all of our summer staff positions, there will be the opportunity to raise an additional flexible amount, in this case, up to $100, of their own support per week in mission funds. Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.

This individual will live up on the mountain in the "Hermitage" or Outpost Director's cabin up on Chestnut Ridge. He or she will have responsibility for directing the Farm, Tepee, Eagle's Nest, and Tree House units, co-directing outpost counselor training, and nurturing counselors according to ACA standards. He or she will be a counselor and resource to the Outpost counselors, providing them with love, nurture and guidance, helping to resource groups particularly when group struggles arise. He or she must be able to drive the four-wheeler and truck up the mountain safely, as she or he is a key supplier of the camps, running water, ice, luggage and pack-outs to them. He or she will be the primary person responsible for the well-being of the borrowed animals at the farm barn. He or she will be the key parent contact in times of sickness and homesickness, working together with the Camp Director and health officer in making decisions regarding camper/group well-being. He or she will plan and run Sunday afternoon and Friday afternoon meetings with the Outpost staff - including the components of processing, nurture, guidance, evaluation and team building. He or she will give key attention to the Spiritual Nurture of the staff throughout the summer. He or she will spear-head direction, supervision, observation, and evaluation of Outpost staff throughout the summer. He or she will be the primary person responsible for ensuring that Health Department and ACA standards are maintained at the units throughout the summer. He or she will see him or herself as a Servant/Minister/Leader of the Outpost Ministry team. Other duties include Outpost scheduling and programming, organization of camper registration, charting of camper meds, and adventure leadership as skills and timing allow. Base pay is negotiable based on experience and includes room and board. Applicants should be 21, preferably with a Bachelor's degree. An additional flexible amount, up to $100 per week may be raised by the applicant as summer mission support. Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.

This individual will live at the main camp and be responsible for the collection, record keeping, and dispensing of medicines to campers, as well as general health care for campers and staff as needs arise. This includes decision making about care needed when a camper/staff is ill, injured, or homesick. Occasionally, this position will involve transporting campers or staff to the doctor or hospital and it will often involve sitting with and caring for those who are sick or homesick. This person will share the role of contacting the parents of injured, sick or homesick campers with the camp director. This person will be responsible for kepeing the infirmary area clean and ready to house any sick camper or staff. Record keeping duties will include filing health forms, data forms, filing insurance and accident reports. Health officer will also help with general secretarial responsibilities as time allows - facilitating general camp organization, filing, phone work, letter writing, messages, computer work, and communication with counselors/kitchen about campers and their special needs. This person will be a key provider of love and care to the total camp community. The job will begin Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and end Friday at 6:00 p.m. Base pay is negotiable based on experience and certifications, it does include room and board while camp is in session.  An additional flexible amount, up to $100 per week may be raised by the applicant as summer mission support. This job may be combined with that of an RN who is paid by the hour and visits the site daily for consultation/coordination. All applicants must have current first aid/CPR certificates or be free to receive these during staff certification week. We prefer that applicant have advanced medical training (First Responder, EMT, Paramedic, or RN would be best). Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.

These individuals will supervise pool and lake activities. They will clean and maintain pool area daily and will live at camp in cabins along with the campers. They will guard as needed at the water hole, pool and lake. They will also give counselors breaks during off time as needed. At least 1 of those hired must be 21. They must have current Red Cross Lifeguard/First Aid/CPR certifications, and have training on site for pool and waterfront responsibilities. Work will begin Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. on Fridays. According to experience and scheduling these lifeguards may also be an extra on River Trips. The bulk of their focus, however will be lake and pool guarding. Lifeguards must be flexible, willing to help with all phases of camp life. They must be affirming of campers and able to exert calm healthy authority at the aquatic areas. They must run aquatic areas in full accordance with ACA standards. They must keep up with all the record keeping that being an accredited camp requires – doing this with joy, understanding that camper’s safety and well being are at the heart of all such requirements. When not guarding, they may be used as runners, serve as group substitutes, group helpers, and night time activity leaders. They will often help with setting out evening snack and cleaning kitchen areas after snack perhaps rotating this with the day camp team. Base pay is negotiable based on experience and certifications and includes room and board for those 19 and older. An optional additional $100 per week may be raised by the applicant as summer mission support. Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.

These individuals will resource the climbing, archery, rappelling and white water (tubing, kayaking, canoeing) programs as well as camp games, worship, meals and chores. Each individual must be proficient in water or ropes. To resource water, lifeguard certification is required and individual must be 21 or older. To resource kayaking, ACA Whitewater kayak instructor status and swiftwater rescue training is required. To resource tubing, swift water rescue training is required. To resource ropes, significant experienced and training by nationally recognized organizations or leaders must be in hand. Documentation of significant hours of rope leadership must be in hand. They must usually be 21 or older. Camp will help resource staff connect with nationally recognized training and will pay for it. The High Adventure Activity that they are resourcing must be part of their weekly activities prior to coming to camp. In other words they must have documented time as a participant on river and rope to qualify. Archery instructor must be NAA certified. Pay is negotiable based on experience and includes room and board.  Additional optional opportunity of raising a flexible amount - up to $100 more per week - will be offered for those who need to raise more mission support. Attendance at Conference Resource Training or equivalent training is mandatory. Ropes instructors must follow all ACCT standards, and be prepared to do the extensive logging required by the ACA for safety purposes. Individuals with flexibility (both ropes and water or lifeguarding) are given priority. This team has the key ministry of undergirding the entire staff, supporting it with love. They are expected to follow all ACA standards. They will resource all areas of camp life - help with evening programming as requested, lead devotions or singing as requested, help resource cook-outs - especially in the rain. They will help with evening snack/kitchen/compost needs. They will undergird the whole staff by bringing fun, adventure, and love to life. They will be checked off skill-wise by our High Adventure coordinators and they will maintain a careful inventory of all camp equipment. Key activities they will resource include: Climbing our Farm Barn Wall, Rappelling at Buffalo Boulder, and the Wedge, tubing, canoeing on the lake, minnowing, lifeguarding when needed at pool or lake, archery supervision/training of counselors, nature activities, creek stomping as time allows. Driving record must be impeccable and must be approved by our insurance company as an eligible driver. It is helpful if this person has a commercial driver’s license. Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.

This person will be NAA certified. They will lead Archery sessions with our staff and they will supervise craft hut activities. They will fill in for counselors on break. Often counselors will take breaks during archery or craft segments. They will help with general chores around camp. They will be positive, uplifting, ready and willing to sub in for counselors in the event of sickness or scheduling conflicts. Base pay is negotiable based on experience and includes room and board. Return to top of page. Download Staffing Forms.