Career Report: Cory Evans of South Mountain YMCA

Jessica Payne

College of Health and Human Development

RPTM 101: Introduction to Recreation Services

Mrs. Patricia Kleban

April 28, 2021

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Introduction

For my career report, I interviewed Cory Evans, the director of Camp Conrad Weiser, a

South Mountain YMCA overnight camp. Our interview took place on February 26, and I chose

to talk to Mr. Evans because I work at a Girl Scout camp in the summer and was curious about

what an administrative role at an overnight camp is like. Mr. Evans graduated from Plattsburgh

University while double majoring in Environmental Science and Expeditionary Studies. As an

Expeditionary Studies major, he concentrated in ski mountaineering, intending to become a

snowboard instructor. However, after graduating in 2007, he moved to Pennsylvania and became

a sailing instructor before transitioning to camp. He has been the director at Camp Conrad

Weiser for the last five years.

Mission of the Agency

South Mountain YMCA’s mission is to “provide a camping experience, educational and

other programs that build personal leadership, character and life skills while developing caring,

honesty, respect, and responsibility in young people, families, and communities.” While the

YMCA may be known for their gyms or community programs, South Mountain YMCA is an

independently-run organization that only focuses on camps and outdoor programming. Since

South Mountain YMCA has a special focus, their mission differs from the nationwide YMCA

mission “to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit,

mind, and body for all” (YMCA of the USA, 2020). Mr. Evans said that South Mountain

YMCA’s biggest goal was to make camp accessible to everybody. A problem in outdoor

recreation programs is that it has traditionally catered towards rich, white families; there is little

diversity seen in skiing, backpacking, and hiking. Consequently, another one of South Mountain
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YMCA’s missions is to allow everybody from different cultural, racial, and socioeconomic

backgrounds to experience camp through subsidies and scholarships.

Clientele Served

Each one of South Mountain’s properties serves a different age group. Bynden Day Camp

has campers from ages five to fourteen, while Camp Conrad Weiser overnight camp has campers

from ages seven to seventeen. Their outdoor center serves clients of all ages, as they take school

groups, scouts, and corporate events. Big businesses occasionally rent out the property to host

their company picnic or corporate retreat. While YMCA facilities traditionally charge a

membership fee, there are no memberships in South Mountain YMCA, so everyone is faced with

the same tiered camp costs. Mr. Evans said that campers come from all over to attend camp, so

there are families from California, New York, and New Jersey in addition to local families that

live down the road. South Mountain YMCA also has partnerships with YMCAs abroad, so they

get international campers from Germany, Russia, and Spain. Both camp programs are co-ed, so

there are both male and female campers.

Services and Programs Provided

In the summer, each session of overnight camp runs for two weeks and each session of

day camp runs for one week. There are four sessions of overnight camp and eleven sessions of

day camp. In addition to the traditional camp weeks, they also have a junior counselor program

for teens who are not yet old enough to be counselors. The two-week volunteer program builds

leadership skills for seventeen-year-olds. Camp Conrad Weiser sits on 600 acres of mountaintop

land in Reinholds, PA. Campers stay in modern log cabins that were built in 2006 and eat a

dining hall that was recently redone. There is a pool on the property that is zero-entry with a

splash zone to accommodate the little campers. One of the camp’s adventure facilities is a high
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ropes course that was recently extended to include a quad jump. There are also stables at the

camp for an add-on horse-riding program.

Staffing

Year-round, there are 11 full-time staff members employed at South Mountain YMCA. In

the summertime, there are 80 to 100 seasonal staff members across both camps. Around 20 of the

80 to 100 seasonal staff members work as support staff, which includes kitchen staff,

maintenance, nurses, camp drivers, and leadership. In a typical year, a lot of the staff is made up

of international recruits that are found through agencies like INEA, Camp America, and Camp

Leaders that sponsor work visas. Counselors-in-training offer additional support, but they are

still considered campers and pay to attend camp. After graduating from the CIT program, teens

can become junior counselors, who volunteer their time for a single session during the summer.

About 20% of the staff were campers themselves and worked their way through the CIT and

junior counselor programs. From year to year, around 50% of the staff return for a second

summer, and 15-20% stay with the camp for three or more years.

Funding Sources

South Mountain YMCA is a nonprofit and therefore utilizes several different funding

sources to keep the cost of camp as low as possible for families. During the off-season, the board

of directors throw several fundraisers, including an annual golf classic and pancake breakfast.

Money raised through corporate events is put into the same fund to support the children. In

addition, South Mountain YMCA has an endowment fund from the Sheetz family, a grant from

the NIAC foundation, camp capital grants from the American Camping Association, and a camp

continuity grant from YMCA of the USA. The pricing for camp is tiered, so families pay the tier

they believe is affordable. Tier 1 reflects the true cost of camp, while Tier 2 and Tier 3 are
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subsidized by $300 each. The NIAC foundation’s grant covers the difference between Tier 1 and

the subsidized tiers. For families that may need additional assistance, there is a fourth tier, which

is formal financial aid. To qualify for this aid, families need to apply for it, unlike Tiers 2 and 3.

Around 50% of the families elect to pay the full cost of camp.

Professional Issues

Mr. Evans said the biggest challenge in his job is getting everything together for the

summer. He must recruit both campers and staff, market the camp, budget, and create

programming. When camp is in session, workdays can be 20 hours long, and it can be stressful

putting out fires and handling emergencies. Parent expectations can also be hard to manage as

they can be very demanding. COVID-19 has been a huge challenge this year as camp is

essentially one large gathering. In addition to the typical winter workload, South Mountain

YMCA also had to consider new COVID policies and convince parents that camp is a safe

environment.

A unique challenge that Mr. Evans mentioned in the outdoor RPTM field is instability. As

he went to school to become a guide, a lot of his classmates are in the field leading climbing and

skiing trips. That kind of work can be really tough because even if you’re not feeling good,

you’re out in the wilderness and have to keep going, and for the long hours, there is relatively

little pay. If you want to settle down with a family and be able to provide for them, you have to

transition to the administrative or business aspects of outdoor RPTM. Once you start handling

the administrative aspects, you spend less time outdoors and the job can begin to stray from what

you were studying in school. Mr. Evans said that a lot of what he does during the day, such as

doing budgets, marketing, and recruiting, was learned through the job. You must continue to

learn and grow even after graduating from college.

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References

YMCA of the USA. (2020, December 18). About us. https://www.ymca.net/about-us.