Go from Campus to Camp this Summer

Friendly Pines Camp in Prescott Offers Fun-filled Employment in the Great Outdoors 

If there’s one Arizona tradition that continues to live on today it’s that every month of May – as soon as the spring semester comes to an end – dozens of Arizona college students can be found rolling up sleeping bags, packing duffel bags, and making their way to Friendly Pines Camp in Prescott. Since 1941 when the sleepaway camp first opened, college students from across the state have been spending many happy summers under the beautiful Ponderosa pine trees, surrounded by mountains, lakes, and much cooler weather.

Accredited through the American Camp Association, Friendly Pines Camp is now the longest-running, family-owned summer camp in Arizona. Designed for ages 6 through 14, this co-ed sleepaway camp offers more than 30 traditional camp activities: horseback riding, swimming, ball sports, rock climbing, performing arts, fine arts, pet care, fencing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, dancing, sewing, and more.

“Summer breaks during college represent a valuable slice of time in your life, and how you choose to fill them is a critical life decision,” says Megan May, the director of Friendly Pines Camp, who is also the great-granddaughter of the camp’s founders. “Not only will a job at camp keep you gainfully employed, but it will also enrich your life in a variety of ways. You’ll have the opportunity to be a positive influence and role model in the lives of children and you’ll get to experience a great deal of adventure, exercise, and non-stop fun.”

Friendly Pines Camp is proud to offer one of the highest staff salaries of any sleepaway camp in the entire U.S. Their pay is $6,473 for nine weeks of employment. That includes room and board plus three meals a day. Counselors have a great time earning money and saving money all summer long.

Here are more specific employment details:

• At minimum, May 21 through July 23. Some activity positions will require additional weeks.
• Days off are a mix of evenings (5 to 11 p.m.) and 24-hour days off. Counselors also receive on-site “free time” most days.
• A desire to work with children is extremely important, and specific activity skills are useful but not as important as folks’ ability to work long, difficult days with their peers and campers.
• All applicants must be able to pass a background check, a drug test, and have their COVID-19 vaccine.
• Applicants must be at least 18 years old and need to have completed at least one year of post-high school experience (college, work, etc.)

“Over the course of the summer, I was constantly asking myself ‘Am I really getting paid to do this?’” said Adam Schexnayder of Phoenix who worked as a riflery counselor for one summer. “When you hear their cries of laughter at ‘Campfirepalooza,’ you get reminded by your campers what an incredible experience it is to be a kid at summer camp, and the fact that you’re helping to make those memories form is a truly amazing experience.”

For more information about working at Friendly Pines Camp, call (928) 445-2128 or visit friendlypines.com

Images courtesy of Friendly Pines