Erin Gray is a familiar face in the Boothbay region, having served as the Y’s aquatics director for several years now. Her leadership in aquatics has cultivated a strong support team that serves the entire spectrum of swimmers here on the peninsula. An experienced camp professional, Erin was also tapped to lead Camp Knickerbocker as director in 2020.

Camping services is a familiar territory for Gray. While her peers were imagining careers in education, engineering, or law enforcement, Erin’s heart was always set on summer camp. As a child, Erin attended a residential camp program through the Girl Scouts of Maine for nine summers. As she got older, Erin decided to become a Counselor in Training (CIT) for the camp, a two-year program during which adolescents are mentored by senior counselors. Upon completion, Erin was welcomed as a staff member for the Girl Scouts of Maine in the summer of 2010. For five years, Gray climbed her way up the administrative ladder at this ACA accredited residential camp. Through her advancement as assistant waterfront director, to waterfront director and then on to program director, Erin proved herself time and time again in her leadership of others and collaborative work style with campers and staff alike.

In preparation for her new role with Camp Knickerbocker, Gray recently attended a conference in New York aimed at developing strong leadership directors. There, she participated in numerous trainings focused on camp safety regulations, management, curriculum, diversity and inclusion, and staff development.

With her extensive camp background, Erin is excited to introduce new programs this summer including hiking, outdoor living skills, and nature exploration. Longtime camp favorites like archery, the Baldwin Center, and the counselor in training (CIT) programs will be added to the daily camp rotation in addition to their specialty offerings. Moreover, fostering a sense of independence is one of Erin’s measures of success for the 2020 season; each camper will be empowered to choose activities that most interest them and will be given the opportunity to work towards ascending levels of mastery.

Last year, the generosity of donors provided 461 total camper weeks for children who would otherwise have missed the life-changing experience of summer camp. The goal of the 2020 Camp Knickerbocker Fund Drive is to raise $38,000 for the provision of camp scholarships to working families on the peninsula. Registration is now open, and with Erin Gray at the helm, it’s sure to be the best summer of camp yet.

If you’d like to change a child’s life by contributing to the camp scholarship fund, please give online at: http://boothbayregionymca.org/camp-scholarships.html

For more information about summer camp offerings and registration, please contact: Erin Gray, senior program director/aquatics & camping services, egray@brymca.org, 633-2856, ext. 255.