My name is Jordan Traulsen but to hundreds of campers, I’m simply known as Chef Jordan! I have been a proud part of Swift Youth Foundation for as long as I can remember. Literally.
I was introduced to Swift right around the same time I was introduced to solid food, somewhere around my 1-year-old birthday. Swift was an important part of my mother and fathers life growing up and so, by association, Swift was important to me throughout my childhood. That upbringing taught me early on the significance of “giving back” and doing a good deed. Swift provides certainty in uncertain times.
I am certain of one thing, I am certain that the work we are doing at the Swift Youth Foundation is more important now than ever, and here’s why. One constant I have noticed post 2016 election is uncertainty. From friends and family to the news and members of our community, it seems like everyone is uncertain of what is ahead regardless of a personal political stance. Despite this, you can be certain in the work of the Swift Youth Foundation. What started off as an after school program turned into something much bigger than expected. As a child, I failed to imagine the impact that Camp Swift would have in my adult life. Since I was eight, Swift Youth Foundation embedded in me the ability to learn to love myself and others, understand the concept of a goal, and most importantly, I learned that if I worked hard enough I could accomplish anything that I set my mind to.
“3...2…1, blastoff!!!” It's the sound of the “Middle Boys Cabin” screaming as I launch their bottle rocket into the air, sending the baking soda and vinegar mixture into my eyes and all over my clothes. Their counselor, a high school student, standing in the other side of the field, sprints to position a hula hoop so the bottle falls through it. The boys are impressed. “Gooooooaaal!” they scream and jump around, high fiving each other.
Growing up in New York, attending summer camp was a natural thing. My brother, father, grandfather, aunts, uncles, cousins, and myself all went to summer camp. I thought everybody went to summer camp and had no reason to think otherwise. As I got older, I learned that camp was a privilege and not an expectation. Nowhere was this more apparent than my first visit to work in the kitchen at Camp Swift over 15 years ago, when I observed a young girl of about 8 years old stuffing rolls in her pockets at lunch. When I asked her why, she replied "I thought this was the only meal for the day and I did not want to be hungry later". |
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April 2024
Categories |
Swift Youth FoundationIgnites Dreams.
Inspires Learning. Instills Hope. |
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