Be Prepared!

As a Boy Scout the motto Be Prepare was drilled into my psyche. It became a part of who I am and there’s not a thing I can do about, not that I really want to.

When I pack for a trip I tend to over pack. Why? There’s this still small be prepared voice in my head that’s saying “you might need that.”

On my annual Canadian fishing trips I carry a “survival kit” when I go back into the bush. Why? It’s that be prepared voice asking me “what if you get lost or someone gets hurt or you just can’t get back and have to spend the night out there?”

And each time I hear that voice I respond, as any good Boy Scout would do, by saying “on my honor I will do my best to do my duty… to be prepared for anything that might happen.”

It’s the same voice that has pushed SpringHill day by day, week by week and year by year to continually be prepared by improving our emergency planning and safety efforts. Emergency Preparedness Plans (EPP’s), Safety Councils, near miss reports, etc. aren’t the sexiest, most exciting parts of camp but they, accompanied by a well prepared and committed staff, are absolutely essential to providing an outstanding SpringHill Experience.

You see we consider the care of a child the highest trust given to us by any parent and caregiver. It’s our commitment to provide children with a physically, emotional and spiritually safe camp experience.

And, like my obsessive packing, we can do nothing less than live up to this trust and listen to that still small voice that tells us to always be prepared.