Welcome Home, Always – Thank you Tori East-Harris

I’ll never forget the first time I drove through the Jacobs Camp gate. Assistant Director Elijah greeted me with a big smile and said, “Welcome Home!! Who are you?” I’ve told that story countless times because it captures something special. Before your name is known, before anyone knows why you’re there, you are welcomed. It’s assumed you belong. You are treated like family from the very first moment. That is Jacobs Camp. And that is what has made this place feel like home to me.

It’s also what makes this so hard to say: my time at Jacobs Camp is coming to an end. During my time here, my role was wide. Some of you may know me as the person to email about scholarships, helping make camp possible for so many families. Others may know me as “The Fidget Lady,” always ready with a fidget toy in hand, or the one who somehow always had a pair of headphones ready during song session. Those small, often quiet moments, helping a camper feel comfortable, included, and fully themselves, are the ones that mean the most to me.

I have accepted a position as a Camp Director at a YMCA summer camp, and while I’m excited for what’s next, it’s not easy to say goodbye to a place that has given me so much. Summer camp, no matter where it is, is a special place. But there is something about Jacobs. I am so beyond thankful I got to help and support kids in the South here. My last memory at camp feels like the perfect way to carry this place with me. I celebrated my birthday and, for the first time, was lifted in a “girl chair” (with Aaron Rothko, of course). Being lifted 32 + 1 times by people I met just a few years ago, people who now feel like family, was overwhelming in the best way. That is Jacobs Camp.

Thank you to the campers and families who trusted me and the staff who became lifelong friends. Jacobs Camp didn’t just become a place I worked. It became a place that changed me.  I am so proud of this team and this community.

Welcome home. Always.