NAC Finds a Way: Summer Camp Finds Unexpected Solution

Considered the best camp in Bucks County by the 2016 Best of Bucks Happening list, Camp NAC identified an opportunity to make the summer of 2017 even better and more memorable for campers.

The Newtown Athletic Club’s (NAC) summer camp offers a variety of camp options for children ages 3-12. Complete with an outdoor waterpark and a fully air-conditioned facility, Camp NAC typically runs a 12-week camp that is limited to 100 campers during its final week 12.

When the local school districts released their 2017 school calendar, Camp NAC director Amanda Brown’s phone began ringing off the hook and her email was flooding. With an unanticipated one-week gap between the end of local summer camps and the beginning of the school year, parents began asking for an additional week of camp.

“I didn’t know how we could possibly do it,” said Brown. With an already very limited staff and limited enrollment for week 12, it seemed impossible to add a 13^th week.

“Where would we get staff?” she asked.

The dilemma was brought to the owner of the NAC, Jim Worthington. With no hesitation he responded, “We’ll do it as a team — all hands-on deck. The community is relying on us and we can’t let them down.”

And that’s how it happened. All the NAC management team of directors joined together to work at camp to ensure that each family could be accommodated.

Brown surveyed the NAC management team to better understand their background and pair them with the most appropriate camp type. For example, NAC chief financial officer Eve Krieger enjoys working with 3-5-year-old children as she has a young granddaughter; while NAC fitness manager Brittany Garvey has a background in teaching, softball and kid’s sports, making her a great fit for our competitive sports camp.

Each manager was trained individually and attended Camp NAC orientation to ensure they felt comfortable in their new role as camp counselor.

“Talent management is important all over the club and this case was no different. Using each director’s strengths and background to my advantage made for a great experience for all of the campers,” said Brown.

While many directors were readily prepared to take on week 13, there were still 50+ children waitlisted for week 12, and Worthington knew what needed to be done. “We needed to open up space in week 12,” he said.

Camp NAC enrolled one hundred additional campers in week 12 for a total of 200 campers and a total of 100 campers in week 13.

This was a great experience for both campers and the NAC management team alike. Working together as a team is one of the most important elements of working at the Newtown Athletic Club, which was exemplified throughout the last two weeks at Camp NAC.

When there was a need, the NAC found a way.