SALAMANCA, N.Y. — For the past 90 summers, kids from around the region have enjoyed summer activities, games and outdoor life at Camp Turner in Allegany State Park.
The camp, sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, is currently making plans for its 91st season this summer and not only needs campers but employees to man the cabins, kitchen and activities from June 27 to Aug. 17. Employees have weekends off.
The husband-and-wife team of John Mann and Sheryl Soborowski, who serve as camp directors, said they are currently seeking cooks and camp counselors from the area.
“We hire teachers, college students, high school students and people with certifications,” Soborowski said. Certified individuals are needed in first aid, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, hunter safety, horseback riding, baby sitting, bus driving and serve-safe skills. Also needed are registered nurses and emergency medical technicians.
Mann said the camp has been doing well the past few summers, with last summer marking one of the best yet.
“We had probably our best staff ever last summer and more than half are returning this year,” Mann said. “So I feel pretty good going into this summer.”
He said the number of campers enrolled also was higher last summer, making for a successful season.
“I had 407 here for summer camp and then I had over 80 for winter camp (in February) so we had almost 500 for the entire season,” he said. “I think in the ’90s there was a shift away from summer camps to sports camps. But now I think things are shifting back to simpler, more traditional valued-based summer camps.”
He said the camp is open to children of all faiths, and has included youngsters of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths.
“We share a lot of common values with (all faiths). That’s really what we focus on,” he added.
He said the camp originally opened 91 years ago at Science Lake in the park, halfway between Quaker Lake and the Bradford exchange at the top of the hill. A number of years later in the 1940s the camp relocated to its present location on the Quaker side of the park in 1990. Mann noted he was a camper at Camp Turner in 1977 and worked as a counselor at the facility from 1983 to 1992.
He said counselors will live and work with children between the ages of 7 to 16. Successful candidates will have “an abundance of common sense, a desire to live in the community and a calling to work with children in the out-of-doors.”
Duties will include creating a healthy community, keeping campers safe and teaching activities. In addition to camp counselors, openings include positions for instruction in arts and crafts, archery, horseback riding, nature, hiking and orienteering.
Those applying for cooking should be well-versed in food service safety and sanitation. Experience in cooking for large groups also is helpful.
It was noted that all staff must pass drug screening and criminal background checks.
For more information, call (716) 354-4555.
