It’s been 10 years since I started with Tips on Trips and Camps as their West Coast Advisor.   There are so many things I love about what I do, but, really, finding the right summer program for each student is always the goal – and remains the most important part of what we do.

One of the best compliments an advisor can receive is when they find a camp or program for a student that makes an impact on his or her life.  Sometimes it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience; other times the student returns year after year.

David, one of my clients from a few years ago, wrote the following to describe just such an experience: 

After attending a traditional boys sports camp for a few years, I wanted something broader. My mom turned to Jill with Tips on Trips and Camps and she understood exactly what I was looking for and guided me in making summer choices that greatly enriched my life.  

I went from full summers at a sports camp, to divided summers between sports and sailing in the Caribbean and finally to a rather extraordinary farm in Pennsylvania.  

At the end of 9th grade Jill made an unusual recommendation for a kid on the Westside of LA: a working farm in rural Pennsylvania that by focusing on leadership skills and communication creates a community of teenagers thought to think and be responsible for themselves — in addition to having a fun summer experience of living and working a farm.  It was a life changing experience for me! 

My experiences from each summer determined my college major, my junior year abroad and my interest in Agriculture.  The staff of this summer program, of which I’m now a member as Summer Program Director, is a close second family to me.  I consider myself very lucky that each program that Jill recommended to me, in its own way, contributed to my growth as a person.

Outcomes like this are extremely satisfying!  I look forward to many more years of helping families find what I always hope to be the right summer camp or program for their child!