Meet Some of Our Incredible Summer Camp Staff!  

From New York to Mexico to England, our camp staff come from all around the world to make The Fresh Air Fund’s sleepaway camps possible. Now that summer has ended, we would like to give a big Fresh Air thank you to our camp team and to everyone who made this summer so memorable. Read along to meet some of the summer camp staff and learn what inspired them to join our team!  

Ayanna Clark 

Meet Ayanna, Counselor-In-Training (CIT) Director at Camp Hidden Valley, who started her Fresh Air journey as a Camp Mariah camper. Her camp experience inspired her to become a CIT and camp village leader before taking on her current role.  

“Honestly, working at Camp Mariah is what inspired me to go to college and major in elementary education,” shares Ayanna. “Being at camp was a very good environment for me. I’ve met a lot of my best friends here at camp.” 

Through her experience working at both Camp Mariah and Camp Hidden Valley, Ayanna learned to connect with campers by being a listening ear. She found that most campers seek to be “heard and understood.” 

Her favorite memory from this summer was seeing her CIT’s graduate to become junior counselors. She hopes they will return to camp next summer as counselors and continue to thrive at The Fresh Air Fund. 

Marco Palos 

Traveling from Mexico to enjoy his summer with New York City youth, meet Marco! After learning about The Fresh Air Fund’s mission and impact, Marco was inspired to join the team and work at one of The Fresh Air Fund’s sleepaway camps.  

“All the kids come here and enjoy camp with no cost, totally free. I wanted to spend my summer making a difference, making connections with the campers and helping them improve themselves,” shares Marco.  

Even though Marco entered his role seeking to teach, he found himself also learning a lot. By attending daily activities with the campers, he discovered new art skills and even tried the high ropes course for the first time.  

“I learned how to connect with kids and how to talk with them. If they need something, to make sure they know they can come and speak with me,” shares Marco. “Every day, I’m learning new expressions and improving my English.” 

Marco encourages others to apply to work at camp. He shares, “This is an opportunity to learn and have a good summer. You create new experiences and make new friends who turn into family.” 

J’denJ Oumorou 

Meet J’denJ, a Bronx native who first attended Camp Hidden Valley, one of The Fresh Air Fund’s six sleepaway camps, in 2019. Her experience as a camper inspired her to become a CIT for Camp ABC. Now, five years later, she was eager to return to Camp ABC but this time as a counselor! 

“I wanted to come back to camp and as a counselor I’m able to enjoy being at camp while teaching campers at the same time,” shares J’denJ. 

Entering this new role, her goal for the summer was “to teach campers how to be open and advocate for themselves.” She shares her favorite moments as a counselor were spending time with campers. 

From her experience as both a camper and counselor, she shares, “I would tell everyone to apply to become a counselor because you will learn something new about yourself that you never knew before.” 

Elliot Tollyfield 

From Birmingham, England, meet Elliot, a counselor at Camp Tommy! He was first introduced to The Fresh Air Fund in 2018 during a USA Summer Camp placement fair in Manchester. After attending the fair, Elliot knew exactly where he wanted to spend his summer and quickly applied! 

After his first Fresh Air summer, Elliot fell in love with Camp Tommy and decided he would return every summer for the rest of his 20s. However, due to the pandemic, Elliot’s goal was halted. Now, at 29-years-old, Elliot intends for this summer to be his last at Camp Tommy. 

Even though Elliot’s Fresh Air journey has ended, its impact will stay with him for a lifetime. “This role has taught me resilience and has honed my skills working with kids. I now work at a special education school back home in Birmingham, and it was purely due to my experience with The Fresh Air Fund,” shares Elliot. 

Learn more about working at camp here!