Staff Spotlight: Chris Nawrot
We sat down with Chris Nawrot, Camp Ranger at Camp Kateri in Hawthorne, close to Orange Springs.
Tell Me Something About Yourself.
I’m an outdoors person. I love being outdoors. That’s why camp works perfectly for me. I get to be outside, help canoe, help do all the things. I love looking outside my house and see the lake out the back door and the woods out the front door. Even in my free time, I stay on property. I love anything that has to do with the water, fishing, swimming, canoeing. I’ll watch campers sail, but I won’t get on one of those boats myself. I especially loved the slip n slide kickball they did at summer camp last year. That was so fun to watch. At the water, it’s quiet and relaxing. You’re outside and enjoying the fresh air and it’s less structured than other activities.
Tell me a little bit about what being a ranger entails.
Building and land maintenance, pretty much anything you can think of we do out here. I make sure the buildings are safe and secure for the troops and their volunteers to be in. I not only make sure all areas of the property are up to par and ready for girls, but I also help look at the possibilities of what we could do with different areas so we can do more things with the girls. My favorite part is seeing the girls have fun. Most of them don’t live out in the woods like I do, they come from the city. I get to show them animal tracks. They get to see and do things that they wouldn’t at home. I love giving them an opportunity to do something they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.
What is your why?
For me the why is for the girls’ experiences. To make sure the girls are having fun getting to do things they wouldn’t do and to get ideas for what they want to do. I love getting to make improvements that allow the girls to try new things. For me it’s all about the girl experience; them having fun and enjoying being outside.
