Hoopz (Bethany Farrell, Founding Volunteer & Waterfront Staff)
January 6, 2024
Last summer, my husband and I hosted two camp staff on their way to Camp Under the Stars for the summer. It was a great experience! On Wednesday, I picked up the staff from the airport. The staff were pretty tired from their travels, so we ordered pizza and relaxed. One staff member slept in our second bedroom, and one staff member slept on our air mattress.
The next day, we got to explore DC together, and I showed them the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. It was awesome to share our culture with them, and we got to learn about their culture. On Friday, we brought the staff members to camp to begin their training. Before we said goodbye, we stopped at Target and Silver Diner for some American food. It was a fun couple of days!
Being a host family is an excellent cultural exchange experience. Camp Under the Stars is looking for host families for two nights in late June and various dates in July and August.
Families can help transport camp staff around northern Virginia (to and from airports, metro stations, and camp) or to welcome one or more staff into their home. Separate bedrooms are not necessary for hosting multiple staff members; however, host families are asked to provide a bed, futon, or air mattress for each staff member.
Families are welcome to take camp staff to explore the DMV, and some camp staff appreciate a trip to local stores to buy supplies for camp. From my experience, the camp staff really appreciate time to use the internet to stay in touch with family and friends back home. They were hired due to their experience with children, and they were excited to get to know me and my family!