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Kevin Nissen does not just try to shoot archery, lob a tennis ball or swing in a jungle.
The 61-year-old man is not cold-eyed. crying a child or recruiting a new employee from as far away as New Zealand.
All of the above is an integral part of his work as a director of Camp Friendly Pines, a position he has held since 1990. His affiliation to the camp, however, dates back to 1978 when he was hired for the first time once as a camp counselor, a summer position that he held during all his years at Arizona State University. Instead of a micromanager, Stevens describes Nissen as someone who sets the stage for what needs to be done, then trusts his seasonal and seasonal staff and advisers all year round. all year and 90 in the summer months – to do these ks with his support, encouragement and good humor. The camp will host some 1500 children in June and July
The Friendly Pines camp has a Prescott history of eight decades and offers summer camping opportunities to boys and girls ages 6 to 13. between the ages of 12 and 16 – from all over the United States and around the world. The summer camp staff represents an international group of young people of university age, Nissen stating that more and more families want their children to experience these interactions as part of a camping experience [19659006] photo “/>
. Riding lessons, acrobatic courses, archery and canoeing, Friendly Pines also rents out space to private camps for children with special needs and organizes training sessions. September a family camp. Outside of the season, the year-round camp that borders the Prescott National Forest and has its own lake leases facilities to groups from near and far and is regularly used as a conference or retirement center to service full. A year ago, Friendly Pines opened an outdoor school for students in Phoenix Valley.
Since the Detroit native was invited by a friend to apply for a position of councilor, Nissen said he was captivated by the camp. by the founders Bud and Isabelle Brown. Their daughter, Bebe Brown May, and her late husband, Jack, bought the camp 28 years ago, with Bebe still the principal. Her granddaughter, Megan May, is the assistant director.
The sons of the past woven into today's camp are something that Nissen not only cherishes, but considers a responsibility to cultivate. The camp's experience aims to allow children to tap into their curiosity and creativity and to discover a unique sense of belonging outside the traditional household ties, he said. places; his physical office nestled among the rustic cabins. The physically fit man who wears sneakers, shorts and camping shirts to work each day is clearly more comfortable when he is out among campers, counselors and staff available and available to make sure everything is in place. "
" What we are trying to do is create an environment where children have the opportunity to enjoy childhood, "said Nissen, who describes what's going on. it's like a "lifestyle" rather than a job. "Friendly Pines is a place where you can come and be exactly what you are."
With his own now-grown children, Taylor, who lives in Idaho, and Stevie, Pennsylvania, the friendships they forged alive at the camp with Even though he was not trying to leaving school, Nissen said that Prescott was a place suited to the needs of his family and that when he was offered the job, he chose to give it a try.
In all that he does, Nissen says that he strives to stay connected to protect the vision of the founders and the traditions that are so dear to the generations of families who come back year after year .
"It's an important legacy," said Nissen, who is already preparing a transition for when he will retire in a few years. "If I do not do anything else, if I can preserve what started in the 1940s and pass this on to another generation, that's my contribution." 19659003 "When I go to sunset, I want our parents to be comfortable with who will take care of their children, because what is most important to all of us is to do what we do. There is better for children. "
