This is a special holiday season for me. It is the first time in 18 years I haven’t spent the holiday with my children. Grown now, they are making other plans, though both have already said, “next year is with Mom”. Though I didn’t decorate, make cookies or mail christmas cards, my heart is still full. Filled with a sense of community and loved ones via friendships, family from afar, and the people I spend most of my daytime hours with, the staff of United Camps, Conferences and Retreats.

I’ve been working with UCCR for just a year and a half. I’ve been to three staff retreats which happen twice a year. The staff retreats are a time when we get offsite for two days, hold organizational trainings, and spend time in merriment with ice breaking activities, white elephant gift exchanges and delicious meals.

This time, as with every Staff Retreat, I asked for our office staff to share with me an inspirational story that has happened to them at work. The amount of staff in our main office who said kind words about working with the UCCR family and supporting our mission was overwhelming. The truth is, I feel precisely the same way. Working for a nonprofit is unique. We love what we do, we believe in it. We work hard, so that in the end, our customers can enjoy time at one of our camp and retreat centers and be lifted and moved in their experiences.

May you be warmed this winter season knowing that at UCCR we are grateful to you, each other, and are honored to serve our customers.

Warmly,

Laura Chamberlin
Marketing Manager & Communications Strategist