Gina McReynolds discovered the Ranch Camp in 2004 and has enjoyed roles in the corral, as summer admin staff and has held seasonal and year-round associate director positions since 2009.
My work at Ranch Camp has more profoundly affected my life then anything else in the world. Ranch Camp has influenced my personal life through friendships and connections. My professional life has been changed as Ranch Camp showed me the incredible importance of summer camp on youth. I believe that few things in life have the power to shape the journey of youth, define their character, foster their independent selves, and bring pure, unapologetic joy then summer camp. At Ranch Camp I have had the amazing opportunity to watch my campers grow up into creative, passionate adults, many of whom return for years as Ranch Camp staff members. I am grateful everyday for the opportunity to spend my summers out of doors, sharing my favorite place with campers, staff, families and alumni each summer.
Noah joined Ranch Camp in 2016, starting a new step in a decade-plus long career in Jewish Camping.
I am a life-long camper. Before coming to Ranch Camp in 2016, I spent nearly every summer of my life at Jewish overnight camps in Wisconsin and New York. I was a camper, counselor, and assistant director before taking on the role of Director of Camp Young Judaea Midwest from 2008-2015. It’s my belief that Jewish camp is as critical to the future of the Jewish people as it is to a child’s sense of independence, identity, and strength of character.
Ryan joined Ranch Camp in 2016 from Putnam County, New York. He spent a majority of his youth in camping, attending and working at his childhood camp for a total of 23 years.
I started my work full-time in 2009 at Green Chimneys Clearpool Campus, in their outdoor education department; providing environmental education to at-risk, underprivileged populations from NYC. I served as the assistant director of their new, second summer camp, living my passion for creating unforgettable experiences for children from all walks of life.
For three years I’ve been blessed to be a part of the of the Ranch Camp family; it has had a profound impact on who I am as a person. Once disconnected from my Jewish identity, it has been fully reformed by the community at JCC Ranch Camp. It’s hard to put into words the magic and love the community at camp has for each other, and how everyone inspires everyone around them to be the best versions of themselves.
In the words of Seuss, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot” is the muse for my passion to create lasting and memorable experiences for campers, and to encourage others to never rest on their laurels and do the same.