By Caroline Carter
Staff Writer
Pine Cove Christian Camps is one of the most popular and reportedly fulfilling summer camps that students attend every summer. Though most students of Coppell High School attend as campers, senior Anna Nudo will be experiencing the camp in a different way.
This upcoming summer, Nudo will be serving as a Baby Ruth, a program designed for girls who will be entering their first year of college. After beginning in 2003, the Baby Ruth program has transformed many young women’s lives.
“The goal of these programs is to train students through creative learning experiences, teamwork and involvement in the camp program,” Baby Ruth program coordinator Jenny Brown said. “We tell the girls from the beginning that the Baby Ruth program is a challenging but worthwhile program. Throughout the summer, the girls can learn what it looks like to rely upon the Lord and others.”
The Baby Ruths and Young Guns, the male equivalent program, do a lot of behind the scenes work, which makes the program a very humbling experience for them. However, the participants also take their time at the camp to grow deeper in their faith.
“The Baby Ruths participate in a Bible Study designed specifically for the program, and they are given a variety of opportunities to practice what they are learning,” Brown said. “Ultimately, we want these girls to know who their God is, which also helps them to know who they truly are.”
Nudo, who is the current Vivacé! captain, senior class president and Red Jacket, had been attending Pine Cove summer camps for ten years when she realized her calling to further her participation in the camp.
“I had heard about the program at camp,” Nudo said. “Baby Ruths is definitely something you have to feel called to, because it’s not a real glamorous job. It was on my heart for a long time and I left it up to God.”
After completing the application process that included several letters of recommendation, Nudo then attended an interview with a staff member from Pine Cove. Nudo was then accepted into the program where she will begin her journey as a Baby Ruth.
“There is a cool discipleship part to the program,” Nudo said. “We do a lot of studies of the women in the Bible. I have heard that you also have topics to study and then you come back to a group to report back on it. The point of the program is to ground you in your faith before college and experience spiritual growth.”
Many campers look up to the Baby Ruths and other camp counselors for all the selfless work that they do. Sophomore Natalie Hinson, who has been attending the Pine Cove for five years, greatly respects everything they do.
“I really look up to them because they love the Lord so much and are just great individuals,” Hinson said. “They are also always there for you. Because of this, I plan to be a counselor one day. I want someone younger to learn how great the Lord is and what he can do for them.”
Though Nudo says she does not know if ministry is her calling, she thinks that missionary work might interest her in the future.
“The plan right now is to go to the University of Texas,” Nudo said. “I think I want to major in nursing so I can one day be a pediatric nurse. I don’t necessarily want to go into ministry, but I have thought about something medical in a missionary field. But everyone tells you that you will change career plans all the time, so we’ll see what happens.”
The Pine Cove program as a whole aims to deepen students and staffers’ faith, through group activities and time for personal growth. The campers are not the only ones that go through life changes, but the staff as well.
“We understand that the lessons these Baby Ruths learn often aren’t fully grasped until their freshman year of college and beyond,” Brown said. “This knowledge they learn can transform how they approach all areas of life.”
