Complaint Review: Camp Dixie LLC. - Clayton Georgia

When a friend called me and told me about the negative comments regarding a childs experience at Camp Dixie this summer (June 2011), I was very surprised.  Why?  I was the volunteer Camp Mom during the time that this child attended camp, and I know the children and staff members who were there.  All of the staff members had been campers at Dixie, and most of the campers had attended Camp Dixie for multiple years.  Their parents would not have repeatedly sent these children to the type of place referred to in the mis-guided comments that were posted.

Camp Dixie provides a wholesome atmosphere for children to have fun, make new friends, and challenge themselves to learn new skills--or improve upon the skills they already have.  Rhonda Conrad and her staff adhere to the same principles for a better life that I learned to live by when I was a camper and counselor at Camp Dixie in 1960-1969.  You can find these principles at http://www.campdixie.org/purpose/.

The idea of Rhonda being rude to anyone is impossible for me to comprehend. She is an energetic lady who treats all campers and staff members as family.  Everyone wants to be around her.  I cant think of any situation in which she would treat anyone badly.  I certainly dont remember any negative situations (other than homesickness) while I was Camp Mom this summer.

I dont understand the comments about the kitchen and food. The county health inspector the kitchen, dining hall, and bathrooms during the first week of camp.  She gave Camp Dixie a very high score.  I later found out that Dixie consistently receives high scores.

The only people allowed in the kitchen are the ServSafecertified food preparers (I call them chefs because the food is so good) and the dish washers.  I saw no bugs in the kitchen or dirty hands touching food.  If I saw a bug in the dining hall eating area, I dont remember it.  I do, however, remember supervising campers as they wiped all of the tables and swept the floor after each meal. 

You may think Im biased.  But I know what good experiences for children are.  I spent 30 years as a Cooperative Extension System youth development specialist who designed events, camps, and activities for children ages 7-18.  The children participating in our programs thought they were having fun.  They didnt realize that they were also learning something.

Camp Dixie campers have fun, too.  Like me, eventually theyll realize that they were also learning about life.

 

When a friend called me and told me about the negative comments regarding a childs experience at Camp Dixie this summer (June 2011), I was very surprised.  Why?  I was the volunteer Camp Mom during the time that this child attended camp, and I know the children and staff members who were there.  All of the staff members had been campers at Dixie, and most of the campers had attended Camp Dixie for multiple years.  Their parents would not have repeatedly sent these children to the type of place referred to in the mis-guided comments that were posted.

Camp Dixie provides a wholesome atmosphere for children to have fun, make new friends, and challenge themselves to learn new skills--or improve upon the skills they already have.  Rhonda Conrad and her staff adhere to the same principles for a better life that I learned to live by when I was a camper and counselor at Camp Dixie in 1960-1969.  You can find these principles at http://www.campdixie.org/purpose/.

The idea of Rhonda being rude to anyone is impossible for me to comprehend. She is an energetic lady who treats all campers and staff members as family.  Everyone wants to be around her.  I cant think of any situation in which she would treat anyone badly.  I certainly dont remember any negative situations (other than homesickness) while I was Camp Mom this summer.

I dont understand the comments about the kitchen and food. The county health inspector the kitchen, dining hall, and bathrooms during the first week of camp.  She gave Camp Dixie a very high score.  I later found out that Dixie consistently receives high scores.

The only people allowed in the kitchen are the ServSafecertified food preparers (I call them chefs because the food is so good) and the dish washers.  I saw no bugs in the kitchen or dirty hands touching food.  If I saw a bug in the dining hall eating area, I dont remember it.  I do, however, remember supervising campers as they wiped all of the tables and swept the floor after each meal. 

You may think Im biased.  But I know what good experiences for children are.  I spent 30 years as a Cooperative Extension System youth development specialist who designed events, camps, and activities for children ages 7-18.  The children participating in our programs thought they were having fun.  They didnt realize that they were also learning something. 

Camp Dixie campers have fun, too.  Like me, eventually theyll realize that they were also learning about life.

 

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I think it's safe to say that the original post creator has some very wrong information regarding Camp Dixie.  I starting attending Camp Dixie at the age of six.  It was scary at first because I didn't know anyone, but with the caring attention I received from Rhonda and the staff there, I soon became completely comfortable.  I am now 24 and this upcoming season will be my 20th.

If Rhonda is discriminating, it is only to give special attention to those children who are most commonly discriminated against (like the eccentric, hyper, ADD, girly girl writing this report).  In fact, her example is what the rest of the staff aspires to.  With only a few exceptions, every staff member for nearly a decade now has been a former camper.  This past summer every single staff person had been a camper and come up through our CT program before becoming staff.  That alone should speak volumes about the program here at Camp Dixie.  We all had such a wonderful experience that we continued to return and now are sacrificing our summers to ensure that a future generation of campers gets that same great care we received.  We all know what's it's like to be a new camper, to not know anyone, and to feel intimidated because it seems everyone else already has friends from last summer.  We take great pains to make sure they adjust to life at camp and are welcomed into the "Dixie Family."

The activities are designed to take children out of their comfort zone and learn something new and exciting.  No child is forced to participate in any class they find intimidating or scary.  The children pick their own schedule the first night and are allowed to make changes if they find they do not like what they signed up for.  I know this fact keenly well because I teach riflery.  Some children think it sounds like a great idea, but the noise of the bigger guns (children under 12 shoot BB's, children 12 and older shoot .22 caliber rifles) can be frightening.  Many children opt to switch to a different class but they are never forced to participate.  I have even had older children who prefer to shoot with the BB's and we have made that exception for them to make sure they are not uncomfortable and still get to participate with their friends.  We really strive to make sure everyone has a fun, enjoyable, and safe experience with us.

And boy, how I could go on about how wrong they are about the kitchen!  We have consistently scored a 99% on our health inspection score, and the only reason we are not 100% is because our floors, which were poured in the late 1960's, are no longer considered ideal flooring for a kitchen.  I really think they just can't stand to give out 100's so they nit pick until they find something...  We wear gloves, we wear protection for our hair, we clean our hands constantly, and Rhonda showers up to 3 times a day!  Really!  No one is allowed to work in the kitchen unless they are Safe Serve certified and had a recent TB shot.  We do have staff members who work in the kitchen cleaning dishes, but our prep and cook work are done entirely by Rhonda and her most capable assistant Sara Brown.  And let me tell you about the food!  Best food you will ever hope to eat!  I don't know if it's the mountain air, the extra exercise, or what, but Rhonda's cooking is so good it will leave you speechless!

I could go on for days about how much I love Camp Dixie, it's staff, and Rhonda in particular, but the best thing to do is check for yourself.  Campdixie.org is full of great information about our program and what we stand for.  I encourage you to take a good look and decide if the original poster was perhaps mistaken about us.

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I read the June 25 report by someone who said his/her son attended Camp Dixie for two weeks this summer.  I know dozens of parents who send their children to this camp summer after summer.  

Campers and parents love it so much that I've met several who have gone for seven, eight, nine years in a row! And this is the first time that I've heard of a complaint by a camper or family there.   This camp is almost 100 years old and has probably the longest and best reputation of any camp in the Southeast.

My son (age 15) and daughter (age 10) have attended Camp Dixie the last four summers and love it.  And I spent two wonderful weeks as a full-time volunteer at the camp this summer (2011). 

So, I am VERY familiar with the camp's consistent high standards and values.  The director and staff are always kind, considerate and patient towards campers. They go out of their way to make everyone comfortable and happy. 

I ate with the campers my entire two weeks there.  And I recently attended two ladies get-away weekends there. The kitchen is spotless and has received a high A from the Health Department inspectors for at least the past five years. The food is delicious.

Before our children went to camp the first time, I visited many camps and Camp Dixie was our favorite for its staff, safety, and excellent counselor to camper ratio.  And the campers are not forced to do anything; in fact, each camper chooses his or her activities like swimming, boating, archery, trampoline, basketball, creek-walking, crafts, and hiking (to name just a few).

If parents would like more information, please visit the Camp Dixie (Clayton, Georgia) web site and read about the camp's sound principles, see hundreds of photos of happy campers, and read dozens of parent comments.  Or feel free to contact me.

Carrie Hartshorne
Suwanee, Georgia
[email protected]