Vote for Lori O'Bryant, Nominated to Camp Admin Hall of Fame

We are so proud to share that Lori O'Bryant, Camp Hendon's Operations Manager, has been nominated to the American Camp Association's Camp Administrator's Hall of Fame! The goal of the Hall of Fame is to acknowledge and thank camp administrators for their invaluable work and their significant contribution to camps. To learn more about the Camp Admin Hall of Fame, click here.

There are two ways that Lori can be inducted into the Camp Administrator Hall of Fame:

• The Maple - Most Votes: The Maple will be awarded to the admin who has the most votes at the end of the voting period. This inductee will receive a custom inscribed paddle, a donation in their name to a campership fund, and a cash prize. 
• The Beech - Highest Average Votes across our camp population: The Beech will be awarded to the admin who has the highest average votes across their camp population. This award is meant to give smaller camp populations an advantage, as we recognize most votes is hard to win for these camps. This inductee will receive a custom inscribed paddle, a donation in their name to a campership fund, and a cash prize. 

The voting period for the Hall is a two-week period beginning Monday, March 29th, and concluding at 11:59 PM on Friday, April 9th.

Voting is easy and can be done on a computer, tablet, or phone. Starting on Monday, March 29th head to the voting page on the Camp Admin Hall of Fame website, find Lori, and vote! 

Anyone can vote - friends, family, classmates, volunteers, and of course our campers & parents! You are allowed to vote once a day for the entire voting period, for a maximum of 12 votes. 

Please take this opportunity to help us show Lori how much she means to us. Vote!

Vote for Lori

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Lori's Nomination, submitted by Megan Cooper:

Lori O'Bryant is an angel on Earth. Her love for our campers is only outweighed by our families' love of Lori. Lori was brought onto the Camp Hendon team as our first and only employee in 2015. Until that time, Camp Hendon was an entirely volunteer-run medical camp for children with Type 1 Diabetes. Her job description was jokingly paraphrased to say "give it to Lori and she'll get it done." All jokes aside, it was entirely accurate. Lori will rise to the occasion of any challenge, especially if that means helping a child or parent in need. She remained our lone employee for two years until she was joined by an Executive Director (me). As I got to know Lori, it became clear that her life's purpose was to make the world better for those around her. Children, in particular. She gives every parent her cell phone number with an open invitation to call or text her day or night with any question big or small. When the parent of a child who has been newly diagnosed with this chronic condition calls Lori, they are scared. Not scared - TERRIFIED - of the new path their family has been thrust down. Compound their existing fear of their child's condition, with the idea of sending them away to camp for a week, and it is enough to send a parent into a full-blown panic attack. Enter Lori O'Bryant. She walks our parents step-by-step through the application process, she explains what our camp schedule looks like, the foods the kids will eat, and she reassures parents with details about our exceptional medical providers and volunteers. She listens to their fears, and she allays them with her kind and confident words. I have no doubt that Lori has singlehandedly brought hundreds of children to camp, and changed each of their lives for the better, just because of her ability to reassure parents. Beyond that, Lori is beloved by our volunteers. She has an uncanny ability to bring people to the table for a cause. Last summer when our programs were canceled due to COVID-19, she was determined to make our virtual programs a success. She organized camp-in-a-box supplies, packing, and delivery to 106 campers in 6 states plus Thailand! Of those 106 boxes, 97 were HAND-DELIVERED by volunteers that Lori organized. She is the heart and soul of our organization, and we would be lost without her. She just wants to love these children. So, I am eagerly nominating Lori to become a member of the Camp Admin Hall of Fame. I assure you there is no one more deserving, and no one who will be as humbled and shocked by receiving this honor. Help me in honoring Lori O'Bryant's incredibly special contributions to our families affected by Type 1 Diabetes.