Junior Servants Working All Together... JSWAT!

When it’s summer, everyone’s got one thought, “IT’S TIME FOR CAMP!!” Students from NWA head out to Camp War Eagle for one or two week sessions as a tradition. However, there was a new tradition in the CWE this summer, Camp War Eagle Day Camp at the Jones Center--an in-town camp, infused with CWE traditions for 7-12 year old students. Day Camp made way for another awesome program to break new ground: JSWAT!

JSWAT, or Junior Servants Working All Together, was a way for High School students (and CWE campers) to serve the Day Camp while earning a paycheck as well.  Getting to the Jones Center bright and early at 7:30am, these servants begin their day working behind the scenes making sure the day campers had the perfect experience everyday. From serving and cleaning up the “Chow Hall” to setting up and tearing down the Special Events for the afternoon, the JSWAT workers were not often recognized but always appreciated. Students all had a great love for not only the work they did, but also the relationships they developed with the other student leaders. Cedar, a sophomore from Rogers High School stated, “The job itself is rewarding, but the people are the best part.”

These students have been learning just how many hands it really takes to run a day camp, as well as other valuable lessons.  The students have been learning a great deal about what it means to serve.  Hannah, a senior at Rogers High School, puts it, “You don’t have to be up front to serve.” She, along with the other 8-10 students working each day, has learned the value of serving behind the scenes.  They have also learned the value of living in a close, loving, and encouraging community.  The students have all “loved working with each other,” said Elideth, a Springdale High School student.

JSWAT was a difficult yet rewarding experience for High School students wanting to serve and grow as servants in their lives and in their communities.  Despite the hard work, and seldom being recognized for that work, these students have all experienced the joy of serving because of how JSWAT has changed their lives and grown them into better leaders.

CWE365 adds Lauren Diehl to Staff

During the summer of 2013, Camp War Eagle broke new ground with it’s first ever, off site day camp. Camp War Eagle at the Jones Center was a huge success. Looking forward to next summer and the 2^nd round of day camp, a new staff member has been hired to craft plans will make Day Camp even more fantastic in 2014. Lauren Diehl, a native of Tulsa, OK and former Camp War Eagle counselor, will bring energetic perspective to both Day Camp and SOAR After School Program. Find out more about Lauren below!

What is your new role at CWE365?

Assistant Director of the CWE Day Camp

What is your history with the Camp War Eagle program?

My first summer was in 2010 and I also worked 2011, both years I got to be a counselor! Also, I was on Day Camp top staff in 2013.

What are you most looking forward to in this new role?

It is clear from the addition of the Day Camp and SOAR After School Program that God wants to expand His love in NWA. I am so excited to be a part of helping to pioneer a new CWE program and serve a new group of kids!

What personal attributes are you excited to use to serve CWE?

God has inspired me to be passionate about kids and their families. Also, I like to make things fun! I can do a variety of accents, wear any costume and not feel shame and dance like no one is watching.

If you could sum up your personal vision for Day Camp in 5 words, what would they be?

Love God, love kids in Springdale!

What did you treasure most about being a counselor at CWE? And a Top Staff at Day

Camp?

Camp War Eagle was life changing for me! I accepted Christ my sophomore year of college and worked my first summer at camp after that. My experience at camp my first summer taught me how to live out the great commission and the great commandments. I loved being a counselor and doing life with the girls and my co-counselors! I treasure the mission I learned from God at

CWE! Day Camp was also incredible. What I loved most about serving at Day Camp was caring for kids and their families. We wanted to see God redeem families as a whole and inspire a desire for Christ within each family.

If you could create one special event for Camp War Eagle, what would it be?

I've always thought it would be so cool to have a special event that celebrates holidays from other countries! Or a special event involving hot air balloons and a petting zoo.

Paint War 2013!

Camp War Eagle hosts more than four thousand campers each summer. However, for some of these students, their experience with camp lasts only a week or two. CWE365 seeks to morph camp into a year-round experience for all CWE campers.

The CWE365 Paint War was our special way of kicking off our school year, which includes clubs, retreats, community service projects and school visits. This thrilling event was a perfect way to welcome campers to the year round family and all it has to offer this year.

Over 400 students and volunteers attended the CWE365 Paint War at The Jones Center, far exceeding our expectations for participation. Divided into cities, students dove, hands-first, into buckets of paint, throwing sponges like baseballs, handing sponges off in relays, and running with sponges tucked beneath their chins, attempting to complete their team relays first. White shirts were quickly replaced with a dazzling array of yellows, pinks, purples and greens. The explosion of the colorful chaos that took place on the south fields of The Jones Center was a sight to behold.

However, all the sponges on the fields were only an introduction to the main event of the paint war; an enormous amount of Indian powder paint. At a single signal, students unleashed handfuls of bright, neon colors that hung in the air like a heavy fog, passing over each city’s base in a rainbow wash. Paint powder floated over students’ heads and clung to students’ shirts. Photo after photo captured the green hair, pink faces and white smiles. Splattered in yellow, pink, green and purple, there was no better way to express the fun and friendships CWE365 fosters throughout the year. 

To see more Paint War photos, check out CWE365's Facebook page.