09/16/2026
Thank you to everyone who came out last night to celebrate my final season and the past six summers I’ve had the privilege of serving as Camp Director at Hidden Valley 4-H Camp. It meant so much to share the evening with so many wonderful friends, staff members, families, co-workers, and supporters. I’m incredibly grateful for all the memories, kind words, and friendships.
Several people asked me to share the speech I gave last night, so I’ve included it below. Thank you again for making the evening—and these past six summers—so special.
"Good evening, everyone.
It is very fitting that we should assemble here in this beautiful setting for our last night together at camp.
I have been thinking for a long time about what I wanted to say tonight. It is difficult to find the right words to step down as the director of a place that has meant so much to me—not just professionally, but personally.
My Hidden Valley story began when I was 12 years old and came here as a camper. At that age, I could never have imagined the role this place would play in my life. I certainly never imagined that one day I would have the privilege of serving as its Camp Director.
During that first summer, I was chosen as the Honor Camper representing Heart H. At the time, I was proud to receive that honor, but I do not think my 12-year-old self could have fully understood what it would come to represent. Looking back now, it seems fitting that my life at Hidden Valley began with “Heart,” because that is what has always been at the center of this place.
Hidden Valley is about caring for one another, welcoming people into the camp community, and giving part of ourselves to something larger. It is about the friendships we make, the people we encourage, and the memories we carry with us long after the summer ends.
I first experienced Hidden Valley the same way generations of young people have: as a camper moving into a strange cabin, arriving with a mix of excitement and uncertainty, and stepping into a world that was different from anything I knew at home.
Here, I made friends, tried new things, spent time in nature, and began learning what it meant to be part of a community. I discovered that camp was a place where I could belong.
Hidden Valley became part of my heart before I was old enough to understand just how important that would be.
Over the years, I returned as a counselor and Nature Director, eventually following a career path that took me through outdoor recreation, youth development, tourism, nonprofit management, and many other adventures. Yet Hidden Valley was always the place I came back to, as a volunteer, parent, and proud alum.
Coming back to Hidden Valley as Camp Director felt like the natural thing to do.
Hidden Valley has never been simply a job or a place where I worked. It has been part of my childhood, my career, my family, and my identity. Few people are fortunate enough to return to the camp where they grew up and where they experienced so many milestones. I recognize what an extraordinary gift that has been.
Like so many people who work at camp, I arrived ready to teach campers, lead activities, solve problems, and share what I knew. But Hidden Valley has taught me far more than I could ever have taught anyone else. It taught me that leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about surrounding yourself with good people, giving them the training and support they need, setting clear expectations, and then trusting them to do what they do best. It taught me that some of the most important moments in a young person’s life can happen around a campfire, on a hiking trail, in a cabin, at the pool, or while sitting quietly beside someone who simply needs a friend. It taught me that traditions matter—not because we fear change, but because traditions connect us to the people who came before us and to those who will follow. Most importantly, Hidden Valley taught me the incredible value of belonging.
For generations, campers have come through the main gate and entered a place where they can try something new, make lifelong friends, discover strengths they didn't know they had, and be accepted for who they are. For some children, camp is a week of fun and adventure. For others, it becomes the place where they finally feel at home. I know that feeling because I experienced it myself when I was 12. That is what makes Hidden Valley so special.
I am incredibly proud of the programs we have offered and the challenges we have overcome. We've had long days, sleepless nights, storms, staffing shortages, pink water, trees falling on cabins, bears in the dumpsters, COVID, unexpected changes, and countless problems that needed immediate solutions. Camp has a remarkable way of making sure that no two days are ever the same. But there have also been extraordinary moments: hearing laughter travel across camp, watching a camper conquer their fears, seeing a young staff member grow into a confident leader, gathering at closing campfire, and watching former campers return as counselors, volunteers, parents, and supporters.
Those are the moments I will carry with me. I am especially grateful to the staff members who have served alongside me. Camp staff is a unique group of people. They work incredibly long hours, give up many comforts of home, and take on enormous responsibility. They become teachers, role models, problem-solvers, entertainers, caretakers, and sometimes substitute parents—all in the course of a single day.
To every staff member I have had the privilege of working with: thank you. Thank you for your energy, creativity, patience, and willingness to give so much of yourselves to our campers. Thank you for bringing your individual talents and personalities to Hidden Valley. You made camp successful, and you made me a better director.
To our volunteers, alumni, 4-H families, Cornell Cooperative Extension staff, and community supporters: thank you for believing in this place. Hidden Valley could not exist without people willing to donate their time, knowledge, resources, and hard work. Whether you donated apples for c***r, steak for the staff party, helped in the kitchen, led nature hikes, supported a program, took many pictures, attended a work weekend, or simply told others why camp matters, you helped keep Hidden Valley strong.
I am also deeply grateful to the staff of Watkins Glen State Park. Your partnership and support have been essential to camp’s success, and I have always appreciated our shared commitment to caring for this beautiful and historic place.
To the parents who entrusted us with their children: thank you. I have never taken that trust lightly. Sending a child away to camp—sometimes for the first time—requires faith in people you may barely know. Thank you for allowing us to become part of your children’s lives and for giving them the opportunity to experience the magic of Hidden Valley.
And to the campers, past and present: you are the reason for it all. Every difficult decision, every late night, every early morning, and every unexpected challenge was worthwhile because of you. Watching you grow, laugh, explore, make friends, develop confidence, and return year after year has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I hope you will always remember what camp taught you: that you are capable of more than you realize; that everyone deserves a place where they belong; that friendship can begin with a shared meal or a silly song; and that sometimes the best parts of life happen when we leave our phones at home, step outside, and truly pay attention to one another.
Stepping down from a position is often described as the closing of a chapter. But that does not feel quite right to me. Hidden Valley is not a chapter that can simply be closed. It is woven throughout the entire story of my life. Although I am stepping away from my role, I will never truly leave Hidden Valley, and Hidden Valley will never leave me. I will carry it with me in the lessons I have learned, the friendships I have made, the memories we have shared, and the countless young people whose lives have crossed mine. I leave with tremendous confidence in this camp's future. Hidden Valley has endured and grown for generations because it has never belonged to just one person. It belongs to everyone who has loved it, cared for it, and believed in what happens here. The names and faces will change. New traditions will join the old ones. New campers will enter camp, nervous and excited, not yet knowing how much this place may come to mean to them. Some of them may return as counselors and leaders. Perhaps one of those 12-year-old campers will even stand here as Camp Director someday, looking back in amazement at the journey that began at Hidden Valley.
My hope is that Hidden Valley will always remain a place where children and staff feel safe, valued, challenged, and welcomed—a place where they can be themselves, discover their potential, and become part of something larger than themselves.
Thank you for trusting me to help care for this remarkable place. Thank you for the memories, the laughter, the challenges, the friendships, and the opportunity to serve. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to be the Camp Director at Hidden Valley 4-H Camp. My time here began as a 12-year-old camper who stood before the entire camp and was asked to represent the Heart “H.” All these years later, I realize Hidden Valley has given me far more heart than I could ever give back.
While tonight I may be saying goodbye to this role, I am not saying goodbye to Hidden Valley, and how could I? I have formed friendships that will continue to grow in the coming years, and I will carry the memories of Hidden Valley with me forever; its spirit will always be a part of me. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for being part of that spirit."
Bruce Condie
Friend of Hidden Valley 4-H Camp
