Longtime Beaver County summer camp faces staff shortage

FOMBELL, Pa. — The nationwide labor shortage is putting a strain on summer camps, with some unable to open at all.

In a few weeks, Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer in Beaver County will be welcoming back children, but not as many as in previous years.

Executive Director Alison Fisk said the camp needs to hire an additional 50 counselors and 20 support staff. This means, initially, they will operate at 50% capacity.

“We didn’t operate last year, which discontinues that staffing. You don’t have the training from the counselors or training from last year to come this year. We don’t have returning staff from last year, and a lot of international staff are unable to attend because the embassies are closed in their countries.”

For now, the 95-year-old camp will have sessions for children in second through eighth grade.

But teenagers will get a full refund.

“We are doing our best to serve as many campers as possible with one-week programs, but I’m sure there will be some disappointed families,” said Fisk.

The Fombell camp is hiring people ages 18 to 22, as more staff members will mean more campers.

For every two additional hires, 48 more campers can be accommodated over the course of the summer.

“What we are focusing on is making sure that the campers who do come here have the best summer ever, and we are really looking forward to coming back full capacity in 2022,” Fisk said.

If you’re interested in applying, go to the Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer website.

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