Rev. Robert Vodra

Camp Albemarle Director

Background

Robert was born in Kansas City, MO, but spent his "growing up" years in Connecticut. In 1982 he went to his first week of church camp and was hooked. In 1986, after just 4 years of being a camper he was asked to be a volunteer counselor for a cabin of eight 7th and 8th graders. Since that summer, he has spent at least one week every summer volunteering or working at a camp.

In addition to a few years of just a week, he has worked on the summer staff of many camps. From 1987-1989 and 1993 he worked at Silver Lake Conference Center in Connecticut. In 1990 and 1991 he was at a Boy Scout camp in Maine. In 1992 he was at Shannondale Community Center in Missouri, and in 1995 he was at DuBois Center in Illinois. He has been a done maintenance, washed dishes, been a counselor, been a program director, and has done everything from plunging toilets to grooming horses to training staff (sometimes in the same day).

Robert attended the University of Maine and graduated in 1992 with a degree in Forestry. He then went onto Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis and received his Master of Divinity in 1996. Robert currently holds standing in the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA) as an ordained minister.

In early 1997 Robert began his career in full time Christian Camping. He accepted a job with Camp Greenwood, a Presbyterian Church camp in Michigan. After 6 summers, and a winter with over 100 inches of snow, he began to think of warmer climates. Camp Albemarle was available and Robert arrived in North Carolina in early 2003 (note: he arrived the day after a rare snow storm).

Robert lives on the camp grounds with his wife and son. In addition to working at the camp, he volunteers with the local fire department and ambulance squad. He also does training in CPR and First Aid through the American Red Cross. In his spare time he and his family enjoy traveling and camping.

The Camp Experience

Robert believes that a camp experience is vital to a young person's developement. He wants every camper to experience several things:

1. A safe environment. Everything we do has risks. Even the car ride to the camp is full of risks, but we evaluate each program to minimize any risks that we can. All pool programs are supervised by qualified lifeguards, all meals are reviewed for nutritional value and prepared properly, all sailing is done under the supervision of qualified staff, and your child will be sleeping in a cabin with 2 counselors (one on each side of the cabin). As a parent, I am very concerned with safety. I would not let your child do anything that I would not let my child do.

2. Fun! Yes, camp should be fun for everyone. Our counselors are trained to work with your child to make sure that they have a fun time. We listen to the campers requests and modify our schedule to make sure that they do the things that they have been looking forward to, and also get to experience new activities that they will enjoy.

3. A learning environment. We want every camper to learn about God (and God's action in their lives). We want every camper to learn a bit about sailing, a bit about swimming, and maybe a new craft. We also want them to learn about themselves and grow during their week at camp.

4. We want campers to make friends. Through our games, fun and learning, campers get to know the other campers in their cabin and also their counselors. They get to see young adults who have a strong faith and are not afraid to talk about it. They meet people who are asking the same questions about life that they are. They get a chance to share, listen and learn with other people who soon become their friends.

We want every child to experience what Camp Albemarle has to offer. If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to discuss a special situation, please feel free to call or e-mail Robert any time. His office number is 252-726-4848 and his e-mail is robert@campalbemarle.org If it is an emergency, please call his cell phone number located on the contact us page.