A Letter From Haroon Abrahams

Every once and a while, an alumni letter, or in this case posting on the Killooleet Facebook page, summarizes why Killooleet parents are willing to let their children go away from them for so many weeks, and why counselors choose to work at camp. Haroon was a terrific counselor from South Africa who returned for several summers.

Every so often I make my way to the Killooleet site and I feel the wistful longing for pine forests, deep lakes, campfires, meals at the main house, cabins and various activities, wash over me. But most of all, I miss the people. That deep sense of community, growth, connectedness and belonging that being a member of this continuous chain of living memories has brought to me. It is now more than a decade since my last season as a counselor at Killooleet and I note with pride how I still surround myself with icons that keep me rooted to Hancock… My wallpapers and desktops on all my phones, iPad, laptop and computers depict the beautiful scenery of the Camp Road, the Lake, the Boating Dock and various scenes from Camp.

I don’t have to look far to realize that this community is as much a part of me as are my two beautiful children and the journey that my life has taken me on since then. I still yearn for hike days, Sings, Barter Days and leading bike trips to Canada. As the grey stubble pierces through my beard and perches on my crown, this Peter Pan remains eternally grateful for the gift of having joined a family who has celebrated diversity and the inclusion borne of having instilled “no traditions since 1927.” Thank you to those who have been and those who are yet to come and to the friends I have made and cherished along this journey. And as I whisper my song to my little daughter before she goes to bed, I am ever ready to “get my oars and row… We’ve got tide and the river is rising…”

– Haroon Abrahams