It’s a lesson I’ve learned time and time again: no matter how many months you spend preparing or how meticulously you plan every single detail, something is bound to change. And it’s the ability to adapt, be creative and come together as a team that truly allows for success in those moments that might otherwise be headed for disaster.

As I have come to learn (and love) so quickly during my first summer at Camp Jabberwocky, this adaptability is second nature. Every single person involved is incredibly kind, hard-working and so easily willing to be part of this team in order to put the campers and families of Jabberwocky first.

I have also had the joy of learning that anything can be problem-solved with this kind of team. Time and time again, volunteers have gone above and beyond, collaboration with Island partners has flourished and the community support has been truly palpable.

I have always been immensely proud to call this place and community home. But this summer, as I stepped — both eagerly and anxiously — into the role of leading an Island institution that has been creating magic for twice my lifetime, I was blown away. The willingness of nonprofit partners to collaborate, the eagerness and warmth of volunteers, the generosity of business owners and the joy and gratitude in the faces of neighbors and strangers waving and cheering us on — it’s all left me completely humbled, in awe and inspired by what a community can accomplish when working together.

It is this place and this community which makes the magic of Camp Jabberwocky possible and I am so very grateful. Thank you. If you haven’t yet had the chance to be involved, or would like to learn more, please reach out! There’s always more work to be done, more joy to spread and more magic to create.

Here’s to everything ahead — and to believing as many as six impossible things before breakfast!

Hilary Dreyer is the executive director of Camp Jabberwocky.