Ray has been the rock, the glue and the guardian of Camp Venture for the past 33 years.
On August 11 Ray Kondracki left Camp Venture for the last time as Director of Venture Together’s beloved summer camp. Opened as a fully integrated summer camp in 1969, Ray continued this mission and under his leadership thousands of campers have enjoyed their summers where everyone is fully accepted and more importantly, appreciated, for exactly who they are.
But that is not all that happens at Camp Venture. Through Ray’s mentoring, camp counselors learn patience, responsibility and the value of teamwork. Ray often boasts that countless camp counselors have gone on to successful careers in teaching, law and various medical professions. For sure, these young adults learned to be kind people and they learned from the best.
Ray will be missed. We will miss his smile, sense of humor and your antics. We will miss his “can do” attitude. We will miss his calm and gentle nature. We will miss his compassion. And we will miss his steadfast dedication to our children and to the mission of the camp established so many years ago.
On behalf of Venture Together, all the camp counselors, campers and their families including the original parents who started Camp Venture THANK YOU.
We wish you all the best as you head out toward your new “Ventures” – one last pun for the road!