Cheley Camps has a year-round Food Service Manager who plans the menus, orders the food, and manages the entire food service of the camp. We have four large kitchens and approximately 26 people on the food service staff with a head cook in each kitchen. Cooks work together to create delicious meals for the camp. We serve three meals a day and the cooks are on hand for the cooking and service of each of these meals. Experience in cooking with quantities is helpful, although we will train. Internships are available. Fun and energetic people are encouraged to apply.

This position is ideal for folks who want to work at camp, and want to learn more about Cheley in general before going into a counseling position. Seven people make up this team, and jobs are divided between laundry and kitchen assistance. Team members are set up with a partner each week.

The camp does all of the personal laundry for the campers for six weeks out of the summer. We use laundry facilities that are located on the camp property. Kitchen roles include setting the dining hall tables, stocking supplies, cleaning the kitchen and dining hall, washing the dishes with the dish machine, and taking care of the garbage and recyclables from around camp in a camp vehicle. Swing Crew must be able to lift, unload, and move food and supplies.

Two kitchen-general counselors are employed at each Trail's End Ranch. The two kitchen/general counselors assume full responsibilities in the kitchen on alternate weeks. When not in the kitchen, these staff people are general counselors filling in as needed. These positions carry counseling responsibilities and provide an opportunity for persons with very general skills and a little experience in counseling to possibly prepare themselves for counseling positions another summer.

One person is employed each summer as storeroom manager. This person is responsible for receiving and distributing all of the food supplies from a central storeroom to various kitchens and camps. This person works under the supervision of the Food Service Manager and is part of the food service team. A driver's license is required as well as the strength to lift, unload, and move food and supplies around camp.

Seven people are hired each summer for the total care of the camp horses, under the supervision of our Ranch Manager. Keeping the barns clean, feeding, grooming, and assisting in shoeing are part of this job. The barn crew assists campers in bridling, saddling, and mounting. They live near the horses and work hard while having fun. Being on barn crew is good training for people interested in ranch operations or veterinary medicine. The barn crew members need to be certified in CPR and have the physical strength to lift hay bales as well as unload, load, and move equipment.

A crew of seven people is employed each summer to handle the daily transportation and maintenance needs of the campers. Our bus drivers must obtain a Commercial Drivers License. Cheley provides this training. You must complete a DOT physical before camp. Daily transportation needs include busing campers to trail heads for backpacks and sites for motor outcamps. Trans and maintenance staff also sweep lodges, porches, and do other general camp maintenance such as fixing screens, roofs, toilets, furniture, cutting/splitting firewood, etc. as assigned by the Facility Manager. This staff must have the physical strength and endurance to lift and load equipment into trucks and buses. Basic CPR is required for these positions.

This position is for a well-organized person who has good knowledge of arts and crafts and enjoys managing and training crafts counselors. This person also does the inventory/ ordering of the craft supplies and works in the camp store. Teaching experience in art, or in the arts, is very helpful.

Young children of staff (under age 9) are cared for by this person. Experience with younger children is necessary as are First Aid and CPR. Other requirements include having a valid Driver’s License, enjoying nature and a high level of enthusiasm and personal initiative. This person is also assigned to work in the camp store, laundry and some general office work when they are not working with their childcare responsibilities.

The store and the office personnel run the camp stores that are open after breakfast and after program activities in the afternoon. The camp store stocks assorted Cheley clothing, soda pop, candy, and basic equipment. The store personnel do opening and closing inventory, re-stocking, selling, keeping track of store charges, and imprinting of t-shirts. They also assist in the office (see Office description).

We hire photographers each summer to produce a yearbook that is mailed to each camper and staff in the fall and to take general pictures for promotional use. We use Digital cameras and work with a Digital Graphic Design software. Experience with page layout, computers, digital cameras, and organization of large numbers of photos are required. The photographer may also upload pictures daily for the web link for parents. This person must have a valid Driver’s License, good planning skills, follow through, be in excellent physical condition (for hiking) and have CPR and First Aid.

Five Registered Nurses staff our four Wellness Centers each summer. The nurses have the overall responsibility for the health care in their respective units. This includes speaking to campers and staff about preventative health care, storing, distributing and recording of all camper medications, treating illnesses and triage for the camp’s doctor. They work with the campers and staff to address health needs. Nurses must be in good physical condition and be currently licensed to practice. The camp works closely with local physicians at a medical clinic, and small hospital. In addition, we have some weeks with a licensed physician volunteering at the camp.

All office staff answer the phone, sort mail, file, handle staff requests, meet parents, give tours, pick up and distribute mail, and assist in the day-to-day operations of the camp office as directed. Our main office is under the direction of our office manager, and we hire additional office staff for the increased workload during the summer. A driver's license is required for all office positions. The positions include:

Typist-Skills necessary for this position include the ability to work efficiently on a word processor as well as having a fairly good typing speed. The typist does routine summer typing such as newsletters and chapel programs.

Hostess-Duties include answering the phone and giving camp tours to visitors.

Travel-This person is responsible for all the details of getting campers and their baggage to camp and home again. We have more than 900 campers coming and going over the course of the summer. Must be organized, enjoy details, and be able to work on a computer.

Experience in teaching, parenting, or management is desired. Each of the eight units has approximately 60 campers and 15 staff managed by a director and assistant director. Unit directors are responsible for all aspects of running their unit: Staff development, scheduling, camper experience, writing the newsletter, reviewing camper reports, meal counts, program scheduling, camp unity, camp spirit, parent contacts, staff evaluations, and laundry coordination. These are excellent summer positions for teachers and provide exceptional experience in management and leadership. These people should have an ability to provide leadership to large groups.

Outcamp counselors are responsible for the planning, preparation, and leading of overnight trips away from camp. Outcamps trips are 2-3 days long. We take outcamps to our outlying properties. All units go on outcamps, however the younger units have more scheduled. Cheley provides the tents, stoves, and cooking gear. You provide the creativity and personal touch to the program. This position requires an enthusiastic person who enjoys teaching cooking over an open fire, Leave No Trace camping, fire building, and nature exploration.

Riding counselors are responsible for teaching the fundamentals of Western Riding and horse care. Campers are taught how to mount, dismount, saddle, bridle, positioning hands and feet, reining, and tying proper knots along with etiquette and safety practices around horses. We teach limited English seat (older Girl’s Units) in addition to our primary Western Seat. Riding counselors will ride all week, with all day rides, half day rides in the ring or adjoining ranch, multi-day rides, and horse packing trips. Riding Counselors are also responsible for the planning and presentation of a “Horse Show”, where campers show their skills during this 2-3 hour event at the end of each term, during parent’s visiting weekend. Cheley owns over 145 horses along with full tack for each. We wear riding helmets, along with typical western style wear and heeled riding boots. There are two riding counselors and a relief riding counselor for each of our 8 units. Riding counselors must have prior riding experience. Riding Counselors need CPR, and Wilderness First Aid.

The work of the campfire counselor includes all the details of planning and directing the regular evening programs, plus special evenings such as the Blue Kerchief Ceremony and Final Recognition nights. The job encompasses a wide range of social activities, including square dances, skits, final banquets, all-camp campfire, chapel, vespers, and choir. Many campfire counselors play an instrument such as guitar or piano. Campfire counselors must be organized, creative and enthusiastic. There is one campfire counselor for each unit. During the day, campfire counselors are on program with the campers assisting with sports, crafts, or other programs.

The Challenge Course Facilitator works with groups of boys or girls of all ages, taking them through various elements on our low ropes course. Written certification or documentation of challenge course experience and/or training is required, and group processing and facilitating skills are necessary.

We seek people who are creative and enjoy teaching others. The most popular areas in our crafts program are leathercraft, woodworking, copper and silversmithing, enameling, tie-dying and other fabric arts, painting, sketching, and pottery. We have a wood working shop in the boys' craft shop and a pottery shop in the girls' craft shop.

Most of the eight camp units have one general counselor and one relief rider (see Horseback Riding Counselor description). These counselors are full time and rotate in the different program areas when one of the activity counselors is on their time off. These staff persons provide coverage on outcamps, sports activities, hikes, rides, and other activities. We seek people who have basic skills in our program areas. These positions provide a chance to learn many of the camp programs.

This position involves planning and directing, as well as individual instruction in: games, initiatives course, archery, soccer, volleyball, Frisbee and other sports. Mountain biking is a major program for sports counselors in the 14-17 year old age group. Sports counselors also assist river guides in our river rafting (ages 12-17), climbing instructors in our outdoor technical climbing programs (ages 12-17) and on our climbing wall (ages 9-17). On the first Sunday of each term, the sports counselors from brother/sister units are responsible for an afternoon games tournament involving the two entire units of 60 campers each. Sports counselors need to love and have knowledge of many types of sports.

Cheley Camps is blessed to be surrounded by high, snow -capped peaks and over 500 miles of established hiking trails and routes. Hikes are taken to alpine lakes and many peaks in the high mountains of Colorado. Two hiking counselors staff each of the eight camp units. Experience in wilderness hiking is required. Our hikes cover established approved routes coordinated by our Program Director. We often hike on snow, across tundra, up and down scree, and in rocky and exposed areas above timberline (where we wear helmets). Hiking counselors will hike 5 days a week which requires excellent physical condition and stamina. They must enjoy youth, and be very comfortable in the backcountry. Hiking counselors also drive 15 passenger vans to and from the trailheads, so a good driving record and current license are necessary. Hiking counselors are required to have CPR and Wilderness First Aid, be age 21 or older.

Backpacking counselors are responsible for preparing and planning backpacks. Backpacking starts with our 12-year-olds. The backpacking trips are two to five days in duration. Backpacking counselors need to bring their own pack and other backpacking equipment they own. These counselors need good working knowledge of Rocky Mountain National Park and other surrounding backcountry areas. They must have a solid base of experience in backpacking, hiking, and camping out. They must be able to carry a heavy pack over varied terrain (see Hiking Counselor description). Skills with map and compass are also required. Peak hikes are often scheduled from our campsites. We also do roving five-day trips, camping in a different site each night. Backpack counselors teach cooking on backpack stoves, proper care of equipment, Leave No Trace camping, geology, flora and fauna, and basic backcountry skills.

We hire eight rifle counselors each summer who teach campers responsible use of .22 caliber and air rifles on our target shooting ranges. We use the nationally recognized Camp Rifle Program for skills development and recognition. Instruction includes proper sighting, teaching of the four firing positions, appropriate gear, correct form, scoring targets, and the proper care of rifles. Rifle Counselors teach up to 4 or 5 days a week. Prior experience is helpful but this is an area where we can teach a counselor who has limited experience.