Jordan Blake had suffered the loss of his best friend, Chas Bertun, during his senior year of high school and was dealing with a lot of grief. That summer, he followed in his late friend’s footsteps and took a position as a senior counselor at Bethel Horizons. 

He was so excited to get to this place that Chas loved and was a part of that he biked all the way from Madison to Bethel Horizons for that first staff training. Little did he know he would be biking through a storm by the time he got to Ridgeway, but Jordan kept trekking on and arrived at camp soaked through, carrying about an extra 20 lbs in water weight. 

“I made quite the first impression, but wouldn’t change that journey for anything,” Jordan recalls fondly.

He found healing and support at camp. Spending time around the campfire and sharing stories with those who knew Chas helped Jordan feel closer to him and helped him deal with all of the emotions he was dealing with during this tragic loss.

“Horizons is my happy place. I always loved being outdoors, camping and canoeing and found so much peace being out there. It was a great distraction for me that summer. I got to work with kids who also were going through some unfortunate things in their own lives, and it was powerful for me to grow in a leadership role and build this trust with my campers and fellow coworkers that occurs when we are out in nature or on the river.”

We are so thankful that Jordan found a community surrounded by peace and connection to Chas through working at camp. He continues to serve Horizons as a guest counselor for a week when his schedule allows. Jordan also enjoys winter camping at Horizons and shares the property with friends and family as often as he can.