Meet the Camp Director: Rudy Poglitsh
The big motivation to be at St. Therese's was to help young Catholics bond with Christ in the riches of the Catholic church, so that they would grow with Him throughout their lives. Another motivation to be at St. Therese's Camp is to keep the property a camp for the local community to access. The MatSu Valley is growing rapidly; housing developments are springing up all around the camp. The Church of God and St. Therese's believe it's important that people have a place of spiritual and personal refreshment in the midst of our busy lives. The camp provides that, and we are glad to play a part in making this "oasis" available.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage had sold its summer camp in 1998. In about 2011 or so, a camp in Wasilla (1 hour from Anchorage) came up for sale. A board was quickly formed to purchase the camp. They needed a director, and my friend (Bob) said I'd be a good one. He pursued me strongly for the job, and we resisted for quite a while (this was all via email). I knew I had no experience running (essentially) a business. He said that the board could teach me that, but what they needed to begin with was someone with a solid Catholic faith. We eventually agreed, and in February or March of 2012 decided that we would leave Swaziland for the USA at the end of that year. After all the hard goodbyes, we flew to Orlando, Florida where Ruth (my wife) has family. Ruth's sister had a second house and let us stay there for free, while we got our feet on the ground and prepared to come to Alaska. In September 2013 we packed the 5 kids and any stuff we hadn't already mailed to Alaska into the minivan and drove for 2 1/2 weeks to Wasilla. The drive was fantastic. We have been here for a little over two years now and are loving every second of it.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage had sold its summer camp in 1998. In about 2011 or so, a camp in Wasilla (1 hour from Anchorage) came up for sale. A board was quickly formed to purchase the camp. They needed a director, and my friend (Bob) said I'd be a good one. He pursued me strongly for the job, and we resisted for quite a while (this was all via email). I knew I had no experience running (essentially) a business. He said that the board could teach me that, but what they needed to begin with was someone with a solid Catholic faith. We eventually agreed, and in February or March of 2012 decided that we would leave Swaziland for the USA at the end of that year. After all the hard goodbyes, we flew to Orlando, Florida where Ruth (my wife) has family. Ruth's sister had a second house and let us stay there for free, while we got our feet on the ground and prepared to come to Alaska. In September 2013 we packed the 5 kids and any stuff we hadn't already mailed to Alaska into the minivan and drove for 2 1/2 weeks to Wasilla. The drive was fantastic. We have been here for a little over two years now and are loving every second of it.