The Beginning

This week was the official start to the working at Victory. For many that start a new job, there is a lot of learning the ins and outs of the daily job. This was true of some areas this week. But in reality there is a lot that will have to be learned and figured out along the way. And with a unique job at Victory, there is more than just PR work that will be done during my time here.

To start off my work here, there was a simple shaking off the dust by putting together a slideshow that will run on a loop for the fundraiser banquet next week. Once I remembered what I needed to do, it became an afternoon project. Other projects had me reworking our name tag template so it works across all the campus computers, and is able to be worked and printed by anyone from pro to novice.

The actual work week actually started with sitting in on the CCCA conference hosted at Victory. I chose to sit in on CCCA president Gregg Hunter's talk(s) on "Branding" and "Tell You Story". This got a lot of gears turning on some project ideas that will take some time to develop and get out. Time was also spent meeting with various camp staff from all over Alaska, as well as sharing resources, ideas and praying for each other.

Away from the PR/media work, there was learning the ropes of guest service duties. Since getting here, there have only been a handful of days that there hasn't been guests on the grounds. As one group leaves, another arrives. This is becoming the norm here as groups see the potential Victory has for hosting groups.

To add a little excitement to the start of my stay here, I decided to fulfill a promise made to friends back home. When a baptismal was cut into the ice, a few of us thought it would be fun to do a polar plunge. In reality, the water wasn't bad. Once out though, things started to ice up, so a toweling off was needed ASAP. It wasn't till after a shower that I noticed abrasions and cuts from jumping through a thin layer of ice and climbing out of the hole. This will need to become a tradition.

As things start to settle out at work and with life, I'll start to work on some fun updates. Many want to see what I do, as well as see how I live in Alaska. There are some Q&A's coming, as well as some videos. My goal in the coming months is to start to share what goes on behind the scenes at Victory, as well as the ins and outs of daily life here.

Thank you all for joining in on this adventure. There is a lot that is going on and much more to come.

- Daryl J. Howard

P.S.- With only having internet access at the main lodge, updates won't happen as frequently as I wanted. So be patient me.