Audrey Williams- Audrey is excited to be returning to Kids Rock Summer Camp for her sixth summer! She graduated from Calvin College and just finished her fourth year of teaching at Zeeland Christian School where she teaches 8th grade English and Spanish classes. Audrey loves to travel, spend time at the beach, and read. Audrey also loves to spend time with kids of all ages and couldn't imagine a better way to spend the summer, sharing Jesus' love with others!
Audrey McKenzie- Audrey is a recent 2017 graduate of Hope College! She graduated with a major in Language Arts Elementary Education with an endorsement in English as a Second Language. At Hope she spent her time working for the admissions office, leading a women's Bible study, tutoring in an after school program, and planning events for students in the education department. She just finished her first year of teaching as a 5th grade teacher at the Santiago Christian School in the Dominican Republic. She enjoys spending time with friends and family as well as traveling, writing, and being outside. Audrey is excited to be back in Michigan for the summer for her sixth year of camp living out and sharing her love for Christ.
Jenny Bonnema- Jenny is a graduate of South Christian High school and attends Calvin College. Jenny will officially complete her degree in both Elementary and Special Education in December of 2017. This past spring semester Jenny student taught in a special education classroom with kindergartener to second graders at Coit Creative Arts Academy. In the fall she will student teach again in a general education fifth grade classroom at WestSide Christian School. She loves spending time with her friends and family, reading, spending time outside, and listening to music. This summer will be her fifth summer as counselor at Kids Rock, and she can’t wait! Jenny is looking forward to sharing her love of Christ with the campers, acting silly, making some awesome crafts, and having a great summer!
Seth Van Engen- Seth is a graduate of South Christian High School and Calvin College. He majored in Elementary Education with a focus in math and science. He just finished his first year teaching 7th grade science at Duncan Lake Middle School. He coaches both football and basketball there. He enjoys singing, sports, and hiking. He is really excited and grateful to be a part of such an amazing Christ centered camp for another year.
Ben Monsma- Ben is a graduate 2013 of Midland Park High School, in Midland Park, New Jersey and will finish his studies at Calvin College in the fall. At Calvin he is pursuing a degree in Secondary Education with majors in both Social Studies and History, with a minor in Physical Education. Ben has a passion for working with and for others, and loves to be active and play sports, utilizing this as an avenue to connect with others in a positive way. Ben's love for sports and activity is only rivaled by his love for working with kids, especially in the summer camp setting and walking by their side as they walk with the Lord. He is very excited to work his eighth year as a summer day camp counselor, and third at Kids Rock, sharing the love of Christ each and everyday!
Abby Visser- Abby is a 2014 graduate of Kalamazoo Christian High School and will be a junior at Hope College this fall. She is studying Elementary Education with a focus in science. At Kalamazoo Christian, Abby was involved soccer and volleyball. She enjoys being with friends and family, listening to music, spending time outside and being active. Abby is very excited to spend her summer working at Kids Rock Summer Camp by building relationships with the campers and sharing her love for Christ!
Kendra Walters- Kendra is a recently graduated senior from Calvin College. She majored in K-12 Music Education and is currently job searching for a full-time choir position in the area. She's getting married in June (yay!) and is looking forward to working this summer with her husband-to-be, Jaymes. Kendra enjoys singing, camping, reading Harry Potter, and spending time with those she loves.
Lydia Gildea- Lydia is a '16 graduate of Calvin College and has just completed her Masters from Western Michigan University. She played softball while at Calvin and loves how we incorporate sports and physical activity into the daily routine at camp. This will be Lydia's third summer with Kids Rock and is looking forward to continuing relationships with and being a positive influence in the lives of our campers. In her free time Lydia loves to be outdoors, on the lake, and hanging out with her family and dog, Jack. Summer camp ministry holds a special place in her heart and we are looking forward to another great year with Lydia on our tea
Jaymes Gontjes- Jaymes attend Dutton Christian Schools, South Christian High School, and just graduated from Calvin College studying secondary education. Jaymes also just recently completed his student teaching at Cityside Middle School in Zeeland, MI teaching 8th grade American History. Jaymes has a strong passion for sports and music. He enjoys playing golf, basketball, tennis, and also spends his falls coaching varsity football at South Christian High School. He spends his free time playing guitar and doing anything outside. He is so excited to return for his second summer at Kids Rock Summer Camp. Jaymes is excited to build relationships with campers, encourage people to know Jesus, and have a blast all summer long!
Casey Meyaard- Casey is a 2014 graduate of Holland Christian High School. In the fall he will be a senior at Hope College where he is majoring in Physical Education and minoring in Health. Throughout high school, Casey was very active in sports where he participated in football, basketball, and baseball. He currently is an assistant coach for Holland Christian's football and baseball teams.He has a large family consisting of 9 siblings. This will be Casey's second year at Kids Rock. He is very excited to be doing camp this summer and is eager to build relationships with the kids while being a Christ-like role model.
Nancy Kast- Nancy cannot wait for an incredible second summer at Kids Rock Summer Camp! Nancy is from Troy, MI and is a recent 2018 graduate of Hope College. She has a degree in Elementary and Special Education with an emphasis in learning disabilities. In her spare time, Nancy loves to run, go to the beach, and spend time with friends and family. Nancy is passionate about working with kids and guiding them in knowing and growing closer to Christ.
Carley Van Swol- Carley graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School in 2015 and will be a senior at Hope College in the fall. She’s a Physical Education and Spanish major with a minor in Health. At Hope, Carley participates in intramural sports, broadcasts the sporting events, as well as is a leader at the Special Ed Ministry at one of the local churches in Holland. She has a big heart for kids, sports, traveling, and Jesus. This is her third summer at camp and she’s so excited to build relationships with the kids and have fun!
Jessica Veldhuizen- Jessica grew up in Byron Center and graduated from Legacy Christian Elementary/Middle School, South Christian High School, and Calvin College with endorsements in Elementary and Special Education. She is always on the move, whether it be running around Grand Rapids, adventuring outdoors, attempting to bake, or traveling the world. She has a passion for working with kids, making people feel valued, and spreading the love of Christ. She is beyond excited for a second summer of fun and games at Kids Rock before going into her first year of teaching!
Anna Timmer Drews- Anna (Timmer) Drews grew up in Caledonia, Michigan. She graduated from Dutton Christian Elementary/Middle School, South Christian High School in the spring of 2013, and from Calvin College in 2017 with a physical education degree and a minor in health education. In high school, she was involved in volleyball, basketball, and softball. She was also a part of the choir for four years and participated in her high school's Connections program. While at Calvin, she played all four years on the Varsity Women's basketball team and worked for various people in the Kinesiology department. She has worked with kids through teacher aiding placements and sports camps over the last nine years and absolutely loves it! She also recently just got married at the beginning of the summer and is looking forward to this new journey with her husband, Nathan Drews. This will be her second year at Kid's Rock Camp and can't wait to begin another great summer with all the campers and counselors!
Jeremiah Kruithof - Jeremiah graduated from South Christian High School in 2016 and will be starting his junior year at Trinity Christian College this fall. He is majoring in middle grades education with a focus on math, and also is pursuing a special education minor. In his free time, Jeremiah loves to play sports and hang out with his friends. His favorite sports are soccer and baseball, but really any sport is a good one in his mind! Jeremiah cannot wait to start his first summer at Kids Rock Camp and is really looking forward to sharing his passion for Jesus with the campers as well!
Mikayla Battjes- Mikayla is a 2016 graduate from South Christian High School. She is finishing up her second year at Calvin College currently pursuing a degree in both special education and elementary education. She enjoys spending her time volunteering as a Young Life leader at Grandville High School and playing tennis with family and friends. She has had experience with kids through babysitting and student aiding experiences. She is passionate about kids, Jesus, and building relationships! She cannot wait for her first summer at Kids Rock!