The Directors

Name: Marie Schmid

Position: Executive Director
College: St. Catherine’s College
Degree: Elementary Education
Dream Job: Doing what I am doing…
Hometown: Whitefish Lake, MN
Meaningful Kid Experience: In 1975, I spent a month working at a black elementary school in Greenwood, Mississippi teaching physical education and assisting the teachers in various classrooms. I lived and worked in an environment of extreme poverty and racial prejudice where I experienced safety and trust within the black population and hatred and prejudice of my own race since I was “on the black side”. I was so different looking that I quickly became known and was greeted with huge smiles and twinkling eyes in the community. The kids were so open – their little hands constantly in my hair as it was different then their hair. They marveled at my silver braces on my teeth as I teased them about using these apparatuses to shoot rubber bands at them. Their bodies would rock when keeping beat to the music and went wild with the opportunity to have a gym class as this only happened when a volunteer was present. The younger ones, eager for attention, would surround me when we had those moments to play. I cringed when a teacher would slap the hands of misbehaved students and remember the acceptance of that punishment in their eyes. They were so appreciative of the hot meal that was served and I was told that northerners loved cranberries and huge portions were put on my plate – ugh! Of course the lunchroom monitor enforced a clean plate policy! Why did the government have to have a surplus of cranberries?
Hobbies, Sports, Interests, Special Skills: Backpacking, camping, snowshoeing, hiking, skiing, snorkeling, diving, canoeing – being outside! Enjoy volunteering for various organizations. Love to travel from State Parks to New Zealand.
Nature Experience: So many! I truly enjoyed the month in East Africa being a safari and studying animal behavior and the ecology of t his area. I vividly recall three hours of watching two male lions fight for dominance within feet of our van, the pride of lions taking down a young giraffe and devouring it, the hippos that were grazing on land as the sun was setting, the rare Greve Zebra or the more rare black rhinoceros. Numerous gazelles, zebras, giraffes, water buffalo and birds! And I was not at a zoo! Wild and roving over the plains in vans, sleeping in “huts” with geckos on the walls devouring insects while surrounded by mosquito netting. Meals where waiters picked huge bugs off of your food while you were eating. Dust, dirt, heat and so much beauty! An experience of a lifetime!
Childhood Memory: My first camp experience was when I was 7 years old and I attended camp down the lake shore for 4 weeks. After the initial adjustment of crying for 3 days, I loved camp! I loved my first horse named Dusty who was so fat that my short legs did the splits upon this gentle, walking creature. I remember my uniform – blue and white with a bucket hat! I remember my first cabin along Whitefish Lake with awnings that dropped over the screens to keep out the wind and rain. I remember and hated the green Jell-O with corn, green beans, lima beans and carrots that we had to eat! I remember the bell that the director would ring when we were too loud. The older campers all adored us “younger girls”. I remember thinking how fun it would be to have an older sister! Names and faces have become a blur, but the feelings of acceptance, being challenged and cared for by counselors and the friendships of these older girls will remain forever.
Random: I am a Mom and very proud of my four children – Alli, Peter, Kylie and Kevin. Nike, a golden doodle, is a true companion along with my grand-dog, Norm.

Name: Alli Faricy

Position: Director
College: University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Degree: Marine Biology
Dream Job: Octopus Researcher
Hometown: Whitefish Lake, MN
Activities Overseeing at Camp: All of them
Meaningful Kid Experience: Besides all my time spent at camp, I also volunteered in Thailand building a hospital for a group of refugees that included lots of kids. I got to communicate with them non-verbally (we didn’t speak the same language) and play lots of Tekraw (sort of like volleyball but you kick the ball). I also had the opportunity to visit an orphanage in Guatemala and spend time with the 300 kids that call it home!
Hobbies, Sports, Interests, Special Skills: I love anything done on water. Skiing, sailing, scuba diving. You name it, I will try it or have tried it.  I even just like sitting in a boat on the water. Or standing in the bath tub. Love hockey – Go Wild! I cook. Special Skill – I can analyze any airport to find the most efficient way to do pretty much anything you need to do there. Security. Check. Food. Check. Find a bag. Check. Find ground transportation. Check.
Nature Experience: I love to travel and by this time next year I will have visited all 7 continents and 49/50 states. Most of my trips involve being in nature, usually taking pictures of wildlife. I have photographed lions, gorillas, chimpanzees, whales, octopus, hummingbirds, owls, sea turtles, leopards, giant river otters, jaguars, rhinos, cheetahs, crocodiles, eagles, beavers, bears, hippos, girrafes, elephants, and a bunch of other animals. I’m typically happiest sitting still outside, waiting for animals to do cool stuff. Check out @eightlegsphoto on insta or EightLegsPhotography for some photos.
Childhood Memory: Almost every childhood memory I have revolves around camp, but, when I was 5, Grandma and Mom brought me to Disney World for the first time. This was back in the day when Disney was much cheaper and less populated. They had researched when to go that optimized your time on the rides and minimized the lines. There was no one there. We had free reign. I remember getting off of “It’s a Small World” and running around and getting right back on. We must have rode it 15 times. I hated the dressed up characters – scary. Loved pushing the button on the Dumbo ride to make us go up and down and up and down. And remember to this day my Grandma getting kissed by a Dolphin, nearly knocking her sunglasses (you know the kind that go over normal glasses) right off her head.
Random: You will meet Norm. He is a dog.

The Assistant Directors

Name: Ally Daily

Position: Assistant Director for the Girls
College: University of New Orleans
Degree: Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education
Dream Job: Professional Elf Impersonator
Hometown: Bettendorf, IA
Activity Overseeing at Camp: Girl’s Assistant Director
Meaningful Kid Experience:  As a counselor in 2018, I took my campers to the Muck Pond, and didn’t bring a map. I got our whole cabin completely lost and we ended up on a hike around the woods, and walked the entire wolf trail. We actually had a great time, found a secret meadow with wild flowers and discovered forts built by counselors a long time ago. I was teased the whole way back to camp for being a 3rd year counselor and getting everyone lost anyway! It’s an evening I will never forget.
Hobbies, Sports, Interests, Special Skills: I love to Fence and read. I fenced through high school and college, taught it for 4 years as a counselor. I even invented a LARP-ing class here at camp! When reading, it’s usually some fantasy or sci-fi. My favorite book is “The Lord of the Rings”, and I re-read it every year. I mostly try my hardest to live life like a Hobbit.
Nature Experience: I helped teach the Foley Outdoor Education program in 2019, and was in charge of teaching Wood Skills. Not only did I get to teach kids how to whittle and throw tomahawks, I also got pretty good at starting fires with flint and steel!
Childhood Memory: I was a Camp Foley camper for 11 years, and one of my favorite memory was when I was quite young, my cabin “snuck out” to have cookies and Juice in the Nature Center late one night. We crawled through Foley Green and hid behind trees. We had to sneak past Marie, one of our camp directors, and be very very quiet. It wasn’t until I was much older, that I realized that, just maybe, my counselors had staged this and we were probably never in any danger of being caught, but it sure was suspenseful in the moment!
Random: I’m a vegetarian, so sitting in the dining hall with me is a pretty sweet deal.

Name: Joe Harrington

Position: Assistant Director for the Boys
College: Creighton University
Degree: Finance and Spanish
Dream Job: Professional Skier and Bluegrass band member
Hometown: Mendota Heights, MN
Activity Overseeing at Camp: Boys AD
Meaningful Kid Experience:  I was working in Guatemala this year, and during the fall I helped with the construction of a house. At the house there were two cousins, who were 9 years old named Jairo and Irvin. I got to know them really well in the few weeks I spent working at their house. They would tell me what life was like for them and ask me about how it was different in the United States. I would teach them words in English and they taught me a little Kachiquel, the local Mayan language. The rest of my time there I would see them sometimes in the community and they would always shout out my name and we would talk for awhile. It was a really cool experience to share about my life and learn about theirs!
Hobbies, Sports, Interests, Special Skills:  I love anything that is outdoors, especially skiing. I love the snow! I am a huge sports fan and love to watch/talk about any sport that is out there. Finding and listening to new music is something I love to do, especially bluegrass!
Nature Experience:  In September I had the opportunity to hike up an active volcano. Once we reached the end of the hike (not all the way to the top of the volcano) we could see lava flowing from the side and all the rocks steaming from the heat. We then got to roast marshmallows over the steam coming from the rocks and eat them. It was so different from anything I had ever seen or done in my life, it just reminded me how awesome nature is!
Childhood Memory:  My Dad and his friends have a reunion at our lake every year with all of their families. I have lots of memories of the older kids hanging out with me and teaching me different things, because I was one of the younger ones. One of the older boys, also named Joe, inspired me to try waterskiing and keep practicing, despite the fact it took me awhile to get up at first. Waterskiing is now one of my favorite things to do in the world, and I do not think I would have kept it up as a kid without the support and encouragement from Joe.
Random: Snow leopard cubs are born blind and usually don’t gain their sight until they are nine days old. They also have light green or gray eyes, which is rare for big cats, who usually have yellow or gold eyes.

The Year Round Support Staff

Name: Mary Stevens

Position: Office Adminsitrator, Office Guru, Payer of you, Mailer of Things
College: Several
Degree: Accounting
Dream Job: Financial Analyst/Ski Bum
Hometown: St. Louis Park, MN
Activity Overseeing at Camp: Not exactly an activity, but I teach parents not be kidsick – or at least try to! Also the canteen.
Meaningful Kid Experience: Being a mom! I have adult two children – Hanna and Kyle who are both getting married this summer!
Hobbies, Sports, Interests, Special Skills: Staying active – biking, rollerblading, yoga, walking, reading. Spending time with my kids and dogs
Nature Experience: I had a horse growing up which was a wonderful experience. Living in the city I always enjoyed the freedom I felt spending time at the barn. There’s nothing better than a trail ride on a warm Fall day!
Childhood Memory: As a young child I spent MANY hours (figure skating) at the rink. It was kind of like camp – girls and boys of various ages who attended different schools – we were kind of like a big family. There was one older girl, Roberta, that was especially nice to the younger kids. She was a good skater- not great – but worked hard at it. She was always friendly and positive, and willing to lend a helping hand if anyone needed it – a good role model.
Random: I have a 4 pound Yorkie named Harley and am looking to get a new, larger, dog to add to my family!

Name: Mike Lillo

College: Northwest Technical college Bemidji – Sales, Marketing, & Management AAS 1997 AND Plumbing Technology 2007
Dream Job: Groundskeeper for the Atlanta Braves
Hometown: Fosston, MN
Area overseeing at camp: Maintenance & Grounds.
Hobbies, Sports, Interests:  I enjoy working on home improvement projects, camping in our RV, detailing vehicles, playing games with my children, & being outside! I enjoy shooting hoops, playing a round of NO RULES golf- kicking the ball from behind a tree is not a stroke!
Nature Experience: My wife & I take the kids on a fall camping trip around Duluth, MN every year.  We just all like “slowing down” and enjoying everything the Duluth area has to offer and visiting our favorite state park, Temperence River State Park.  The waterfalls, rushing rapids, Lake Superior shoreline & trails are awesome!  This last fall we followed a trail we hadn’t before & found another small waterfall and rapids we hadn’t seen before which was a big highlight for us.  We enjoy just walking the shoreline looking for “cool” rocks & climbing rocks along the shore.
Childhood Memory: Growing up in a small town in the 80’s, the whole town was your playground, my bike tires hit every road in Fosston.  The neighborhood I grew up in was full of kids, we played from sun up to sundown-OUTSIDE!  My parents had a cowbell to get me home for dinner, sometimes “I didn’t hear it” – that didn’t go over to well!  Any kind of sport was played all day, mostly baseball, and yard games in the evening like ghost in the graveyard & capture the flag.  I will always cherish that carefree time of my life.
Random:  It has been a learning experience working at Camp Foley.  ALL the people & things that make this camp run for a meaningful experience for the kids is astonishing!  I enjoy walking through camp listening to the kids having fun with the activities, laughing & encouraging each other on the climbing wall. I am also the star of “Maintenance Mondays” on the Camp Foley Instagram.

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