Tina Bildstein, Founder & Camp Director
Athlete and coach
Tina was a multi-sport athlete in high school — a four-time state qualifier in track & field and captain of a championship basketball team — and continued as an All-American at Penn State University. She later played and coached college women's basketball, including coaching roles at the University of Akron, Wayne College, and Thiel College. For more than 20 years she has coached basketball, volleyball, soccer, and track & field.
From business to camp
Before founding the camp, Tina spent 20 years as an Account Manager with TransUnion, an international credit reporting company. After the birth of her son, Matthew, she reassessed her path and returned to her roots: teaching and coaching children, the work she had always loved. She wanted Matthew to grow up the way she did, outdoors and enjoying the freedom of summer in the fresh air, rather than spending those months indoors in a classroom-style setting. That idea became the heart of Country Life Kids Camp.
Why she started the camp
Tina knows firsthand what it's like to raise a family without parents or relatives nearby. An only child herself, and the mother of an only child, she understands how much parents need support and how important it is to find a place where their children feel comfortable, stay safe, and grow with the same values they teach at home. In 2007, the Bildstein family founded Country Life Kids Camp on their park-like property in Medina to be that place for the community: somewhere magical where children can explore woods, fields, streams, and ponds, and simply be kids.
Faith, family, and community
The camp is a non-profit 509(a)(2) Christian summer day camp. Tina and her family donate their time, talents, and treasures to the work. In the community, Tina has served as a board member for St. Francis Xavier Parish Council. Together with her husband, she has coached more than 40 seasons of CYO sports, including the 3rd- through 8th-grade boys' basketball team. She also established the Young Navigators Basketball Skills Camp at St. Francis Xavier for 1st- through 3rd-graders. Kim Tuchek, CYO athletic director, has praised Tina's basketball program for young learners and her gift for teaching teamwork and sportsmanship.
Recognition
In 2026, Country Life Kids Camp was named a Cascade Capital Corporation Business Growth Awards honoree for Best Story and the Gazette's Best Camp in Medina County.
Tina's leadership at Country Life Kids Camp is marked by a steady commitment to character, outdoor play, and giving parents peace of mind, preparing youth with values, leadership, and a moral compass for the years ahead.