November 2016 - Camp Runoia

Giving Thanks

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Alex

Gratitude – by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford

It is here. It is the time of year when we are expected to take a deep breath and stop and consider why we are thankful. Why are YOU thankful?

I, like many, will pause and reflect on my health, my family, the fact that I have a safe place to dwell, food on my table and my freedom to worship as I choose and to speak my mind freely.

As a mother, I easily turn my thoughts to my 9-year old daughter as well.

Raising a child is certainly an adventure that, most days, we are grateful for. The ability to see the world through new, energized, optimistic eyes…the ability to know that our child may further impact the good work in the world which each of us sets out to do. These things make parenting a wonderful, tiring, awesome, enthralling adventure.

As we delve into the holidays and the darkness of winter and cold that often accompanies these days, it is with fondness that I remember my gratitude for experiences like Runoia and its significance on my daughter and the other girls who find a second home in Belgrade Lakes, ME, each summer.

For 7 magical weeks of summer, there is a place where girls can go and be surrounded with the good of the world that will only make them grow stronger, supporting them in becoming the best people which they can be. Rich in the tradition and history of its camp founders, Miss Weiser and Miss Pond, Runoia provides the support, respect and confidence needed for girls to develop and grow strong.

There are abundant opportunities for girls to take risks – to take flight – from water skiing for the first time to archery to overnight excursions. There is independence within a safe, supportive setting. There are caring adults ensuring physical health. There are ample opportunities for physical explorations which promote health and wellness. And food? There are fresh vegetables and fruit, sprinkled with the sweetness of birthday cake which is delivered with song and smiles.

As the sun sets on each day of opportunity, there is time for reflection as girls connect about the day’s successes and those things which they will strive for again tomorrow. And as darkness falls, there is calm and quiet – except for the loons. As good nights are said and cabin lights dim, there is always a presence of gratitude.

Runoia is place which exudes gratitude for life.

Wishing you and yours a blessed day of thankfulness.

The Highlight of My Year

Posted on November 16, 2016November 16, 2016 by Pam Cobb

I have a good life. I travel, meet interesting people and my job is never boring. Last summer I spent a weekend at Camp Runoia, celebrating its 110th anniversary. Now THAT was the highlight of my year and I know now, that one day I will be a camp counselor again.

I spent twelve summers of my formative at Camp Runoia in Belgrade Lakes. In those days, the program was eight weeks, camp was like a bigger and more diverse version of my own family and I loved every minute of it. It is where I understood the real meaning of living with other people, discovered lasting friendships and the value of respect. So, a whole weekend with a group of women whom had been my role models, my teammates and my friends growing up was a treat.

To the observing eyes, in this case those of my husband, the years had not taken their toll on our enthusiasm for our camping days. But most importantly, there was an invisible bond that time had left unbroken. No words needed. We knew that we could count on one another at any given time just like we used to when the lake got rough on a long canoeing trip or on the quest for a sympathetic ear.

What I realized going back to camp after so many years was that the happiness I felt and the sense of belonging driving through the Runoia gate, was just as strong as it had been 30 years ago, it was like coming home. So it came as no surprise to my husband when I told him we would be stopping by the real estate office in Belgrade Lakes on our journey back.

Runoia Alumna and Guest Blogger, Marie-Claude Francoeur

That’s me in the wetsuit… I had a much better time on the swim to Oak Island (and back) than this picture portrays!

Life Long Skills – Winners and Losers Learn to Work Together at Camp Runoia

Posted on November 9, 2016November 9, 2016 by Pam Cobb

Camp Runoia has a tradition of the losing team cheering the team who wins. It’s almost a game to see who can cheer first. Who thinks of others before themselves? Who praises a job well done? And who accepts defeat with humble gratitude to all the players who helped the team get as far as they could? The value of children learning how to lose graciously or win with good sportsmanship builds life long skills.

Accepting the outcome of a swim race, an official’s call on the softball field or the fact that the wind wasn’t blowing enough to have a sailing race at all, is part of managing disappointment. Celebrating victory and a job well done is also part of daily life at camp. Placing in a horse show or not placing in the top six spots and learning how to ask your friend who is staring down defeat, “how did you ride today? Were you happy with your ride” rather than focus on “did you get a blue ribbon”. The examples go on and on… Cheering on someone else’s success for getting up on water skis when you are still struggling. Learning how to frame a win or a loss or a success or defeat is practiced at camp every day.

The ultimate learning experience may be admitting when the Gaga ball hits your foot and you’re out but no one saw it. Ethics is doing the right thing even when no one else is looking. Camp teaches this kind of self-governed morality. Without a doubt, the culture of camp affects who we become in so many ways.

At Runoia, this “win-win, you tried your best, go back out and try again” culture is pervasive beyond field sports. You learn how to humbly congratulate the actor for getting the lead role when you didn’t. You smile and congratulate the artist who gets tops votes for their art piece when yours didn’t get many at all. Perhaps you even study what they did and learn from their success. Your cabin group works together to get the best score in cabin clean up. If someone is not as good as sweeping as you, you help them out, teach them how to do a better job. Better for all.

Making do with what your have or changing and trying harder and doing better the next time is all part of camp outcomes. How fortunate are we to be in a position where this happens day after day for a session or a season and hopefully year after year? Very.

The way Runoia gals cheer the winning team with a “Bobo” or “Kemo” is tradition. We cherish the way Blues and Whites hug each other on our final Cotillion night when the summer scores are revealed and campers find out who won the competition. Again, tradition.

We could all learn a thing or two from the campers and staff who play together well. Building life long skills through the camp experience is more than just fun and games on a lake in Maine.

Camp Runoia’s Pioneering Women

Posted on November 2, 2016November 7, 2016 by Alex

How grateful we are that our Camp Runoia founders were brave women who dared to venture out of their comfort zones. Pioneers of their time they chose to take a path that not many women had walked and left us a great legacy of strength and fortitude.

Early residential summer camps were primarily established to provide an opportunity for children from urban areas to be away from the cities and have an experience in nature. Initially it was boys who were provided with this opportunity but it wasn’t long before girls’ camps opened alongside them. It was strongly believed that living away from the conveniences of home in the ‘wilderness’ would build character and strong moral values. Perhaps unique in Runoia’s case was that women were our primary founders.

The 1907 world that Miss Weiser and Miss Pond lived in seems a million lifetimes away from the lives that our campers lead today.

Can you imagine that in 1907…

Women’s life expectancy was around 50

English suffragettes stormed British Parliament and many were arrested

Julia Ward Howe was the first woman elected to National Institute of Arts & Letters

Theodore Roosevelt was president

The passenger liner RMS Lusitania made its maiden voyage from England to NYC

Katharine Hepburn and John Wayne were born

Rudyard Kipling received the Nobel prize for literature

Good Housekeeping magazine cost $1 for an annual subscription

Trade unions were established

Oklahoma become the 46^th state

It is amazing that the values promoted by residential summer camps in 1907 are the same as they are in 2017

Camp helps build self-confidence and self-esteem

Camp is a safe environment

Camp is a place to build social skills and make friends

We hope that Camp Runoia will continue to provide girls with the opportunity to bravely follow in the footsteps of the pioneering women who came before us. We hope that we may all have strong female role models and be them too.