Alex, Author at Camp Runoia

The writing on the wall – hand-prints on my heart

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Alex

Twenty years ago when we moved into this house there were a lot of DIY projects that needed accomplishing. Painting the downstairs bathroom was not high on the list of priorities. In order to brighten the place up a little we started adding the hand-prints of our visitors. The parameters were basic: pick your colors, pick your spot, paint your hand and print it on the wall then add your name and date your print. The hand-prints themselves started out simple, often with just one color and expanded to more elaborate creations that reflected the personality of their owner. There are now a couple of hundred of prints representing friends from all aspects of life, a large percentage of whom I know through camp.

The hand-prints tell their own stories. Jayen was an international counselor who just spent one summer with us. Angela is still a feature on our CRAO board.

The hand-prints are a regular reminder of the people that have touched my life. Some of the folk are still regular visitors, or perhaps sadly now deceased, still others were only around for a short time and we have now lost touch. They all generate memories of a time and place when we were connected, a shared history and an impression left in my life. There are many old Camp Runoia friends, campers and staff that passed through for a summer or two or who it feels like I have known for a lifetime. They hold a space in time that is a reminder not just of them but also of a particular summer on Great Pond. The dates are helpful in remembering just how long ago it was that they were at camp and how quickly time flies.

Betty-Jo Howard a Runoia legend

At Runoia the names in the boathouse are a similar memorial to those that have passed through at some previous point in time. They remind us of people we know and also trigger thoughts about those whose story is now a mystery lost in time. The faces may be long forgotten but their names are painted in bright colors to remind us that they were here and are part of the rich fabric of our camp community.

The hand-prints on my wall definitely reflect the hand-prints left on my heart. This will be my 23^rd summer at Camp Runoia in Belgrade Lakes, Maine and I hope to add a few more hand-prints to my bathroom wall and a lot more to my heart.

Building life skills through horseback riding

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Alex

This week’s guest blogger is Jen Dresdow, Camp Runoia’s Equestrian Director. Horseback riding is a huge part of Jen’s life. When she is not managing Camp Runoia’s riding program she is a team coach for IEA.

Jen Dresdow coaching one of her students.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

~ Theodore Roosevelt

This past weekend I both coached my team at and organized the Zone 5 Region 7 Finals for the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA). IEA is a program for 6-12 grade students that allows them to compete in the equestrian sport without owning a horse. Riders draw horses provided by the hosting barn and are judged on their riding skills, called equitation, alone. This is my fifth year coaching a team and my daughter, Natalie, is in her fourth year of showing IEA.

Regional Finals is a show for the riders who earned 18 points or more during the regular season. The top riders and team from regionals will compete at Zone Finals in three weeks for a shot at making it to the National Finals in April.

Choosing to compete in any sport takes courage and hard work. Dr. Brené Brown describes vulnerability as the willingness to be “all in” even when you know it can mean failing and hurting. Being judged on your equitation, which while there are standards, is subjective to the judge’s personal taste. While ribbons and trophies are fun, and riders learn the value of working hard towards a goal, I feel the most important lessons learned in the IEA ring are that it’s okay to take chances and learning how to process both success and failure.

We participate in horse shows at camp, both our own Blue/White show, and at other camps. Our campers set a personal goal before a show. Maybe it’s getting their diagonals, picking up the correct leads, or finding all the right distances to the jumps. We don’t dwell on how they placed in the class, but did they work on achieving their goal. We also celebrate their courage in trying.

My IEA team riders transform when they put on their show clothes. They go from silly teenagers to poised young adult. They climb aboard a 1200 pound animal with a mind of its’ own and pilot it over jumps, all while maintaining the correct body position knowing a person they’ve never met is judging their every move. I am always in awe of their audacity and I’m reminded of Dr. Brown’s saying, “Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver.” I am incredibly lucky to be surrounding by young women both in the IEA and at camp who “dare greatly”.

Camp Runoia’s ‘to do’ lists

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Alex

Hard to believe that we just had another 6” of snow this past weekend but we are hopeful that there is a touch of spring in the air. We are getting very excited to start our 112^th season on the shores of Great Pond. At this time of year we have a lot of Camp Runoia ’to do’ lists and just lists in general. The cabin list already looks very full, the hired staff list is coming along nicely, Glenn is checking things off the maintenance list and the alumnae organization has checked off their winter reunions. We have lists that keep us on track for what needs to get done at this time of year and also lists that evolve as we discuss and plan for the upcoming summer.

Monday mornings often find me rewriting my to do list. Last week’s looks like a disaster with crossings out, added notes, scribbles, doodles, phone numbers and a myriad of incomprehensible ramblings. It is evidence of a productive work week but not a very useful tool for the new week. I like to start the week with a fresh sheet of paper and a pencil (yeah I’m old school).

Making a new list creates a sense of accomplishment (and occasionally disappointment), the things that were completed are left on last week’s list and a fresh list brings hope for the new week. Sometimes it is lengthy and as camp time draws near it can be a little overwhelming but often it is short as new items will get added as the week goes on. Our Directors meeting on Tuesdays always drum’s up some new additions and each day can be unexpected as the business of camp is often unpredictable. Lists are apparently good for us and there are many great articles and blogs about the why’s and how’s.

We are pretty excited that the camp database can now produce lists of the blue and white team! If you’re an alum make sure we know your team. Legacy campers follow their Mother onto a team so the accuracy of the list is very important.

If signing your daughter up for overnight camp is on your list we recommend doing it soon at spaces at Camp Runoia are now very limited.

Happy to be checking this week’s blog post off of my list!

Camp Runoia – finding your tribe

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Alex

Have you found your tribe?

At our workshop last week we were invited to find a group with only random volunteers standing up as the group leaders. The task was to be accomplished without speaking and with no other direction other than ‘find your tribe.’ There was no knowledge of what we were to accomplish in the found group or how long we were committing ourselves to those that we chose. Reluctantly people moved to join a group, glancing around to see where others were going and apprehensively acknowledging those that came to join them. It felt strange to make a choice with little information and based mostly on an impression of the volunteer group leader.

Finding your tribe has become a buzz of the current blog and social media world, sometimes is happens organically and sometimes you have to put effort into finding your people.

Our first task in our new group was sharing why we had chosen to belong there. Answers ranged from the simple and thoughtless ‘it was near to my seat’ to more complex stories about previous connections, commonalities and a feeling that it would be a good place which had swayed their decision making.

In our lives we have many groups that we belong to, some through choice others through situation. We all seek a place to belong, for like-minded people who we can share experiences with and who we can feel our best selves among. Being a member of a group of people in which we feel like our true selves and are loved and accepted as we are is a comforting place where we can relax and engage without hesitation. We naturally have a desire for unity in the communities in which we live, work and play.

We are glad that these women found their tribe back in 1907 and founded Camp Runoia.

Camp Runoia provides campers and staff with the opportunity to have a ready-made tribe of people who come from a variety of places to be the Runoia summer family. The group forms and reforms with new members joining and old ones moving on. We remain connected by our commonalities and often bound by our differences. We enjoy the belonging for the moment of time that is the summer season and sometimes keep the bonds through the years. We regroup again the next summer. Having a place and a group of people to be a part of is empowering and reassuring.

We can’t wait to be back on the shores of Great Pond with our Runoia 2018 tribe! If your daughter is still looking for a place to belong this summer you can sign up here.

Camp Runoia continues our professional development

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Alex

This week: Diversity and a continued commitment to youth development

Another week and yet another opportunity for professional development right here in Maine with a another amazing, national level speaker . This weeks workshop was presented by Maine Summer Camps, the consortium of Maine camps that comes together to ‘support and promote meaningful developmental, educational, environmental, and recreational experiences for children.’ Camp Runoia is a long time and active member of this group and is always keen to participate in any opportunities that promote further growth and learning.

Unlike many industries the Maine summer camp community is invested in working together to provide the best camping opportunities for all children. We are a diverse group for sure so it was particularly fitting that our workshop speaker was Niambi Jaha- Echols.

An expert in ‘cross cultural agility’ Niambi’s focus was about inclusion, diversity and our unique position as an industry to create diversely rich communities that value everyone equally. We were lucky enough to work with Niambi last year at our Runoia staff training and this was a great reminder of our commitment to all girls and to creating a truly diverse community where everyone is valued.

It is always interesting to network with other camp professionals, to discuss common factors and also learn from our differences. There are so many different ways to provide the camping experience and there truly are camps that best suit the needs of every child. By opening our doors as widely as we can and staying true to our goals and missions we can build relationships and connections among groups of people who may never come into contact.

Highly recommended is the ‘Seeing White‘ podcast series that challenges our perceptions and calls us to true action.

At Camp Runoia we try our best to challenge ourselves to grow and develop, to meet the needs of the changing world that we work and live in and to provide as many girls as possible with an exceptional overnight camp experience. We are always open to hearing comments and opinions of others, to rethinking the way we approach things and to recommitting to our goals and mission.

‘No More Mean Girls’

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Alex

Monday night, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a lecture by psychotherapist and author Katie Hurley. Her latest book ‘No More Mean Girls – the secret to raising strong, confident and compassionate girls ’ delves into the realms of relational aggression and how it is starting among girls at a younger age than ever before. In her research and collaboration with experts from around the world it is clear that young women are facing greater challenges in their social interactions which is having a negative impact on mental and emotional health.

Hurley’s latest book is an excellent read for parents and educators.

The increased use of technology and the ease with which cyber bullying can occur are prevalent factors in the social interactions that most girls experience today. A rumor or photo once shared with a quick click can become instant public humiliation and a destroyer of lifelong friendships. Exclusion from the social group is one of the biggest and most damaging forms of social aggression that our girls are facing. Girls are often left to flounder alone in an environment that can instantly become dangerous and emotionally damaging.

Adults need to teach, model and help girls to navigate the relational world that they live in. Helping girls to understand the concepts of empathy and kindness and how they can be incorporated into their social interactions both in person and online are crucial to the development of healthy relationships. Educating girls about what mean behavior looks like, how they can not be part of the problem and helping them understand steps to being a solution will help strengthen their connections.

Hurley claims that girls can be the change in their own social worlds by:

Being the ‘upstander’
Refuting the rumors
Meeting negative comments with positive ones
Saying something nice to the victim
Involving adults

Fortunately overnight camp provides girls with the opportunity to develop face to face relationships, to be tech free for a few weeks, to work through hard social situations with the support of caring adults and to continue to grow their self-esteem and self-worth. We must commit to helping girls navigate the complex social world that they live in, help them to not be the ‘mean girl,’ recognize when relational aggression is happening and stand up when they can.

For more from Katie Hurley and a ton more great articles check out her website

New year new challenges

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Alex

You can teach an old dog new tricks

I have been singing in various women’s choirs since I was seven years old and have had the pleasure of working alongside some amazing conductors and competing in international choral competitions to great success. As a member of a choir it is a comfortable easy place for me to be. You literally can lean on those around you to help carry the tune or maintain the sound. I have sung with my current chorus for the past 12 years and it is safely within all aspects of my comfort zone. There is a sense of community and support among the eclectic group of women not unlike that which we have at Camp Runoia.

With my Women In Harmony singing friends.

This fall stepping completely out of my comfort zone and with a little trepidation and a good amount of anxiety I decided to challenge myself and started taking private voice lessons. In most aspects of my life I am generally a very confident person but when it comes to singing alone I often clam up and feel very uncomfortable. Leading camp songs isn’t too much of a problem but more formal performance in front of an unknown audience terrifies me.

I wanted to develop my vocal technique, understand my somewhat irrational fear and be able to overcome some of my lack of confidence in solo singing. Our chorus pianist is one of the most brilliant musicians I have met and is very non-threatening so was a great choice for taking this leap of faith with. She doesn’t even require a financial commitment so I couldn’t even use the ‘you’ve paid for it so you have to go’ as an incentive for showing up. It is interesting as an adult to push outside of your comfort zone by choice and then to stick with is even when it is fairly painful. Not knowing really what to expect I convinced myself that I could at least make it through the first class. I did! and now look forward to those 45 minutes a week when I focus on my own skill development. I don’t think my technique has improved all that much yet but I feel more confident walking in and know that I can do things that I find challenging even if I have to give myself a little mental push.

As you welcome in the New Year and perhaps make resolutions to change or start something new, I hope that you will be confident and courageous, try something unexpected and go outside of your comfort zone. As we often tell our campers ‘it isn’t always easy to try something new.’ It is great for kids to see adults not always be good at something and have to work to get better or to overcome a challenge. Share your journey with those around you and embrace and enjoy the process.

Bring on 2018!

Bringing in the light

Posted on December 19, 2017 by Alex

Winter Solstice – when the dark days or winter turn into the light days of summer.

As the Winter Solstice creeps up on us and daylight lasts barely 9 hours up here in Maine, we are thankful for the seasonal celebrations that fill our homes with light and brilliance. Often around our house at this time of year you will hear laments of ‘but at camp we wouldn’t even have started EP yet!’ as PJ’s are snuggled into and bedtime stories read so much earlier than they would be in the summer. It is certainly a time for hunkering down, reflecting on the past year and taking time to contemplate the months ahead.

Whether decorating a tree, lighting candles or stringing lights around the house there are plenty of ways to brighten up the dull days and to literally bring in the light. Luckily in Maine we now have a lovely coating of snow so the white, brilliance reflects the sunshine and certainly makes our short days more cheerful.

Bringing light into our homes is an ancient tradition to ward off the dark days of winter and celebrate the return of the light. Feasting and decorating have long been practices used to help the long nights pass more quickly. Can you imagine bringing in a whole tree to burn as they often did in Europe the Yule log was often burned throughought the festive season – it makes our Sunday night Campfires at Runoia look pretty tame!

However you choose to bring in the light at this dark time of year may the memories of the longer days of summer warm your heart and brighten your spirits. As we celebrate the turn of the earth into longer days we will be counting them down until it is back to summer and our time to gather again on Great Pond.

Season of Giving or is it?

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Alex

‘Tis really the Season of chaos….

We still don’t have a tree and now there is 6” of snow on the ground, my closet is a stack of unopened Amazon packages, the ‘Elves on the Shelves’ haven’t moved in 2 days, I need to get a new windshield (thanks to yesterday’s storm) and there are definitely just not enough daylight hours in these very short, Maine winter days.

At this time of year it is so hard to not get sucked into the crazy chaos of the season. With school concerts, Holiday events, shopping, family gatherings and all the regular day to day life stuff snowballing around us it is hard to find the time to take a moment for yourself, to breath and be appreciative. This Holiday season I hope that you can take a second or two and pause, relish those around you, be present not panicked and generally enjoy the moments not count the minutes.

The good news is today I dropped off 3 bags of gifts at a local nonprofit for our sponsor family, I actually have 99% of the Holiday cards ready to go in the mail- what a joy it was to write them and reminisce as many of them are to Camp Runoia friends made over the past 20 years, tonight I get to go to an awesome lecture about empowering girls – Rachel Simmons, the Holiday tunes are on and I just booked a really fun surprise for the kids next week. I am determined to make memories, build on our traditions and try and embody the true spirit of the season rather than being bombarded by the commercial components or a need to keep up with the Facebook friends!

I am going to win the Holidays and I hope that you do too!

Fine Maine Days at Camp Runoia

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Alex

It is pouring with rain today in Maine. The kind of drenching, nonstop rain that comes from a dense, grey cloud that lingers low to the ground. The day is dark and you need the lights on inside and a rain jacket and umbrella if you venture outside. It is the first significant rain we have had all month and is a big change from the mild and sunny weather we have become accustomed to.

Today’s rain and the significant precipitation that we will get over the next couple of days is however being welcomed. It brings relief to the dry ground, reduces the fire danger and fills up the water table a little before the hard freeze of winter comes. We have missed the rain and can tolerate it intruding into our crisp fall days as we relish the benefits that it will bring.

For many years now assembly at Runoia has often included the phrase ‘It’s a Fine Maine Day’ it has become a tradition and a tag line of sorts that we have come to expect. Some days it may have an addendum that reflects the current climatic conditions, ‘the liquid sunshine will be sure to keep our fields and forests green’ or maybe ‘it’s tropical out make sure you have your water bottles.’ Whatever the weather at camp we make the best of it and we embrace it for what it is. We can control many components of our days and schedules but the weather is not one of them. Putting a positive spin on the things we cannot change helps us to develop resiliency, flexibility and confidence that we are in charge of our own mood. We can choose to waste our day grumbling and complaining or get on with having a blast and enjoying every minute of our time at camp.

There are always positives to be found in the variable Maine summer weather. A rainy morning may result in a ‘sleep in’ with a later bell and the opportunity for a little extra time to snooze. Rain may come as a relief from a stretch of baking sunny days that can be exhausting. A fire in the Lodge is cozy and an opportunity to not have to rush and take time to enjoy reading the logs or a good book. Rainy day program is often a fun, entertaining and creative switch up from our regular scheduling.

Whatever the weather in your location we hope that you can make it an ‘FMD’, make the most of the opportunities that the day presents and imagine the noise of the rain on the metals roofs at camp.