Olivia’s First Summer at Runoia

Guest blogger, Lisa Siegel

Olivia’s first summer at Runoia was the year she turned 10. I said goodbye to her on a rainy morning as she sat on her bunk waiting for the other campers to arrive. Olivia returned to Runoia for 8 summers.

The gift of summer camp was the best gift we could have given our daughter. She gained a sense of sisterhood, community and empowerment. The supportive, inclusive environment at Runoia gave Olivia an extended family that lasted far beyond summers and continues in her life as a young adult. She was encouraged to challenge herself and reach goals of becoming a competent sailor, an accomplished backpacker, hiker and a certified Junior Maine Guide.

Olivia’s love for the outdoors impacted many of her past and current choices including attending college in Maine (Colby College) where she became a COOT leader (Colby Outdoor Orientation), avid skier and hiker.

Olivia’s summers at Runoia have no doubt helped shape the woman she has become. She does not shy away from challenges. She had the confidence to move across the country after college to start a career. She continues to backpack, hike and ski and use the skills she learned at camp.

I was fortunate to experience the most memorable hike of my lifetime before Olivia moved out west; she encouraged me to get up at 2:45 am to hike up Cadillac Mountain to witness the sunrise! She had hiked Cadillac Mountain for sunrise as a camper and she wanted me to have the same awe-inspiring experience. How lucky I am to have shared this with my daughter prior to her move.

Runoia will always have a special place in our hearts.

Conscious Leadership and Learning

This week four of our Runoia leadership team met in Portland ME for a workshop in conscious leadership. The joke I heard from anyone I told I was going was “I’m glad it’s not about unconscious leadership”.

Truthfully though many of us plow through our days on auto pilot and we don’t frame our interactions with people with a sense of curiosity, an openness to actively listen, not engage in drama, a commitment to feeling and being honest.

Being honest seems so obvious however statistically 97% of people lie at some time. Even answering “how are you feeling?” And answering “fine” is easily a lie. But we all know most people use the question as a greeting and they really aren’t asking for us to unload everything on our minds. So we answer “fine”. We say things to protect people’s feelings or we stretch the truth so we don’t cross wires with someone. And sometimes we lie to do that.

What we mostly received from spending a few hours with an engaging albeit intense, humorous trainer was a way of supporting each other, to be real and honest with each other, to make agreements we can commit to 100% with the caveat that we can re-negotiate the agreement. We are inspired to bring this concept to the rest of our Camp Runoia leadership team.

We realized we can express ourselves, put ourselves in each other’s shoes, not have to solve everything for everyone but create a safety net that will help them to learn on their own.

All year at Runoia we are preparing for the next summer. We model our staff training on workshops we attend, we reach into our bag of tricks to add a special twist to an event for camp, sketch out ideas we share with our team and flesh out together. It’s the positive and calm moments of the off season that help us fire up our engines for the on season.

One of the best parts of preparing for camp is we learn in the process. Camp is a place for intentional youth development and a side outcome is we adults get to grow through the process as well.

The Art of the Handwritten Camp Note

The camp experience at Runoia is profound in many ways – spawning independence, building self-esteem, learning new activities, developing skills in sports and so on. One of the rarely touted benefits of sleepaway camp is practicing and enjoying handwritten notes.

I grew up in the 1960s and the thank you note was a required skill. One year on my birthday my grandmother sent me a paper back about Helen Keller and an unsigned check for $5. To deposit the check in my savings account, I had to write her a thank you letter for the book and the check and enclose the check so she would sign it and return it. This all happened at the speed of molasses in January, but, eventually it happened. Thank-you letters were a must in my family. The skill has been passed onto my daughter and she expects her three girls to write thank you notes. I’m always amazed at the care and thought they put into those notes.

Back in the day at camp, campers were required to write on the back of a paper newsletter every week. Counselors made sure those newsletters were written, put in a “SASE” (self-addressed stamped envelope) and sent home. We were pretty sure this happened at the speed of the Pony Express because it was at least 5-6 days before parents received those newsletters in their mail box.

Still, to this day, letters received and sent at camp are a joy. Campers pin their notes from their family and friends on their bedroom wall and parents save many notes, especially the ones with the circled tear “this is my tear as I miss you so much”. And the letter would go on to talk about different scenarios around camp, what she accomplished, personalities of friends, something funny or gross (most likely a clogged toilet that overflowed) that happened at camp.

Unplugging and face to face contact is only part of the side-benefit to camp. Campers soon realize you have to write letters to get letters. We encourage parents to send a note to their daughter before camp even starts so she has mail on her first day at camp. Campers immediately write home. Campers send a flurry of letters to their friends at camp and at home and wait in anticipation for a letter like a slow-motion volley in tennis. Although penmanship doesn’t matter, campers are practicing writing through camp letters. A bonus is the hand drawn sketch of roommates, the camp dogs, a horse or sailboat. Camp seeps into the letters and tells its own story.

The art of letter writing lives on through camp. Be on the lookout for a hand written thank you note and a bevy of camp letters in your MAIL box this summer.

Aionur

Community and Camp and Connecting

Everything about camp is about building community and becoming part of something bigger than just yourself: practicing empathy, inclusiveness and kindness. Being humble when that “oh no” moment happens. Picking up the pieces, reaching out to those you may have affected and reconnecting. At Runoia we also connect with our local community, our Maine community and stay partnered with parents, families, grown up campers, alumnae and more.

We reach beyond Runoia to our local community and they are changed by who we are, too.   Runoia brings a global presence to our small town in Maine. Typically, we have 7-12 different countries represented at any one time at Runoia and they get to know our local area. Parents shop, eat, stay. Campers get out of camp on trips to the Maine coast and to the mountains. Staff enjoy the local area and Portland as well as the peaks of Maine’s mountains and from its rock bound coast to its lakeside villages. People know of Maine because of camp and often Belgrade Lakes, Maine becomes near and dear to their hearts.

Runoia is known in our community from our youngest campers riding in the July 4th parade, our presence at our local farm CSA, our involvement with organizations like the Great Pond Yacht Club, volunteering for pick up on ocean beaches, the Yarmouth Clam Festival, the Belfast Lobster Fest, the Belgrade Library 5 K or the local Aqua Fest, Eyes on the Water/Invasive Plant Lookout, Loon Count — no matter the occasion, Runoia girls get out and help others.  We collect food for our local food pantry and partner with World of Change to help others.

Our alumnae have started business in Maine, bought businesses in Maine, go to college and work in Maine.  Whether it’s Maine Magazine, the Portland Racket Club, Sherman’s Book Store, Sugarloaf, Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, UMO/UMF, the Botanical Gardens, massage therapy, construction companies, education and STEM, teachers and administrators in public and private schools, State and National Parks, there are Runoia alumnae scattered working all over the state!

Many alumnae have taken residence in the summer on Great Pond and the surrounding lakes and some alumnae have bought property in Maine and relocated here to raise their families. Campers become connected to Maine in some way forever and Maine camps connect the world to Maine.

 

 

Choosing Summer Camp – Guest Blog by Alicia DeHart

As a former camper and summer camp counselor I immediately knew that my children would attend summer camp.  As a director at a girls’ summer camp I thought choosing a summer camp for my daughter would be a breeze.  With more than ten years working at a Maine summer camp I had more information about summer camp options than other parents researching summer camps.  I thought this would help me filter through the options to find a final choice rather quickly.  I soon realized that choosing summer camp wasn’t any easier for me than other moms and dads searching for their child’s summer camp.

While I had more information about camps and connections with various people in the camp industry, I was just a mom trying to make the best choice for her daughter.  Choosing summer camp for my daughter was filled with many of the same considerations that families across the country are working through as well.  Our decision process was guided by my purpose of choosing summer camp.  Then the things my daughter and I valued in summer camp.  And finally, our family schedule and other family dynamics.

Why Choose Summer Camp?

As someone who has spent three-fourths of her life at summer camp attending camp is an obvious choice.  However, many of my friends didn’t grow up attending summer camp.  So, their first question was, why choose summer camp?  While I was answering their questions, I quickly realized why my daughter wouldn’t attend the girls camp where I am a director.  This decision was easy, but it didn’t make the decision-making process any easier.

To me summer camp is an opportunity for campers to gain independence and a greater sense of self.  It’s a time away from parents to learn and explore under the guidance of summer camp counselors.  Summer camp is one of the greatest opportunities we as parents can give our children.  I wanted my daughter to have the true camp experience where she could be just another camper.  I felt she deserved the opportunity to have her own adventures just like I had when I was a young camper.

The Value of Summer Camp

The value of summer camp doesn’t come in its price tag.  The value of summer camp comes in the little details found in its values and philosophy.  I knew that I wanted my daughter to experience a camp similar to the camp where I work.  A camp where simple living, independent choice, and a sense of community guides daily life at camp.  I was surprised when my daughter wanted similar things.  She felt strongly about an all-girls camp.  I am sure this was partially because it’s the primary summer camp experience she’s had.  There’s likely an equal part for her choice of a girls’ camp because it guaranteed her younger brother wouldn’t attend camp with her in the future.  She’s an independent spirit so I fully understand her choice in not wanting to share her camp experience with anyone from home.  Especially not her brother.

When discussing camp with my daughter it was very apparent that she wanted an opportunity for a “trial” experience.  She was excited about the opportunity to have “her own camp.”  But she wasn’t quite ready to fully jump in with both feet.  Runoia’s Harmony Land Camp program was the perfect fit.  This shortened summer camp experience provided her an age-appropriate residential camp experience.  It also solidified her desires for an all-girls program with a strong focus on the outdoors.  And there were enough arts options to ensure her creative spirit was never bored.  After Harmony Land she was all in.  Five summers later and she hasn’t looked back.

Choosing Summer Camp for Your Family

The variety of programs and options can make choosing summer camp a complicated process.  However, choosing summer camp for your family schedule and dynamics can make everything more complicated.  One major consideration for us was camp dates because of the school calendar in the southeast United States.  There are summers that school begins before Maine camps are finished.  Due to this a half-summer session was a must.

An unexpected aspect of being a camp mom is the level of communication and individual attention Runoia families receive. The owner/director, Pam, took the time to speak with me about the Runoia experience and answered all of my questions throughout the enrollment process.  The level of attention we’ve continued to receive as a Runoia family has been amazing.  My daughter’s face lit up when she first received a letter from her camp pen pal and welcome post card from Alex.  Now she has the opportunity to do the same for new younger campers.  And my daughter now anticipates her birthday postcard in October!  The connection to summer camp truly continues year-round.

Choosing Summer Camp as A Camp Director

Sometimes being a summer camp director gets in the way of being a camp mom.  The summer season is crazy for all camp directors- our attention is on the amazing campers who create our camp community.  Due to this I knew I had to fully trust the leadership team for my daughter’s summer camp.  As a camp director who speaks with parents on a regular basis, I think this is the most important aspect of choosing a camp for your child.  As parents we are sending our most prized possession away for an amazing experience.  We must fully trust the people who are going to be responsible for them.

Here is where I have an advantage.  I met Runoia Director and Owner Pam very early in my years as a camp director.  As a young director I admired her for her integrity and commitment to summer camp.  As a mom I knew I could trust everyone at Runoia because I knew Pam was leading them.  2020 will be my daughter’s fifth summer as a Runoia girl. Directors Pam and Alex and the rest of the Runoia team haven’t ever let me down.  And more importantly, they’ve gotten to know and supported my daughter like she’s one of their own.  They’ve given her all I could have ever asked for in a summer camp experience and so much more!

 

“Remember who you are and what you represent.” 

Jody Sataloff  – Guest Blog

“Remember who you are and what you represent.”  Back in my camp counselor days in the early 70s (good grief, was it really that long ago?), this was the abiding ethic, the ever present rule of law, that Betty Cobb expected us  to live by.  Anytime we left camp proper she sent us off with that reminder.  We all rolled our eyes and scoffed at this repeated admonition.  I suspect that most, like me, didn’t appreciate the value of those words until we were true adults with kids of our own. 

Remember who you are and what you represent.  Those eight words pack a punch.  For me, they pretty much represent the myriad of life lessons I learned at Camp Runoia.

  1. Who are you, and who do you want to be?  Are you a leader?  Are you a risk taker?  Are you an optimist? Are you kind, empathetic, generous?  Runoia taught me to try and be all those things.  I might have been one of them when I arrived there….I hope I was many by the time I left.  I remember the thrill as a young counselor of being in charge of my first camping trip with young girls — that rushing sense of responsibility, the new feeling of a sort of power to be in charge of the kind of experience others would have.  And I remember the nervousness of leading my first overnight sailing trip, recognizing the risk of all that could go wrong, but forcing myself to charge into the experience with enthusiasm.  I remember being stuck on a rainy day in the boathouse with a class of young sailors, miserable with the weather and being “grounded…and realizing the importance of putting a sunny side on the experience and coming up with games like Dr. Knickerbocker and Pin the Telltale on the Sail.  I remember wanting nothing more than a quiet rest hour to myself and having a 5th shacker suffering from homesickness need comfort that took up the entire hour.  Wonderful growth, wonderful life lessons.
  2. We are all part of something bigger, be it a camp, a family, a place of employment, a school….and when we are out in the world, our actions reflect back on that bigger thing we are part of.  It’s important to remember that, that what we say and what we do has a giant ripple effect and we have a responsibility to those to whom we are attached in one way or another.  We represent them.  We are obliged to do it well.
  3. Throughout our lives we will encounter one tough situation after another.  It’s not the ones we walk away from that are remembered.  It’s the ones we face, and how we choose to face them.  Remember who you are and what you represent.  For me, going through life, recalling these words, I try to reach deep inside myself and locate the strong girl/woman Runoia  helped me to become.  I try to make decisions based on that strength and on the good judgement I learned to try to use in life.  While at camp you had no choice but to become flexible, learn to make compromises while you were living in close proximity to others, combat fear to try new things, be kind and caring all along the way.  In other words, you learned to be responsible.  And learning this at camp, it was all important to me when I had kids of my own to instill this same sense of responsibility, this same sense that we do not walk through life alone, that our steps have consequences on all whose lives we touch, that we owe it to them, to our families, our friends, our co-workers, our communities to take those steps with courage, with strength, with compassion, with grace.

 

I carry Betty’s phrase with me throughout both my personal and professional lives.  Whenever my kids walked out the door, I heard it emanating from my mouth.  I have it in my head when I speak or act in public.  It is just one of the many Runoia building blocks that have hopefully made me a better person than I ever could have been without it, without Runoia.

 

 

 

The Spirit of Giving

Runoia’s continued partnership with World of Change deepens the spirit of giving. We feel honored to donate to WOC on behalf of our campers and staff.

Last summer we encouraged families to bring their loose change to camp. In the US over $10 million in loose change exists today. That’s about $90 per household.  Founder and executive of WOC, Matt Hoidal, came to camp to share about the organization with our campers. Amidst cheers and clapping, holding up two large jars of change, Matt exclaimed, you are giving over $200! Matt explained how ALL the money raised goes directly to recipients. His salary is paid by a donor so that none of the overhead in running the organization is paid through donations. What a great model!

Matt then surprised us by sharing that all the money will go to specific needs and, wait for it, we can choose! The campers decided to buy a bed for a child who was sleeping on the floor, backpacks for back to school students and hot meals for people who needed food. We all got a warm feeling from the experience.

This summer we hope to double our change fundraiser. At the beginning and end of each session, change jars will be available. Collect change at home or find some in your car on opening or closing day. You’ll get a great feeling from being part of the movement!

And, if you’re reading this and want to do a mitzvah, you can raise money at your school or community for World of Change. Find out more about inspiring others here.

We are thrilled to make the connection this holiday season and donate to WOC from all of us at Runoia.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, Aionur

News from the Camp Runoia Alumnae Organization

Get your news! Here is the latest newsletter from the Camp Runoia Alumnae Organization

Mission and Beginnings

The CRAO’s mission is to raise money for “Camperships” to help girls be able to go to camp who otherwise would not have the experience. For those of us who believe of camp as a profound growth and belonging experience that lasts a lifetime, it’s amazing to share this experience with others who can’t afford the full price of camp.

The CRAO was founded in 1999 and has provided camperships for 21 summers. Approximately 300 girls have received financial aid to help them attend Runoia.

The CRAO LOG – The Newsletter Name

The newsletter gets its namesake from the logs of information at camp. From 1910 until current day the “logs” at Runoia have been written and crafted to reflect the summer events at camp. The logs live in the Lodge building at camp and many have been scanned and are available online.

In 2018, the CRAO started a new fund for Equestrian Camperships to help support girls who want to learn how to ride or continue their passion for riding at Runoia.

The board of directors meets annually at camp and continues meeting by phone and email throughout the year to raise funds, process campership applications, host regional gatherings for alumnae to connect and plan for the 115th reunion at camp in 2021.

Find your Favorite Camp Runoia Song!

Hail! Hail! Comrades all! Greetings from Camp Runoia. As chilly temperatures settle in this fall, are you feeling

nostalgic about your camp days? Relive them through camp songs – find your favorite in this blog. You can also peruse recordings of Runoia songs on our website.

It won’t be long before we’ll be gazing at sunlight on the water and hearing the wind blow through the mid pine trees by the waterside. Where does the wind come from? We often ask ourselves in our leisurely tech-free time at Runoia. For many girls these days it’s a long road to freedom to detach from their cell phones and screen time. But it’s like a cowboy’s lullaby to give in and unplug for a few short weeks.

When the girls arrive and turn down Point Road you can hear the ring of oh here we come as campers burst with excitement. It’s been months they’ve been dreaming of sailing out on the blue waves and canoeing with paddles softly dip, dip and swing-ing across the cove. Whether they’ve come from out in Wyoming or nearby.

It’s that first sunset at camp where we shout give me the light of the campfire so we can continue our evening as darkness descends. That’s’ the moment when mmm-mmm I want to linger is audible across the beach.

The summer flies by in a flash and it’s not long before girls are leaving on a jet plane. Reflections of somethingspecial there at Camp Runoia stand out as girls return home to study hard and then, back to canoes and paddles.

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like camp!

How to Have a Successful Inclusive Thanksgiving “Runoia-Style”

Here are some ways to have an inclusive Thanksgiving that will not break the bank or your state of well-being. How do we pull off events and meals all day every day at camp? We plan ahead and have a back up plan and delegate responsibilities to others.

Planning and organizing your day and meal will help to reduce stress and create a day where everyone, even you, can have a day that fills your cup. In the spirit of giving and being thankful, you can pull off a celebration that gives you energy. Reaching out to others and sharing a meal and some outdoor time is what this holiday means to Camp Runoia.

Ways to make it inclusive and positive could include:

  • Have an early afternoon meal so local friends can drive home afterwards.
  • Keep the meal simple maybe just 5-7 sides with turkey.
  • Support your local farmers – order a turkey now or get your sides from their farm stands. Squash, greens, onions and other sides are perfect fall harvests.
  • Have other people bring a dish to share. Find some side ideas here and get people to volunteer assignments:
  • Remember your vegetarian friends and have them bring a veggie substitute for turkey.  Invite them and have a plant based option for their main course. Let them know you’ll have turkey so they aren’t surprised by seeing a big bird on the table! And if you have sides with bacon or other meat in them, write a card and put next to the dish so they know and don’t have to ask.

15 Favorite Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes

  • Have a frisbee or football available so people can run outside and play and get their appetites spiked (yard, park, even on a quiet street!) AND get out of the kitchen. Find a local 5K to run in the morning.  Plan time to let the cooks have a walk and get some fresh air! No space or rough weather or air quality, try this indoor workout together.
  • If you don’t have enough plates and silverware, get compostable paper ware and recyclable cutlery and drink holders – light a candle and put some pretty leaves on the table or something that spruces up your table. Perhaps add a table cloth if you have one. Here are some ideas.
  • How about a cultural exchange with someone you work with from another country? Invite them and share your traditions, have them share their own holidays and how they celebrate.
  • Are there others you can think of who are in need of a little love? Invite them to join in!
  • Have a start and end time on your invitation so you can kick back and relax after people leave.

Happy planning!

Love, Aionur