Counselors Archives - Page 18 of 20

Camp is a gift

Posted on December 10, 2014October 18, 2016 by Alex

All my kids really wanted for the holidays this year was to see their grandparents and get to play with their cousins. A sweet and apparently simple request unless of course all of those family members that you love happen to live 3000 miles away in another country!

The week before Thanksgiving I surprised them with the news that we would be leaving to spend ten days across the pond. While the thought of a red eye to England alone with 2 small children was a little daunting and the cost of plane tickets blew our holiday budget it seemed like the perfect gift for everyone. With just a few tears as we waited for our late night connection in Philly we made it to an overjoyed Gran and Granddad. The smiles on everyone’s face walking out of customs into the arms of the people you have been longing to see every day for the past 8 months was definitely worth the night of the no sleep and could never have a monetary value.

Making memories that will last a life time, forging connections and building relationships has far more value than the store bought toys that soon lie forgotten or are looked over when the next fad comes along.

Camp provides children with a chance to build life skills and develop relationships away from home in a place where they are truly cherished and that they come to love. To those parents that gift camp to their kids for the Holidays while they may wish they had more wrapped gifts thank you! you are truly giving them the gift of new opportunities and lifetime memories that they can treasure forever.

Camp Runoia’s History – Abridged Version

Posted on November 20, 2014October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

A Short History of Camp Runoia

1906 – Lucy Weiser and Jessie Pond scout locations for Camp Runoia and land in Belgrade, Maine.

1907 – Camp Runoia opens on the Northeastern side of Hatch Cove on Great Pond with 7 campers, a cook and Miss Weiser and Miss Pond

1910 – the first Camp Runoia Log Book was written recording the history of the summer events

1914 – Miss Weiser secured the land known as the Wentworth Farm on the Southwestern shore of Great Pond.

1915 – in the winter, the first camp building was hauled across the ice of Great Pond to establish the camp kitchen on the new property

1915 – in the summer, campers arrived to camp on the present site of Camp Runoia for the first summer

1916 – new buildings were erected on the property including an addition to the kitchen and cabins 1, 2 and 3

1917 – The Runoia Lodge was built

1918 – Camp Runoia operates throughout World War 1

1939-1945 – Camp carries on during World War 2 albeit a difficult time to get supplies and food. Campers helped to farm and build at camp to support their summer camp experience1952 – Betty and Phil Cobb met each other at Phil’s grandfather’s camp, Camp Wyonegonic, Denmark, Maine

1953 – Betty and Phil Cobb married and that summer visited over 50 camps in New England searching for a camp for sale.

1954 – Betty and Phil worked with Lucy Weiser for the summer and bought Runoia at the end of the season.

1991 – Pam Cobb bought Runoia from her parents, Phil and Betty Cobb

2012 – The Tabell Family Foundation donated a gift to scan and preserve the Runoia Logs!

2013 – the 60^th summer Runoia has been owned and operated by the Cobb Family

2016 – will be the 110^th anniversary summer of Camp Runoia!

Maine the Pine Tree State

Posted on November 13, 2014October 18, 2016 by Alex

Camp Runoia in the Pine Tree State

At this time of year with the leaves now gone from the deciduous trees and the ground frozen with the first hard frosts of the rapidly approaching winter, Maine’s state tree stands out tall against the clear blue sky. The Eastern white pine tree is our state tree for good reason as it is plentiful in our mixed growth forests. A tall, long living tree that can adapt to many different soil types it can survive the harsh winters and grows quickly during the short spring and summer season.

We are lucky at Camp Runoia that the pines are interspersed around camp. They provide shade for our shacks and cool places to hang out on the hot summer days. The gummy pitch sticks to our fingers on the ropes course and sometimes leaves a patch on our shorts when we are sitting in the grass or on a rock. The smell of the pine trees gently reminds us that we are outdoors, embracing nature and enjoying every moment of our time in Maine!

Did you ever learn the Maine State song at camp?

“State of Maine Song”

words and music by Roger Vinton Snow

Grand State of Maine,
proudly we sing
To tell your glories to the land,
To shout your praises till the echoes ring.
Should fate unkind
send us to roam,
The scent of the fragrant pines,
the tang of the salty sea
Will call us home.

CHORUS:
Oh, Pine Tree State,
Your woods, fields and hills,
Your lakes, streams and rock bound coast
Will ever fill our hearts with thrills,
And tho’ we seek far and wide
Our search will be in vain,
To find a fairer spot on earth
Than Maine! Maine! Maine!

We love our Pine Tree State!

Halloween and Costumes

Posted on October 28, 2014October 18, 2016 by Alex

The name Halloween is said to derive from the Old English ‘hallowed’ meaning holy or sanctified and is now usually contracted to the more familiar word Hallowe’en. It is also known as All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve and is celebrated on October 31^st the day before November 1st All Saints’ Day in the western Church.

Possibly evolving from the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain, modern Halloween has become less about literal ghosts and ghouls and more about costumes and candy. The Celts used the day to mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and also believed that this transition between the seasons was a bridge to the world of the dead. Over the millennia the holiday transitioned from a somber pagan ritual to a day of merriment, costumes, parades and sweet treats for children and adults. (History.com)

The modern celebration of Halloween which has often been replicated at summer event days or EP’s at camp is a complicated mix of traditions and influences. Typical festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, playing pranks andtelling scary stories.

Dressing up in a fun costume is the Camp Runoia favorite Halloween pastime! Hopefully our camp Facebook page spotlight on creative costuming has given you some camp themed easy ideas! It’s amazing what you can do with a few props and a bunch of dress up clothes!

Put your arts and crafts skills to good use and enjoy trick or treating!

Camp Runoia’s season of change

Posted on October 22, 2014October 18, 2016 by Alex

October is an interesting month in the camp Runoia office. It is finally a time to breathe and reflect while enjoying the beauty of the seasons changing around us. Camp in the fall is so quiet with the merriment of summer long gone, the days getting shorter and a chill in the air. Flip flops are no longer the footwear of choice and layers are the way to dress as you never quite know how the day will turn out.

Our days are filled with pondering, questions and often discussion. There are many aspects of the camp business to reflect upon as we contemplate the past season and plan for the next. What site and facility jobs must be accomplished before the snow flies? how many spaces will be open for new girls? which staff are invited back? what were the summer highlights? where do we need to improve? how will winter tasks be distributed?

There is time to spend looking through the thousands of photos from the summer, to miss the happy smiling faces and reminisce about people and events. There is more time to chat on the phone with returning and prospective parents and to connect together as a team to share our hopes for the next season.

As the last leaves get raked off of the archery field we are glad for this time of change and hopeful that when the leaves appear again we will be ready to greet the spring and be well prepared for our new 2015 season of camp!

Service learning at camp

Posted on October 14, 2014October 18, 2016 by Alex

This summer during their 7 weeks at camp our incredible group of CIT’s managed to fit in more than 20 hours each of community service. They participated in a wide range of activities from seeking out invasive Eurasian milfoil along our camp shoreline to running the kids table at the local Aquafest.

They put to use the skills they gained through their CIT program while also providing much needed support to local organizations that rely on volunteers to operate.

They also increased Camp Runoia’s visibility in our local community and built positive connections between camp and area organizations. They were able to chat with summer visitors about the camp experience and the value camp plays in their lives.

It was a powerful experiential learning experience for the girls and the skills they worked on translated easily to other aspects of their CIT program and to their everyday lives. The lifelong skills and enthusiasm for volunteer service that they built at camp will stay with them as they grow and learn in life.

What are you doing to make a difference in your community?

Posted on September 29, 2014October 18, 2016 by Alex

The international camper perspective:

You may wonder what drives our international parents to send their girls thousands of miles from home; to a place they have often never been; to have an experience that is not only challenging in itself but must be conducted with English as a second language!

This Runoia parent sums it up beautifully:

“I have been wanting to get in touch with you since the girls came back from their camp experience to let you know what an amazing, rewarding and joyful experience it has been for them! Even V. who had a more difficult start, came back announcing she wanted to repeat next year! And the friends they have made: they are already in contact via mail with some of them, and plan on keeping it that way…

And from my side, I feel they have not only improved their English, but gained self-confidence about their capacities to go beyond their own initial limitations. So once more, thanks for all of that! And indeed I will enroll them for next summer.” (Camp Runoia Mom from Spain)

While improving English skills may be the initial drive it is apparent that the whole camp experience is what the girls take home.

International campers and staff add diversity to our Runoia population and provide opportunities to share cultural exchanges.

In 2014 we had campers and staff representing more than 10 different countries!

It is a win, win for everyone.

Hardy Girls Webinars – Education and Training for a Great Start This Autumn

Posted on September 22, 2014October 18, 2016 by Pam Cobb

The Hardy Girls Healthy Women Training Institute welcomes you back after a marvelous summer! Check out our first webinar series of the year:

The Hardiness Webinar Series!

October 7th, 2014 – 1pm-2pm
Introduction to Hardy Girls Healthy Women

(FREE!)

New to Hardy Girls Healthy Women? Join HGHW President Kelli McCannell as she discusses everything you need to know about HGHW! McCannell will give an overview of the history, its incredible researched-based programming, and everything HGHW has to offer girls and the adults that work with them!

October 24th, 2014 – 3:30pm-4pm
Allies In Action: Girls Advisory Board (GAB) Panel

(FREE!)

What is GAB and what do they do? Join Girls Advisory Board members as they discuss their experiences on the Girls Advisory Board. GAB will talk about the importance of youth engaging in feminist activism and how adults can better support and empower girls.

November 5th, 2014 – 2pm-4pm
From Adversaries To Allies: Building Girls’ Coalition Groups
($100 – Includes curriculum – GREAT FOR EDUCATORS!)

Are you ready to take a new approach in your work with girls? Want to find a way to address girl fighting, teach media literacy skills, and empower girls to change their world for the better? Hardy Girls Healthy Women and its acclaimed girls’ group curriculum From Adversaries to Allies: A Curriculum for Change has been turning adversaries into allies in middle schools for years. Our research-based guide and its supplement Becoming a Muse brings girls together in the face of a culture that tells them girl-fighting and bullying is the norm. This pairs nicely with our “How To Get Buy–In” webinar on Nov. 25th!

November 12th, 2014 – 2pm-3pm
Summer Sisters: Empowering Girls at Summer Camp

($30)

For many girls, summer camp truly is a magical time where they can “just be me.” But why is that? Who are these girls the rest of the year? And how can we help them hold onto the magic of camp all year long? Hardy Girls Healthy Women created an exclusive activity guide Summer Sisters: A Guide to Coalition Building at Camp & Beyond just for camp professionals and other staff to help find the answers to these important questions. All participants in this webinar will receive a free activity from the curricula and information on how to train staff and roll out these activities at your camp or summer program.

November 19th, 2014 – 2pm-3pm

Adventures Girls: If She Can See It, She Can Be It

($40 – Includes Adventure Girl Program Guide)

Do you want to inspire girls in your community and help them defy gender stereotypes? Build an Adventure Girls program at your school or organization! Adventure Girls is an interactive program for girls in grades 2nd—6th grade that provides girls with the opportunity to meet women who are defying gender stereotypes and challenging notions of what a girl or woman “should” do or want to be. It models the idea “if she sees it, she can be it.” Dana Bushee and Jessica Leighton will cover the origins of the program, the impact on girls, and what we’ve learned from our 10 years of experience.

November 25th, 2014 -1pm-2pm

How to Get Buy-In: Making The Case for Girl Groups
($30- Goes great with Girls’ Coalition Group Webinar on 11/5!)

This webinar will share strategies on how to get institutional buy-in for Girls Coalition Groups from experiences in schools, training muses, and working as a muse. Christine Bright and Lida Holst will discuss avenues on how to effectively build girl groups, how to sustain the work with administrators and parents, and how to partner with girls to create activism. Register today!

For further descriptions of each webinar (and for registration) go to: hghw.org/webinars

Networking

Posted on September 18, 2014October 18, 2016 by Alex

Yesterday the Director team was lucky enough to spend the afternoon networking at Migis Lodge on the shores of Sebago Lake in Raymond with a hundred or so other camp directors. We embraced the late summer sunshine while enjoying our end of the season Maine Summer Camps organization meeting, lunch and fellowship.

It is always great to hang out with other directors to hear about their summer adventures, trials and successes. The conversation themes are often common ones: how awesome 4^th of July was, homesick campers, how well new site or equipment worked and either reveling or bemoaning the weather! Although the style and affiliations of our camps vary greatly we all share a true passion for engaging children and youth in the camp experience.

It is empowering to spend time with like-minded camp professionals, to get validation for the work that we do and to share our challenges and successes amongst others who truly understand . We learn from each other, are always willing to share our knowledge and ideas and work for the common purpose of getting more children to have access to a summer camp experience.

We hope that as you are networking on the soccer sidelines, at PTO meetings, in the office, at the gym and everywhere else you travel in your daily lives that you will speak to others about the intrinsic value camp has had for your daughter.

As open enrollment begins October 1^st a plug for Runoia is always appreciated too!

Coach!

Posted on September 4, 2014October 18, 2016 by Alex

In the blink of an eye I have gone from Camp Director to coach. I still have my clipboard but have traded my flip flops for cleats and am now on the field instead of Great Pond. The transition from camp back to home life is often a fairly rapid one as school starts here before Labor Day and there is not much time to switch gears. While saying goodbye to our camp friends is tinged with sadness we are excited to get home and reconnect with our local friends that we have not seen all summer. All of the kids seem to have grown a foot and the forest is as always trying to take over my backyard!

The end of summer in Maine is perfect; gorgeous days and a little chillier at night. There is a hint of fall in the air as red leaves begin to appear on the trees and apples and pumpkins become available at the farm stands.

Many of the summer folk have headed home and the roads are quieter and the lakes less busy. Loons begin to gather for their winter migration and the calls echo longer in the crisp air. Geese fill the air flying south and hang out on the soccer field snacking in the sunshine. Lately a pack of coyotes has been howling just behind the house, sometimes living in the Maine woods can be quite an adventure. There is a feeling of wrapping things up yet also the new beginnings of the school year and changing season.

I am ready for game day, for fun competition and outdoor exercise, for embracing this fall cycle of the camp season. I eagerly anticipate the new enrollments that come in everyday and while I long for the long, busy, people filled days of summer I am content with the shorter, less intense reflective days of fall.

Only 293 days until camp!!