Tag: alums

Old friends for always

Posted on by Alex

An old camp friend flew in from Australia this past weekend. She traveled alone so that she could see New England in the fall and re tramp some of the footpaths of her young adulthood. We met at camp at a time when social media wasn’t even imagined and there were certainly no smart phone so connections through the years have been loose. How incredible is was to see someone again after 14 years we had only spent one 9 week summer together  yet reconnected like it was just yesterday.

Though her memories were a little fuzzy the draw to return to Runoia was strong. We walked through camp, past the many things that have changed, the new buildings, additions, different program options and reminisced about all the things that were still the same.  She found her name on the 5th shack plaque and could recall each of her campers and the laughs they had shared together that summer.

 

 

We sat on the boathouse steps for a long time just quietly taking it all in. She was amazed at how deeply she was moved by being back and how the memories of one summer so long ago returned so quickly. As a swim instructor she had spent many hours on and in the lake and could recount memorable moments and the day to days of camp life. We talked about how camp was life changing for so many reasons. As young adults our futures were impacted greatly by the time that we spent on Great Pond and the relationships that formed that have and will truly last a life time. How hard it is to describe this powerful experiential force to those that haven’t been here.

So many times our Runoia girls will say they come back to camp be with their friends. They love all that camp has to offer, the activities, silly evening programs and Sunday campfires, but it is the relationships that draw them back. As our cabins rapidly fill up for the 2020 season we are already anticipating the strengthening of those bonds and the development of new ones. Camp is the place where you come as you are and are welcomed in and appreciated for just being you. The friends that you make be it for one summer or over many truly are the people that stay with you for a lifetime.

She  left the Runoia gates with a million photographs and the strong certainty that she would be back someday. I left with a great reminder that the work we do here is powerful and has great value.  The Runoia experience is far more than just one summer moment in time, it’s magic that can resonate for a lifetime.

Now is the Time

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Thank a mentor before it is too late. The other day I was thinking about my 5th grade teacher and how, through his teaching, I was inspired to delve into creative writing, love math and grow curious about science. I think about him frequently. I searched for him online and found out I was too late; he had passed away in 2016.

Like school and other child development experiences, the camp experience transforms lives by increasing self-esteem, connecting face to face with people, building skills in activities and generating meaningful friendships with peers and adults. If you are lucky, you come across someone who influenced you in a way that has lasted throughout your life.

I have a camp counselor like this in my life. Although we aren’t in touch often, the learning experience from the summers of 1974-1975 lives with me in my daily life. That summer I started training for Junior Maine Guide and
she was my counselor: coach, guide and teacher. In the 15th summer of life, I was saved from my own insolent teenage personality. I was physically and mentally challenged. I thrived on the JMG program (solo canoeing, axe work, fire building, cooking, and shelter building) and had to stay focused to learn those skills. I lived in the present. Our JMG group canoed for five days on the St. Croix river – we read rapids and then “shot” the rapids – mostly successfully excepting a flipped canoe that wrapped around a rock. We went to testing camp and had to exhibit our skills through written and physical tests. We lived on our own without adults checking to see we were doing things right. What a learning experience. It was exhilarating and a great diversion from my self-proclaimed boring life.

Little did I know how much those two summers at Camp Runoia and the enduring patience and guidance of a camp counselor would stay with me. Those summers helped shaped who I am today.  I owe this to a person who believed in me through thick and thin and even in my less gracious moments. This week we had lunch together and I had the chance to thank her for who she was for me 44 years ago. Although it wasn’t for my benefit, it felt good.

Who influenced you in your life? Now is the time to reflect on who meant something to you through camp or school and reach out to your mentor to thank her or him.

The Log Dedication to Our Planet by Grace Pratt

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Log Dedication 2019

When I was asked to write this dedication, I wasn’t sure where to start.  What could I possibly relate to every Runoia girls’ 2019 summer?  I thought for a long time about what makes camp such a special place.  After nine summers at Runoia, I still find it impossible to explain the magic of camp to the outsiders.  How can this place bring so many wonderful people together and create such long-lasting friendships and memories?Maine Coast Trip

Loon on Great PondWhile contemplating this question, I landed upon the phrase we start every day at camp with. “Grant that we have safe and fun days and that we respect each other, ourselves and our planet.”  This pledge reflects Runoia’s core values: the importance of caring for the things and people around us.  We as a community demonstrate these values in a number of ways, ranging from picking up a forgotten plate on the kickball field to comforting a homesick friend.

Tonight, I would like to focus on the last word of that pledge.  Our planet has changed disproportionally over the last century.  While environmental issues such as climate change threaten Earth’s natural places, I’m happy to see campers, directors, and counselors alike taking advantage of every “fine Maine day” offered to them, whether that be through enjoying activities, participating in trips, or simply relaxing in the outdoors. Runoia is a magical place, but that magic wouldn’t be possible without the planet we live on.  Earth is our common ground, the reason we get to explore, grow, and connect.  Therefore, I would like to dedicate the 2019 log to our planet, and those who live in harmony with it.

 

 

 

 

Camp Runoia Alumnae Organization Spring Newsletter

Posted on by Pam Cobb

The spring news from the Camp Runoia Alumnae includes the president’s greeting, a word from camp, info on alumnae daughters in camp and other news including reminders of the 115th reunion!

If you’d like to receive the CRAO twice-yearly newsletter by email, just let us know. Email office@runoia.com and ask to save paper by receiving your newsletter by email. Fundraising is part of the newsletter so be sure to check in on the CRAO page to use your PayPal account or info on where to send a check.

Let’s Move – Camp Runoia and Physical Fitness

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Camp Runoia is an active place. Campers and staff walk or run from activity to activity and burn a lot of calories. We are unplugged with no screen time during camp so even inactive time often involves play. From playing Gaga in the Gaga pit to tetherball, badminton to ping pong; chill time is less than chill. Even walking in the woods, building fairy houses or climbing up the Lookout to make friendship bracelets involves movement.

One of the former First Lady’s programs, was “Let’s Move”.  The recognition of childhood obesity and one in three American children being obese or overweight was brought to light. The consequences would mean more teens and young adults with significant health problems. The reason: more calories, less activity. Calories from fast food and junk food, high in sugar low in nutrition is readily available to children. Taking buses to school, the reduction of outdoor play time and organized gym classes also feeds the crisis.

Programs like the NFL’s Play 60 and National Academies resources encouraging movement before and after school and in the classroom are part of the movement provide incentive and resources for play.

Camp instills habit-forming fitness in people with no screen time, walking  or running from place to place, sports daily, good food, fresh air, movement and plenty of time to sleep to recharge. Camp is more than Play 60 – it’s 12-13 hours of movement every day!

 

 

 

 

Camp Runoia staff hiring

Posted on by Alex

At this time of year a large focus of our office time shifts from camper recruitment to staff hiring.

We are literally scouring the globe to find the right people to join the Runoia summer team.

Being a camp counselor is never dull! Hiring staff who will fit into our camp family is crucial.

Our returning staff are usually quick to sign back up and then long time camp staffers find us if they are looking for a change from their previous camp. Campers from years gone by often reappear on our radar as they enter the college years and find themselves with a summer available to make a return to Great Pond.  Positions quickly fill up as friends and alums also tell people about the opportunities available at Camp Runoia.

Our primary goal with hiring staff is to find the right people for our community. We want them to get to Runoia and feel like they have arrived at their summer home where they fit into the ‘family’. In our experience being happy and content produces peoples best work so having a philosophical alignment with Runoia is essential.  Staff having a true passion for working and living with children is crucial; we can easily teach people the policies, procedures and systems.  Finding caring young adults that are willing to share their skills with our girls is our focus.

Most of our staff are college age students both from the US and overseas.  Many are on a focused career track and are seeking to gain more experience working with children. Camp also provides the opportunity for a new adventure and to see a different part of the world.  The connections counselors make with their campers and peers are often long lasting and have great value.

For those that have never attended camp spending a summer in the woods of Maine without their technology can be a harder sell.   It is often a challenge to convince students (and their college tuition paying parents!) that camp can provide them with the opportunity to continue developing and honing their 21st century skills.  Often colleges are pushing career related internships and work experience that will be a resume builder. It may come as a surprise to find out that camps are often more than happy to accommodate internships and also provide an array of transferable skills that are attractive to employers. Along with hard skills there is a great deal of holistic development gained from a summer at camp.  We are happy to help translate these skills developed at camp into tangible resume language Translating-Camp-Employment-To-Your-Resume.

If you think you have what it takes to be part of the Runoia team or know someone who does there is an online application via our website.  We can’t wait to meet the summer staff of 2019 our  ‘Runoia rock stars.’

Love, Happy, Peace

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Merry, joy, love, happy, peace. Words oft used around the holidays, be it on holiday cards, signs, or said aloud to others within greetings and expressions. My blind guess would be that December comes in at the top of the list if there were some obscure ranking in which certain months of the year are then most tied to these lovely words. That top-ten list is not one to be found on the Travel Channel or the Weather Channel anytime soon, but you can picture the idea.

However, there is a place I know where these words are truly befitting, and the setting is smack dab in the middle of summer. As Jai Cobb Kells’ husband and Pam Cobb’s son-in-law, I get a front row seat to the magic of Camp Runoia. As a father of three daughters, two of which attend Camp Runoia during the summer months, I get a veritable look behind the curtain.

I’m at Runoia on weekends during the summer, and my duties usually entail hanging out with our youngest daughter Frannie, who is a spirited two-year old.

Frannie!

She has a yearning to explore and a propensity to run off in glee as fast as her little legs will carry her, typically with me chasing behind. We are frequent visitors all over the camp grounds, constantly seeing the beauty of children who are in the present moment, full of life. Is there a better place to be? Frannie and I find ourselves at the waterfront, where campers are laughing, swimming, singing, making bracelets, braiding hair, hugging, and learning water activities. Words like merry and happy are easy descriptions to any observer. We find ourselves in the dining hall, where the waves of joy and energy come over and through the tables again and again like infinite waves on a shoreline. We find ourselves in the communal Lodge reading books, playing piano, and soaking in the rich Runoia history with other campers. We find ourselves adventuring to the archery pavilion, or hanging out in the graceful presence of the horses in the fields, watching girls learn to harmonize their energy. We’re often found trying to hit a badminton birdie around with laughing campers, or climbing the tree house, or trying to find the biggest tree in sight, or holding the bunnies.

Camping at camp

Behind it all, the omnipresent feelings of peace and love are often what I notice most. Of course, as a parent, I notice different things now than I did when I was camper age, but these are the big ones nowadays. Peace, love, joy, genuine happiness – this is the good stuff. These are the emotions that bring vibrant color to a child’s life, last indefinitely, and ensure hopeful futures. Like Camp Runoia, these qualities instill a belonging in the universe…so it makes perfect sense that they are found there and exist together. And where / when everything and everybody belongs, no matter what, then everything is to be loved.

To be part of a setting that organically provides that very concept, I am truly grateful…and merry!

Jesse Kells

The Value of the Camp Experience

Posted on by Pam Cobb

My nine year old daughter is starting to have more sleepovers this year, and I realized her courage about sleepovers and skills about respecting other peoples’ space or room, came from living in a group setting at Runoia.

At Runoia one of the many life skills campers learn is how to live with a group of people and how to work with a bunk mate. Learning how live in a communal living environment isn’t something you learn without living it out in real life. You have to actually do it to get good at it! Learning the skills needed to be patient with your roommate, or respect someone’s space before their first day of boarding school or college is a gift camp provides.

Some children who go to camp have never had to share a room with others. Camp provides the lessons through counselors’ gentle reminders of “respect others” or “think of others”. On the first night of camp individuals of each cabin group sign a community contract, making sure the ideas and goals on how to respect people’s personal space, our camp, the environment and each other are shared.  Cabin groups, with their counselors’ guidance, refer to the contract when they need a boost about living together.

The night owls learn to keep things quiet after the lights go out, and girls who are up before the “wake up bell” learn to respect people still sleeping. Campers learn to do their chores and feel a sense of accomplishment leaving their clean cabin for the day.

Some peoples’ perception of summer camp is that it’s just about learning how to horseback ride or pass a swim level (and of course these things are an amazing part of summer camp). However, there are life lessons learned from the moment they wake up in the morning and throughout the day about sharing space, respecting others and learning how to live in harmony with others. Camp Runoia provides life skills at their best.

Jai Cobb Kells – Assistant Director Camp Runoia

 

Thinking about Camp in 2019?

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Natalie Dresdow, Camp Runoia CIT and returning for her 10th summer, shares insights and her thinking about the conscious decision of returning to camp:

Natalie as Willie Wonka with Izzy and Sofia in the camp play

As we’re into the holiday season, soon to be the new year, all of us are spending quality time with our family and friends to celebrate. Personally, I’ve been spending time with my new friends, my family, and my horse.

Some of us haven’t stopped thinking about camp since August or maybe just started to think about next summer. CIT’s have applied, and staff and campers are starting to ask themselves “do I want to go back to camp?” And you might think you don’t want to go back. You’ll be thinking to yourself, you have your family and friends at home that you’re gonna miss, and you’ll miss opportunities at home. Perhaps you think about camp and remember those first few days that were tough, a small disagreement with a shackmate, or something that was hard to do the first time, like getting up on the windsurfing board or making a bowl on the pottery wheel.

    On Top of the World

But as the time gets closer to camp, you’ll probably change your mind. You’ll remember how the lake feels every day when you get in for swim lessons, your first bullseye in archery, the exhilarating feeling you get when you’re riding for your blue or white team in the horse show. You’ll remember your shack trip, whether you canoed to Oak Island or climbed Mount Katahdin. Most of all, you’ll remember all of your friends at camp. You’ll remember the first day you met them and the last night when you’re sitting together, listening to the staff sing.

2019 will be my 10th summer at camp and I can’t imagine spending it anywhere else. There have certainly been ups and downs each summer. I’ve had bumps and bee stings on trips, missed the target more times than I can count, and experienced hurt feelings when my friends and I disagree. But those are all temporary and far eclipsed by the memories and friendships I’ll have for a lifetime. Camp has taught me perseverance, self-reliance, and that the journey is just as important as the goal.

Runoia Suffragettes

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Whether it’s the fact that it is Halloween, or the fact that the midterms loom before us (fraught with fear and with some, determination and stamina), it seems appropriate to talk about voting and scary times in our nation’s history, including women suffragettes and their organization and strong voices that changed the US constitution and gave women the right to vote in the United States.

US citizens, who were men, regardless of their race, were allowed to vote in 1870 after the 15thamendment to the US constitution. We are thankful for the people who helped make that happen nearly 150 years ago.

Women’s suffrage in the United States came about through a lot of effort of a lot of people with women leading the charge for their right to vote. The 19thamendment to the US constitution was passed by Congress in 1920 and women were finally able to vote. That’s less than 100 years ago in our history. (So, wow!)

What is unbelievable to me is that the two women who founded Camp Runoia in 1907 did not have the right to vote. And that for the first 13 years of summer camp at Runoia on Great Pond, the directors and counselors at camp, who were of voting age, were not able to have a voice in who represented them… and yet they charged on.

They built a camp, they moved a camp (from Loon Cove to our present location in 1914), they designed and built buildings, marketed the experience, rode horses the 12 miles to Augusta to get supplies, hired local drivers and builders, grew food in gardens, built wells and pumped water, took campers on trips around the state from the rock bound coast to the lakes and mountains, ran drill teams, read the classics, wrote and sang songs, ran track and played basketball and canoed all over the state of Maine. They swam in the lake in long wool bathing suits and slept under canoes on wool blankets when on trips. They bought a car and made a summer camp bringing girls from all over the Northeast to live with other girls and women at a camp on a lake in Maine to have a profound outdoor camp experience. How daring!

To their credit, they built a camp before they could even vote to influence the laws that ruled them while they were building a camp. If I were to dress up this Halloween, I would dress as a Runoia Suffragette.

This picture is from the 1920 and Constance Dowd (the very first camper enrolled at Runoia) blowing the bugle outside the Dining Hall. Radical! Thanks to Matti Bradley who contributed the photo from her mother (Joan “Baynie” Williams)  camp memorabilia.

First Camper, Constance Dowd, as a Counselor