Tag: camp maine overnight girls

A Shout Out from Dr. Dora Mills

Posted on by Pam Cobb

 

Put Your Hands in the Air! 

The sister of the Governor of Maine and former CDC Director of Maine, Dr. Dora Mills posted this about the summer camps that opened in Maine this summer:

A few weeks ago, there were numerous news stories about summer camp outbreaks in Georgia and other states. People were wisely asking why they were allowed to open. And when they did open, why weren’t they adhering to known effective strategies, e.g. masking, distancing, and cohorting? The good news is that Maine’s overnight youth camps have recently adjourned after a successful summer. They hosted campers and staff from most states in the U.S. as well as a number of other countries. I understand that it appears we did not have one summer camp outbreak. Maine’s guidance required camps to implement all of the known effective strategies. They used a great amount of creativity to implement them, and seemed to have done so very successfully. 

Although summer camps are not the same as schools, the experience here this summer gives me optimism that we can do the same for schools and other venues. Having worked with many youth camp directors over the years when I led Maine CDC, I found them and their campers a most creative and flexible group. Teachers I know or have known (including my own mother, grandmothers, aunts, and nieces) as well as school children are similarly innovative and adaptable, which are key ingredients to reopening camps as well as schools. We are also fortunate in Maine to sustain low levels of pandemic activity, although some recent outbreaks are concerning. This gives us higher chances to reconvene schools successfully in the coming weeks.

Sharing our Update to Staff

Posted on by Pam Cobb

What’s New for Staff at Camp Runoia Harmonyville for Covid-19

This important document communicates what we (you and everyone at Runoia) will be doing to help arrive healthy and stay healthy at camp while having fun, allowing campers to interact meaningfully with peers, building life skills and experiencing camp and the outdoors for three weeks this summer. 

Training and Management: This year, our medical staff will be trained on COVID-19 management procedures and be equipped with PPE when needed. We have a health cabin to manage the regular needs of camper and staff health issues and an isolation area ready to handle anyone who may get COVID-19.

Health Care Workers: We are committed to running camp in a responsible and health-focused way. To figure this out, we are listening closely to health care professionals and the relevant authorities (for instance, Maine CDC, National CDC, American Camp Association) to ensure we have the most accurate and current information. New guidelines from the CDC came out today.  We are “camp experts,” and have brought onto our team medical professionals to guide our process. Our doctors are also camp parents so really ‘get it’ from all angles of camp care.

Hygiene: We have raised our sanitation standards to match and exceed recommendations from health care professionals. We will increase the frequency with which we perform deep cleanings of shared surfaces and indoor facilities, and deploy extra sanitation teams throughout the day. “Teams” means all of us staff/counselors/administrators/kitchen crew and health team. There will be hand washing stations throughout camp, along with hand sanitizer dispensers (all of this is new) and counselors will be prepared to model best hygiene practices. Campers and staff will shower daily.

Monitoring: In order to ensure camper and staff health this summer we will add monitoring elements including daily temperature and symptoms checks first thing in the morning. In a cabin “household” counselors will take and record temperatures and symptoms of everyone in the household. 

Guidelines: In keeping with public guidelines, we will modify parts of our camp program to achieve physical distancing standards. For example, our Dining Hall will operate in shifts this summer to prevent overlap between neighborhood groups. We also plan to operate camp activities with smaller household (cabin) groups that will not interact with other households unless there is appropriate social distancing and sometimes face coverings. 

Self-Quarantine and Health Screening: Staff will be required to monitor their own health and practice low-risk/low-density distancing 14 days before they arrive. Staff will quarantine on-site before camp and campers will be asked to self-quarantine before and after camp. Counselors will have a health check upon arrival. Campers will have a health check at drop-off on Opening Day and everyone joining the camp community will be tested. We will adjust the way we manage Opening and Closing Day to minimize interaction between camp families.  

Camp in a Bubble: Parents will not be allowed on campus on opening and closing day. Counselors will help all their household campers unpack and organize their rooms.There will be no outside visitors during the summer. We will limit entrances and exits to and from camp property to essential services only. 

Staff have made the extra commitment not to leave camp in a vehicle or go to any other place except camp property and exercise in the area of camp (including walking/running/biking down the Point Road or Woodland Camp Road) during their time off. 

Illness at Camp: In the event that someone does get sick at camp this summer, we have multi-staged quarantine and isolation procedures that will allow us the time to determine the best response, including whether or not the ill camper or staff member will be able to rejoin the camp population after a period of time.  We will have a team of RNs to care for anyone being tested for COVID and isolated. If you have COVID-19 symptoms or you contract COVID-19 at camp, we will have a comfortable place on campus for you to live until we can make a plan with you.

Communication: Camp Runoia will communicate with parents and staff in a thorough and transparent manner. We recognize the importance of sharing the best information available as quickly as possible.  The information also changes and we are providing updates to families and staff. 

This summer, we aspire to be better than ever.  Thoughtful and detailed communication is more important than ever in keeping our community well-informed and highly-prepared. 

 

Update from Camp May 20, 2020

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Update from Camp May 20, 2020

Dear Runoia Families,

Camp means a lot to all of us. “Camp more than ever” has become a saying we repeat throughout the day. We have been working over the past eight weeks with the keen optimism to open camp this summer.

Our Plan to Open:

We plan to open for your children. We know it will be the hardest summer we have ever worked. We know there are risks and we describe them in this letter. Please read and digest the information outlined. Afterwards, we need to hear from you by this Saturday afternoon, May 23 if your daughter(s) will be joining us. If we can pull this off, early next week we will send an enrollment link to those who want to enroll.

It will be a different summer at Camp Runoia, but we are confident that it will still be a special and meaningful summer for your daughters.  This summer, camp is not for everyone and we understand that choice. We love and will welcome you in 2021.

The Story:

It’s May 20, and our plan is to open camp for an abbreviated summer session. We’ve met with all the same medical and testing experts and consultants all the other camps have met with during the pandemic. We believe there is a way through this.  It is a difficult journey with risks. The decision to close or open has been personal for all camps. Many of our camp director friends have made the painstaking decision to “suspend” their 2020 season. A few camps have decided to open. Each camp has its own reasons and process for making its own best decision.

If we are able to open, camp in 2020 will be a different kind of Runoia. As a Camp Runoia family, your opinion matters to us. Please read through this note and check your own feelings. If you think it’s a good idea for your family and a good match for your daughter(s) please let us know you’ll enroll in 2020. Our outline of camp below is based on the information we’ve received from medical experts, other camp directors, ACA guidance, and our understanding of the guidance for opening camps that will be released soon by the State of Maine. Our intent is to run camp by meeting, or exceeding, the best practices and guidelines for operating a resident camp during the current pandemic.

There is no guarantee our camp will be COVID-19 free and there is no guarantee your daughter will not contract COVID-19 while at camp.

Why We Think We Can Do This:

You may wonder why we are going to this effort when other camps tried just as hard and came to the decision to close this summer. We know our campers need camp more than ever. We believe Camp Runoia’s large physical campus, our ability to create and follow systems, our overall numbers of campers and staff being smaller than large camps help us to be positioned for a high rate of success. We have had an outpouring of support from families including two camp parents who are MDs and will join our on site health team. The majority of our key staff say, “We will do anything to make camp happen, tell us how we can help and let’s go!” 

One Session 2020:

Camp would offer one session. It would be a 3-week session July 18- August 8. This is not “first session” or “second session”. This is “Camp Runoia Harmonyville” (CRH). After you analyze your own risk tolerance, we would like to hear from you if you would like to enroll in CRH this summer.

Because of the sessions merging, camper cabin groups would be a different composition than your daughter(s) previous cabin group. This is important to discuss with your daughter. Maybe she has friends you can be in contact with to see if they plan to enroll. Partnering with us in this different summer means we will be focused on your campers and the safety of campers and staff at camp. We will do our best to address your needs while your daughter is at camp but she is our priority.  We will communicate information with you but we cannot take special requests for your daughter this summer.

Testing and Self-Quarantine:

If there is reliable testing prior to camp opening, we will do our best to line up testing, have you monitor and self-quarantine before camp.  Testing costs will be submitted to parent’s insurance when possible. There is no guarantee we will be able to do testing for all.

Testing may not be available when our staff have to arrive at camp in order to prepare for the season. Therefore, there are no guarantees of testing for staff.

On May 18, the Maine testing guidelines expanded to include anyone who suspects they have been in contact with an infected person. This is great news for us. We expect testing to get more reliable and efficient over the next 6 weeks and are hopeful that it does.

Staff and campers will monitor health and practice low-risk exposure for a period of time before arriving at camp and during camp. More details will be outlined in further communication.

Residential Life, Mealtime and Program:

Camp most likely will operate in households (cabins) by age groups and each “end” of camp would be a neighborhood. So, the three neighborhoods would be Junior End, Senior End, and Senior Village/Ocho This is consistent with public health guidelines from the State to mitigate the risk of spreading infection.

Households (cabin groups) will be able to interact with each (counselors and campers) without masks.

Activity program will be scheduled by households for the first part of camp and possibly all of camp. There may be choices within your scheduled area. Some activities may not be able to be offered.  There will not be regular “tag-up”.   We will still offer excellent activities and skill-building opportunities.

Campers and counselors from different households would practice physical distancing or wearing face masks when interacting within their neighborhood for things like Evening Program and Dining Hall use.

The three Neighborhoods (Junior End, Senior End, SV/OCHO) will not be able to interact with each other due to contact tracing guidelines.

Evening Programs, Recreational Swims, Assembly, Flag Raising and End of Session Events will be modified.

There would be no wilderness trips leaving by van. Some trips may be offered on our lake and on our campus.

Mealtime would be with your neighborhood spaced apart in the Dining Hall with your household eating together as a group. Mealtime will be staggered by neighborhoods. Staff will serve campers and campers may have to wear masks in a buffet line (with distancing) as they are served (more like cafeteria style).

It may be a “Campstamps” (email service) only summer. We most likely will not be able to post photos for viewing throughout the summer in our Waldo or CampMinder system because we will be busy focusing on the safety of your children.

There may not be any packages except drop shipped specialty foods for food allergies or medical reasons.

Some past practices and traditions are going to have to be let go of this summer so safety can remain our top priority.

Camp in a Bubble: The concept is to have a healthy population arrive at camp and let in as little risk as possible.

  • There will be no visitors allowed in camp.
  • Essential contractors, service people, and delivery personnel will wear masks when on campus and physically distance themselves from our staff and campers.
  • Travel to camp will look different than previous summers:
    • We may restrict camp to auto drop off only.
    • We may or may not offer a bus to camp but we may offer a bus home from camp.
    • We are still working on the concept of flights to camp and if they will be allowed this summer.
    • Parents dropping their child off at camp may be able to take their daughter to a welcome area to meet with the health team, who will be in PPE. It is also possible that your daughter would go to the welcome area on her own to meet the health team and camp staff.
    • One parent may come with one child to the drop off area and other family members, family friends and dogs may not enter the area.
    • Parents and family members may not come into camp or walk around camp.
  • Medical Team – we will have a fully staffed medical team including a resident MD and multiple nurses and/or EMTs.
  • In camp monitoring will likely include daily temperature and symptom checks.
  • If campers develop COVID-19 symptoms, they will be treated in a different area and by a different designated health team than campers with other health and medical needs such as a splinter or twisted ankle.
  • Trips to the Emergency Department will be with an authorized Runoia administrator or health team member who will wear a mask and use best practices for hygiene.

COVID-19 Non-negotiables:

If there is testing used by Runoia, you will be required to test at home before arriving at camp.  A camper testing positive for COVID-19 may not come to camp. There will be no refund of tuition at that point.

We would require you to pick-up your daughter if she tested positive for COVID-19 while at camp. We will have a safe, comfortable isolation unit for your daughter to remain while you are on your way to camp. We are not a hospital or a medical provider in the typical sense of the term. We have camp doctors who are professionals and a professional team but we cannot isolate and treat patients for extended periods of time. Camp tuition will not be prorated.

Maine General Hospital is located nearby in Augusta, Maine and any patients with acute illness will be transported there and a camp personnel will remain with a minor within reason, until a family member can arrive.

Parents would be required to sign an Assumption of Risk realizing their child may contract COVID-19 at camp.

Dates and Rates:

Camp Runoia Harmonyville (CRH) will run from July 18 – August 8. The tuition will be $7500. The deposit and tuition you have paid to date will be applied to CRH and the balance will be due in full June 15, 2020.

In Summary:

We know this isn’t easy. As we communicated previously, there is nothing we want more than to operate camp safely and responsibly for your daughter. The current circumstances require a tremendous amount of consideration to meet the challenges that lay ahead.

Notwithstanding our best efforts, there is a chance that we may not be able to open camp this summer.  There is a chance the Maine Governor will decide in June that camps may not open in July.  If that is the case, we will work out our best options for refunds and do the best we can do. Working toward opening camp this next month will be critical to make it happen and that involves more expenses for supplies and additional team members, hiring requirements and operations.

If you read and process this letter and feel Camp Runoia Harmonyville is the place for your daughter to be this summer, please respond to this email and let us know by Saturday May 23. Early next week, you will be sent an enrollment link to the new session. Please complete enrollment as soon as possible after receiving the link. After Friday May 29, if spaces are still available, we will open enrollment to other families currently on the waiting list.

Graduating campers in 2020, may return for graduation at a later date, perhaps next summer or maybe a special period of time at camp. TBA.

If you choose to take a “leap year” and plan to return in 2021, we will roll over your tuition payment to save a spot. We welcome you and your family for 2021 with so much love. Once a #runoiagal always a #runoiagal. If you want to cancel and you need financial support, please contact pam@runoia.com or call Pam #207-495-2228.

In Closing:

We have all been affected in unimaginable ways by the pandemic and the economic crisis.  We do not take any of this lightly and have been planning two scenarios (open and close) for the past four weeks. In our hearts, we want nothing more than to see our Runoia gals back at camp this summer.  We support your decision, whatever you choose and know that Runoia will be here for our 115th season in 2021.

With warmth and a whole lot of love,

Pam and Alex

For the Runoia Team

 

Update May 6, 2020

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Dear Runoia Families, Greetings from Great Pond.

Safety and Opening Camp in 2020

The safety of our campers, staff and their families and the surrounding Maine communities remain our priority as we sort through the possibility of opening camp this summer.  We know children and families need camp more than ever.  Our hopes are to open camp if we are able to meet or exceed the guidelines set forth by the state of Maine and the American Camping Association.

We remain cautiously optimistic as we work with American Camp Association guidelines (a panel of experts compiled with support of the CDC, American Board of Pediatrics, the Board of Camp Nursing and infectious disease consultants) for safely opening resident camps in 2020. With these guidelines coming out in the next 10-12 days and our industry representatives and lobbyist continuing to meet with Governor Mills’ task force for restarting Maine’s economy.  As of the past week, a few camps have decided not to operate this summer in Maine, including foundations, medical camps, and three resident camps. Over 120 Maine resident camps are still waiting for more information to make a final decision with safety as the top objective.

The American Camp Association will be releasing the ACA Camp Operations Guide for camps by mid-May.  So far they have provided the resource of the table of contents to outline the depth of the finished guide book.  We are eagerly awaiting the guidelines.

Testing

Availability of accurate testing would be a game changer for our ability to safely open camp. Two of our peers in camping have connections with labs who say they can get us tests. How testing campers before arrival at camp will roll out logistically is another puzzle we are working on. If any Runoia parents are involved in testing and have a way to connect us with quality tests, please contact pam@runoia.com or call #207-495-2228 to connect. Without testing, we can rely on diagnostic information from families prior to camp and checking and monitoring for symptoms upon arrival at camp and implement contact tracing guidelines.

Preparation and Timeline for Camp 2020

We meet daily with other camp owners and directors and our Runoia team, medical consultants and industry representatives. We are working through scenarios including all aspects of running a safe camp parallel with the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex and I connect every day working on our plans for camp.  We have two doctors who have volunteered to step in to help guide the Runoia Health Team this summer. Both doctors plan to live at camp for part or all of their assigned session.  We have a team meeting with them scheduled for mid May.

We have been told we will have more information in the next 10-12 days from the state of Maine and ACA.  We will share with our families and staff as soon as we have the final details of our plan. Meanwhile, in addition to these emails, you can find weekly updates on our website: www.runoia.com on our COVID-19 banner at the top of the page. We recognize some families will decide that camp will not be part of their plans this summer. If so, we hope camp will be in your plans for next summer.

Tuition and Refund/Rollover

You may have questions about refunds and tuition rollover.  As you know, we work on camp all year. The past nine months have been busy for our full -time employees and our summer staff who work with us in the winter to contribute to the next summer. Financial obligations have been made throughout the year on mortgages, taxes, licenses, maintenance of buildings and grounds, payroll, renovations, equipment loans and purchases, operating expenses, pre-paid expenses, program improvement, horse care, and ironically, an addition to our camp Health Cabin.  There is no insurance coverage for this pandemic for loss of, or interruption of, business income.

We recognize that everyone’s situation is different.  Some families have experienced reduced income, and others have had financial disturbances. We know everyone has been affected.  We are thinking of you. Whatever you are able to do for Runoia is appreciated. If you are able to roll over your tuition for next summer, that will be a great help to ensure camp can continue to operate at our very best. If you are able to donate a part of your tuition to camp’s operations thus far this year, we would be so grateful. If you need a full refund of tuition paid, we will take care of you with love.

We know camp is a very important priority for many families. For 113 summers Runoia has persevered through world wars, the Spanish flu, polio outbreaks, the Great Depression and multiple recessions. In our hearts we want camp to open this summer – we want to see our campers and allow them to just be children at summer camp; their summer camp.

We are holding onto hope, planning and waiting some more. We are exercising our best patience. We appreciate the support many of you are sending us.

Sincerely,

Pam

For the Runoia Team

Camp Runoia’s COVID-19 Mid-Week Update for April 15

Posted on by Pam Cobb

I speak for all of us at Runoia when I say we are thinking of all of you during another week of self-quarantine and social distancing. We know you are continuing to do your best during this challenging time. Our hearts go out to families and others outside of our camp community who have been directly impacted by the pandemic. Additionally, we cheer for our heroes on the front lines; alumnae and current staff who are EMTs, doctors, nurses, PAs, therapists, caretakers, scientists, firefighters, police and paramedics – we cheer you every day with a big “Bo Bo” from Runoia.

As you have been following the news and reading articles about schools, sports and festivals being postponed or canceled, we know you are also thinking through the scenarios of camp this summer. We wanted to share with you what our current thinking is and know that twelve weeks from now is a long time considering what has transpired in the past few weeks.

Every day I talk, work and plan with Alex. We are meeting regularly with people from our camp organizations and with our camp director peers.  We are following the CDC and governors’ announcements. The American Camp Association is convening a panel of experts including the US CDC, American Board of Pediatrics, and the Camp Nursing Association to help us implement best practices for operating camp safely this summer.

Meanwhile, we are building our own best practices, developing new health and hygiene protocols, planning safe programming for camp and working to open on Great Pond this summer for Runoia’s 114th season. Camper and staff safety is our highest priority. Camp Runoia is a community bigger than any one person, a place where being unique while simultaneously belonging, an experience that builds life skills and s a long time partner with families.

We expect to make and communicate decisions about this summer’s camp schedule by the middle of May. Since information and guidance is changing daily, we feel it is still too soon to make the best decisions about this summer. However, here are the three scenarios we can envision at this time:

Our first and best case scenario is that we may be able to open as scheduled with new best practices.

A second scenario is we may open a little later and still run modified length sessions; following best practices and health and hygiene protocols.

Finally, if we are forced to not open camp, Camp Runoia will be there in its biggest Blues and Whites for everyone in 2021. We will provide 2020 graduating seniors the chance to come together to have their special time. In the unimaginable event that camp does not open this summer, our aim is to partner with you regarding the financial implications of this pandemic.

We are proceeding with the intent of camp opening in late June. These scenarios may raise other questions for you and we are here for you. Feel free to reach out to pam@runoia.com or alex@runoia.com or call camp #207-495-2228

The online and virtual connections with all of you through Facebook Live campfires, Zoom Mostest Evening Programs, Youtube activities, and more has been energizing for us.

Thanks for your support and outreach.

Thinking of everyone and cheering you on!

Pam
For the Runoia Team

Make it a Magic Monday

Posted on by Pam Cobb
Monday Morning Greetings from Runoia

Hello folks and families!  We hope you had a good weekend and had the chance to get outside. Today, we are going for “magic” Monday. We will continue to update you about camp mid-week on Wednesdays. These updates are also posted on our camp blog here.

Today there is no “breaking news” to report.  We continue to be hopeful about the summer season. We are working with the Maine CDC, American Camp Association, Maine Summer Camps and other professional organizations to make plans for a safe summer.

With the early “ice-out” on Great Pond posted on April 7th, we are looking forward to another summer of comfy lake temperatures to play and learn in and on our favorite lake.

Weekly Events – connect with camp NOW:

Campfire: Last night’s campfire (live stream on Runoia’s FB) theme was Laughter. Next week the theme will be Heroes. Tune in at 7 pm on the Runoia FaceBook page.
Afterschool Camp Activities: learn how to make whoopie pies, pipe cleaner rings with Abbie, macramé bracelets with Alex and K and an assortment of other crafts and science projects! Find us on the Runoia YouTube Channel.
Evening Program – this week on Wednesday night @ 7 pm, Barb will emcee the now famous “MOSTEST” EP. Categories will be coming to your inbox for your family to prepare. Costumes encourages. Join the MOSTEST Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 919 421 4302
contact pam@runoia.com for the password
We love seeing your forms coming in for the summer. The more you do now, the less the final push will be as we move toward summer. The link to get on your Camp-in-Touch dashboard is here.

Spread kindness,

Pam and Alex
For the Runoia Team

Message from Camp Runoia

Posted on by Pam Cobb

We research. We monitor. We plan.

Wilderness camping never looked so good!
 
It is just a few months until camp opens and the COVID-19 virus causes many to wonder what might be different about camp this summer. For more immediate plans, families are deciding now about March and April breaks and whether they will need to reschedule a vacation or make other plans. Yesterday, many college students were asked not to return from spring break until scientists have a better understanding about containment and prevention.
 
We are confident we will be in a more stable situation in a couple of months. We are closely monitoring the CDC guidelines and already have new protocols for arrival.  We have systems for sanitizing, we have supplies and we are prepared for temperature checks.
 
Once camp gets started we are in a great position to keep everyone healthy. We have skills for practicing good hygiene and teaching life skills from hand washing to cough covering to sanitizing.  We have confidence in our systems, our partnering with parents and our remote location. We are also realistic and so we watch and learn and implement change as necessary.
 
To all our families and friends, we wish you the best for staying healthy and caring for your loved ones, maintaining productivity and continuing education as we stand strong and wash our hands.

Conscious Leadership and Learning

Posted on by Pam Cobb

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.

Community and Camp and Connecting

Posted on by Pam Cobb

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.

 

 

Camp Runoia summer sisters

Posted on by Alex

As families travel to see loved ones in faraway places and gather around the table to celebrate the Holidays we are reminded of our camp ‘family’ the summer friends that sit deep in our hearts. Many of the people we are close to at camp live far away, some are even separated by a whole ocean. Most of our campers don’t get to see their shack mates through the year and miss those friends dearly. They often refer to their camp friends as their ‘summer sisters’ as that is how close the relationship feels. Even as adults our camp cohorts are geographically dispersed and missed greatly through the ‘off’ season. As the Camp Runoia song says the people you spend your ‘long summer days’ with definitely become ‘old friends for always’.

The bonds that you make at camp are unlike any others. Sharing day to day living, successes, frustrations, time by the campfire or in a tent under the stars just can’t be replicate by sharing a math class at school!

Social media is a connecting force for our older girls, Instagram, snap-chat, face time and text groups keep them in touch when they are not at camp. It is interesting that relationships generated in our tech free world at camp are nurtured through the ease of communication via technology when we can’t be together. It’s fun for our Runoia girls to share parts of their everyday non camp life with their besties from the summer. Our alumnae facebook page is bustling with activity especially when old photos are shared with a call out of ‘who is that?’. They generate interactions and the sharing of stories and ‘remember when’s…’ It is amazing what people remember even when camp was many, many years ago.

Recently a camp mom emailed to get the contact information for her daughter’s entire cabin group which included friends in Europe. A life milestone Bat Mitzvah celebration warranted the attendance of all of her daughters camp friends. Long after their camping days are done so many Runoia friends share other big life events together. Another Mom of a younger girl asked about addresses so that her daughter can send homemade Holiday cards to her shack mates.

Camp is so much more than just a few weeks of doing incredible activities in a beautiful location. It is friendships that last a lifetime, relationships that truly have deep and meaningful value. Camp is where many people make their life friends and truly have their ‘summer sisters.’