Tag: caring adults

Be the change you want to see in the world

Posted on by Alex

Our camp Runoia community attempts to create change through simple acts of kindness and caring, hoping  to make the world that we live in a better place.  We believe that we can engage campers and staff to be the change that they want to see in our local communities and in the greater world around us.

In our Giving Tuesday blog back in November we shared about a new community service initiative that we were excited to be getting involved with.   We are moving forward with this partnership and continuing our monetary giving into the summer season.

‘World of Change’ is a philanthropic organization with a home base right here in Maine.   It  encourages youth to participate in collections of loose change that can then be used to create ‘change’ in their local communities.  We are excited to be one of the startup camps that are joining the drive and will be collecting change this summer.  We are hopeful that this will create enthusiasm among our campers for continuing this support in upcoming seasons.

The statistics of how much money is just sitting around in our homes, cars, and workplaces is just staggering.

How much loose change do you have lying around?

Camp Runoia families are always incredibly generous and our ‘cans from campers’ food drives have been very successful.  Through support of our local food pantry, we have had the opportunity to be a positive presence in Runoia’s small, home town .  We will continue collecting food on opening days this summer and hope  that gathering change throughout the school year to bring to camp will catch on too.

We know that a lot of people giving a little can really create positive change for those in need.  All of the money that World of Change generates goes directly to the nonprofits working in communities identified as having needs.  The six focus areas ensure that all children get strong foundations to grow on.

Promoting kindness at camp and at home.

We hope that our Camp Runoia campers will engage with the World of Change philosophy and strive to make a difference in their home communities.  Where will you start? How can you be the change in your community? It doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking spending an hour picking up trash or helping an elderly neighbor with yard work can be a great place to start.

Together we truly can be the change we want to see in the world.

Why I love Camp Runoia (and You Will Too!) by Chef

Posted on by Pam Cobb

I am “Chef” and I am returning for my fourth year of employment with Camp Runoia and I have to say that the experiences I have had at camp are outstanding.

I am known to the campers and staff as “Chef”.  You see, I work as a Chef for the Tri-Deltas at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois throughout the school year and wanted a summer chef job that worked with my summer vacation schedule. I researched and interviewed with several camps all on the East Coast and chose Camp Runoia because the camp had so much to offer and the people running it seemed like genuine people. I am extremely pleased with my choice.

The close relationships I have built with the wonderful staff and campers is unquestionably the main reason I choose to return year after year. I run the kitchen and ensure we have everything we need food, snacks and special occasions for our camp kitchen to run smoothly.

My first year it was a bit overwhelming finding my groove and adjusting to such a higher volume of prep for our amazing salad bar.  Eventually I created a system and the prep is efficient.  I also enjoy the challenge of preparing meals for our dietary-restricted campers and staff with food allergies and food preferences.  I’ve even broadened my creativity learning how to prepare vegetarian options. I honestly get this warm and fuzzy feeling when our campers greet me throughout the day and during meals, “Hey Chef!” or as Pam says, “Good Morning, Chefy”

The traditions and songs that happen in the camp Dining Hall make for delightful times. I think about Camp Runoia often and every time it rains here I think about the Johnny Appleseed grace.  I sometimes find myself singing the Birthday and Cake Cheer melody while I am driving.

Our traditional desserts at Camp Runoia have been incorporated into my life outside of camp including Dirty Pudding, Congo Bars– alumnae page, Strawberry-yogurt Pie and more. Peanut Butter Pie is a big hit with the sorority, my family and our beloved campers as well.

I look forward to the day it is time to pack and return to camp. It is an escape from technology giving us all a chance for more face-to-face time and enjoying the joy of living in the outdoors. And let me say the fishing in Belgrade Lakes Maine is awesome. That’s where you’ll find me in my free time.

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.’

Organize Don’t Agonize! KonMari and Packing for Camp

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Have you been on the Marie Kondo trend of KonMari? Do you find that you are organizing your own world to spark joy in your life? Start the summer camp packing off right and begin to organize now!

What we know is getting your child involved in the process of preparing for Camp Runoia is a great way to have them engaged and thinking positively – probably excitedly – about camp. Find our official packing list  and outfitter Lands’ End and organize now for a successful packing experience later this spring.

Figure out your budget and then give your “camper” options. For instance:

Trunk or a duffel or both?

There’s room for small trunks like ones you can order here  Trunks easily organize your campers’ belonging throughout the summer with a built in tray for smaller items on top. Trunks also are fun to decorate with stickers – a great way to involve your camper.

Alternatively, or in addition, LL Bean has sturdy duffels making packing a breeze and organize items for camp now.

Leggings or Jeans? Tanks or Tees?

Both leggings and jeans are useful at camp for the late afternoon/evening when the mosquito comes out. See our complete packing list on your forms dashboard and order your insect repellent here.  The biggest tip is Maine weather requires layers to be comfy. Cool mornings, hot afternoons and warm evenings are typical at Runoia. Don’t forget a rain jacket and Wellies!

A $5-10 shower caddy will help her organize her shower supplies when she heads to the “Soapies”. You can find it at the magic store or stores like Target

Water bottle – Two water bottles are a must for camp.

Don’t forget to pull out your Sharpie to label everything or order cool and fun labels from Mabel’s Labels

Have fun and let us know if you have any questions or discover some of your own tips along the way 🙂

Happy Packing!

Transferable Skills – Why Camp Matters

Posted on by Pam Cobb

“It is at camp I found a purpose. It is at camp I felt I belonged. It is at camp I had a passion for learning.” – shared thoughts from an anonymous campers’ campfire talk

As we have learned from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in A Theory of Human Motivation once basic needs are met, people can develop a higher level of functioning. The self-actualization that is allowed at camp after basic needs are met can be astounding. Leadership opportunities abound, recognition for accomplishment, motivation to set higher goals in activities and leadership roles all continue to develop and grow as campers grow with our camp.

 

The skills gained at camp, ultimately are transferable to other aspects of life including school, work, career, family, exploration, continual learning and more. It’s the perseverance, the patience, the process, the people and the collaboration that adds to the 21stcentury skills. It’s the trying and failing and trying again until you get it or get better that correlates with Dweck’s Growth Mindset.

Campers who experience a spectrum of activities and start to gain skills in a few focused ones (sailing, riding, archery, tennis, art, swimming and also social skills, peer recognition) have the opportunity to continue growth, development, gain recognition, set goals, meet and exceed goals through the hands on experience at camp, the coaching and encouragement and the adults who will help you realize your potential. Campers help other campers gain skills and realize their potential motivates some campers as well – being the teacher to a younger camper can be inspirational. The process itself is inspirational.

Knowing not everything comes easily but try and try again with the support and encouragement of others will build skills campers will carry with them for a lifetime. And, camp is fun in
the process. Yes! Some campers miss home and experience homesick feelings.  Discover how time away from home and from parents can help a child to grow to allay your worries with Michael Thompson’s book Homesick and Happy

What a better way to build your child’s growth experience.  Check out summer at Camp Runoia and give your daughter the gift that keeps on giving – for a lifetime.

Why I work in Maine when I live in Oregon

Posted on by Pam Cobb

“Why do you work in Maine when you live in Oregon?” is a question I get fairly often. Between coworkers asking if I’m from somewhere on the East Coast, or if I have family there, or if my mom thinks I’m going to end up moving there, Maine comes up a lot.

If you had asked me a few years ago where Maine was, or the capital, or even if it snows there, I probably would not have been able to tell you. (Yes, I do know these things now.)

I found Runoia when I was looking for a “traditional” camp. The year before I had spent my summer at a day camp with British military kiddos in Germany, and the year before that I had worked at another day camp with kids from the American military in South Korea. After spending a few years in unorthodox camps, I was looking to stay in the US in 2017 (granted Maine is the farthest away from Oregon I could have been).

I had a few ideas of what I was looking for. I wanted a sleepaway camp, I wanted something that worked with my summer break dates since I was still in college, and I wanted a camp that had been open more than 50 years.

Not a very extensive list. I wanted traditions, things that people maybe couldn’t even remember why they started (Pigtail Friday or Hawaiian shirt Monday anybody?)

but were still very present at camp. This was the most important factor to me, since other camps I’ve worked at were relatively new or were still figuring out their own identities. I essentially became a first-time camper myself as I combed through the internet, squirreling out all the information about a camp that I could find.

After the longest weekend ever, I was down from 280 camps across the eastern United States to three that all seemed like good fits. I applied to all three, Runoia being the first one to respond back. I was on the phone with Alex in under 12 hours of applying, and that is not an exaggeration. The second camp and I had a Skype interview, but when I told them I didn’t have a driver’s license they told me I didn’t have a job with them. The third camp and I played phone tag for three days until I gave up on them. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, Runoia sounded great from the phone interview and everything I found online, so the fates had made the decision for me.

And Runoia was great! Driving up to the camp for the first time was just wonderful, and the amount of information and history that I got on day one was more than enough to make sure that I chose the right camp. There were similar elements from other camps that I’ve loved in the past, too, like family style dining, field trips offsite, singing songs, and Runoia seemed like a place I could really invest in. I can’t tell you what specifically got me “hooked” on Runoia. If it was the towering trees or the time by Great Pond, or the expectation that if this is what I could do in my first year, what could I do next year? I was sad, to say the least, when we started to pack camp up. How could it be over already?

After camp I got to spend time back in Oregon with my mom, experiencing what many campers probably feel after camp: being camp-sick. I was trying to decide

Ruby enjoying our Sunday Morning Pajama Breakfast

if I was going back to Runoia in 2018 and my mom basically laughed at me and said, in my sad state, that I had already made my decision.

 

In addition to building my own life long skills in basket weaving at Runoia, I continue to work with girls who, I think, really just need their own space and time to find themselves! I know I needed that when I was younger, and I’m glad that I can be someone that kiddos can look up to.

Oh no, now I’m campsick again.

Ruby

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

 

The Camp Decision – Is it Time? And Which Camp?!

Posted on by Pam Cobb

After a lot of thought… discussions… reading every parent blog online … multiple calls to friends who had gone away to sleep-away camp, we finally decided to send Mati to camp.   She had never slept away from home at anyone’s house, so it was quite a decision-making process.

Researching and Deciding Was Intense!

Once we made up our mind, all the fun began.  Matilde was turning 9 and was leaving for three weeks to Maine.   She was so excited!   Not once during her 3-week stay, nor any time before, did she ever feel sad.  Quite the opposite!  Matilde absolutely loved her camp experience and hasn’t stopped talking about it since!  She discovered the carefree joy of friendship, crafts, sports, playing, singing, all within the most beautiful setting possible. She also learned responsibility with her daily chores and appreciated the comforts of home (air conditioning).

By far a great gift for any girl :).  So much was new; so much was fun!

Today we are happy to be able to send our youngest daughter along this summer as well.

Julián & Andrea Gómez

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.

Giving Tuesday – be the change

Posted on by Alex

I’m sure that on this Giving Tuesday you have been bombarded with emails and Facebook requests from your favorite nonprofits and charities asking for your donation to make a difference to their organization.  Our alumnae organization the CRAO is always thrilled to receive donations at any time of year.  The money they raise supports our camper scholarship program.

Mass giving produces amazing results as we know that many people giving just a little can add up to a lot which has a significant impact.

We are excited to announce that for our Holiday giving this year we will be making a Camp Runoia donation on behalf of our campers and staff to World of Change.  Every year for holiday gift giving we pick an organization that is aligned with our philosophy and which supports a community that is relevant to us.  We are thrilled this year to donate to World of Change and will continue our giving through the summer so start saving your change now!  There will be change collections at camp during drop off and pick up days and ongoing for our staff.

Did you know that: “There’s an estimated $10 billion in loose change sitting idle in American households – an average of $90 per household not being put to use. Another estimate calculates $62 million in spare change is discarded every year. World of Change® is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization, which uses a series of ongoing matching challenges and grassroots fundraising efforts to mobilize and leverage this collective capacity.”  https://www.worldofchange.world/

If all of our families, alumnae and staff found just $50 in loose change around their homes and offices  we could potentially donate over $20,000!  A number of Maine Camp Experience summer camps are joining this cause and hoping that together we can collect a significant amount of money much of which stays right here in our local communities.

You truly can be the change that you want to see in the world.  Have a scavenger hunt around the house and see who comes up with the most loose change!

If you are inspired to be a change maker – donate directly to World of Change.