After our campers (grades 4-12) leave camp, a different type camper arrives….families!  It’s a bit of a shift for us!  It’s strange having so many grownups around.  And yet, for the past two years, it’s been one of the most special weeks of the year for us.  This summer, 16 families joined us at camp.  We spent the days enjoying the absolutely perfect August weather in Vermont – swimming and boating, zipping on the ropes course, playing sports, doing art and most importantly, getting to know each other.  For many of our Family Camp campers, this is their first camp experience and it is very special for us to watch them gain a sense of independence and pride that they’ve never felt anywhere else.  Of course, we experience this at “regular” camp all the time but to experience this through a parent’s eyes is truly exceptional.  Parents have actually gotten a chance to witness what we do every day of the summer and it only reinforces how special camp can be.

What’s also been so valuable to us has been the relationships we’ve seen develop amongst the parents who come to camp.  We have felt so lucky to have learned so much from the parents who bring their campers to camp.  During family camp, we spend all day talking and laughing and crying with them and have a chance to hear about what life is truly like for each of them.  They form their own community of support and strength and being able to experience that has been very special for us

When we started Akeela, we always dreamed that it would be more than just a summer experience for our campers and their families.  We wanted it to be a community that had some impact on people throughout the year.  Family Camp has been one way in which we’ve done that.  We continue to think about ways to expand our mission to include more families over a greater length of time and hope that more and more children and parents will have an opportunity to experience Akeela in the future.

-Debbie and Eric

It’s hard to believe that the summer has passed already – There’s an old saying in the world of camping that a day feels like a week, a week feels like a month and a month feels like a year.  It explains how we can all become so close so quickly.  And yet, when we look back and reflect on the time, it seems like the month was really a week!

We never stop feeling amazed at how much our staff and campers are able to achieve together in 3.5 short weeks.  Many of our campers have never been away from home before and yet, at the end of camp, when their parents arrive to pick them up, they take them on a tour of camp as if it is their second home.  They introduce them to friends they’ve made and they “show off” their new talents.  We feel so proud to be a part of such a life-changing community.  All day today, parents have thanked us for giving their child this opportunity for growth and friendship and we are grateful for the words of appreciation.  But, we know that we had very little to do with all of the successes – we bring people together and the magic that happens at camp is due mostly to our staff and the experience that camp can bring to any child.  It’s the opportunity for independence and challenge that is life-changing.  It’s the way campers receive feedback from staff and from their peers on a continual basis.  It’s the fact that everyone at Akeela feels like they are valued and important – a part of a community.

We love what we do and feel lucky to do it.  We know how camp has changed our lives, both as children and now, as adults and are so happy to share it with a new generation.  We are honored that so many parents have trusted us with their children and believe in what we’re doing at Akeela.  While it’s always sad to say goodbye, we are already looking forward to next summer and hope to see many of our friends again in 2014.

-Eric and Debbie

I used to do a lot of theater when I was younger – mostly musicals – and I find myself humming “Another Opening, Another Show” today.  Most of our staff members have been here at camp with us for 8-14 days; the others have been here since the end of May. We’ve been busy getting our site ready, learning about all of our campers, talking about safety (physical and emotional), behavior, food, fun and social skills.  We’ve shared with them our vision for camp.  Eric and I dress up, make colorful signs and attempt to be funny in skits we’ve written in an effort to impart to our staff everything we believe in – mainly, that we are about to embark together on the most incredible, life-changing summer experience on the planet.  Standing in front of our staff of approximately 100 people today and reminding them of that mission, I feel confident that they really “get it”.  This is a special group of staff and I’m thrilled to work with them for the next two months.

This is our sixth summer at Akeela and I still get a nervous stomach on opening day – much like I used to as I waited backstage for the orchestra to begin the overture.  I used to start questioning myself, “Will I remember my lines”, “will my props be where they’re supposed to”, “will the cast remember their lines”, and “will I trip onstage”?  Today, as I wait for the buses to pull in to camp I ask new questions, “Will everyone feel great about themselves when they leave”, “Will everyone make a friend”, “Will they grow”, “Will they feel more confident and proud of their achievements”, “Will they feel as though they’ve been a part of something bigger than themselves”?

I’m excited.  This is what we’ve been working towards all year.  Another Opening of the most Amazing, Life-Changing Summer Experience on the Planet!

-Debbie

Dear Akeela Campers & Parents,

Akeela’s fifth summer is now behind us as we prepare for summer 2013 and our second half-decade. We hope everyone takes some time to look through our past newsletters and that you’ve been reading our blog!

Don’t forget about our two exciting new(ish) programs: Beyond Akeela is for young men and women who have completed grade 11 or 12 and Family Camp is for everyone!

– Debbie & Eric