Mountain-Mover Award

The DuBois summer staff and volunteers were recently awarded the first-ever Mountain Mover Award from the Conference. This award recognizes the incredible job everyone did to host a successful 2021 camp season. They worked short-staffed the entire summer during an on-going pandemic and still had full camps with no covid outbreaks. The Conference is grateful for their exceptional dedication.

Pictured left to right back row (masks removed for photo): Tom Kahrhoff, Property Caretaker; Ferris McEvoy, Camp Medic; Noah Royer, Counselor; Ryan Goetter, Unit Coordinator; Hayley Elliott, Acting Director of Outdoor Ministries; Catie Goetter, Barn Coordinator; Ashley Klasing, Counselor; Leah Hill, Counselor. Front row: Gracelynn Norgaard, Counselor; Bradan Bruce, Counselor; Rylee Hodges-Stone, Program Director; Norman Bernhardt – camp dog. Not pictured: Bailey Avise-Rouse, Unit Coordinator; Kristian Avise-Rouse, Counselor; Olivia Cruthis, Waterfront Coordinator, Isaiah Galivan, Counselor; Claire Lambert, Counselor; Luke Volmert, Counselor.

DuBois 6.0 – Building Faith, Building Capacity, Building For The Next 60 Years

DuBois Center will turn 60 in 2022, marking the year we took ownership of the land. While the first 60 years have been great, she needs some maintenance and expansion to get her ready for the next 60.

What we’ve done since 2020:

  • Repaired the spillway
  • Replaced the Rustic side septic
  • Remediated mold in the office, Oak and Hickory Lodges
  • Rebuilt and repaired the stage
  • Solved plumbing leaks in Oak and Hickory Lodges
  • Added commercial dehumidifiers to office basement and Hickory Lodge
  • Fixed foundation leaks at office, Oak & Hickory Lodges
  • Replaced camp office flooring
  • Repaired/updated at Director’s House, and corrected drainage
  • Brought the Deer Run Cabins back to life and added 3 ramps

Here’s what we’re doing next – Estimates as of Aug. 2021:

  • Oak Lodge Windows Replaced $17,650
  • Camp Office Windows Replaced $4,500
  • Oak Lodge Air Conditioning $15,740
  • Oak Lodge Basement Sealed and Dehumidifier Purchased $6,000
  • New Hillside Cottage Built $77,000
  • Lumber Shed Roof $3,000
  • Program Directors House Updates $7,000
  • Temporary Infirmary: To be reaccredited by the American Camping Association, we need a multi-bed infirmary temporarily in half of Roadside Cottage $3,000
  • Road Repairs $18,500
  • New Fish Hill Cabin on Rustic Side of Camp $10,400
  • New Archery Range and Bouldering Wall $10,000
  • Deep Water Solar Lake Aerator $6,000
  • Boat House Solar Power $1,200
  • Deer Run Lodge Repairs and Updates $4,500
  • Deer Run Shower House $10,300
  • New Hay Barn $30,000
  • Fence Painting $500

DuBois 6.0 Capital Campaign Goal: $225,290

Note: Project order will be determined by availability of materials and funds.  Capital Campaign began October 2021 at the Annual Meeting and will end December 31, 2022

How You Can Contribute:

  • Sponsor a project.
  • Share your mandatory IRA distributions
  • Share Stock or Bonds
  • Share Tax Refund
  • Dinners – Plan to attend two special Taste of DuBois Dinners in 2022
  • Sweat Equity
  • Donate Online at www.iscucc.org and www.DuBoisCenter.org.
  • Prayers

Contact the Highland office to receive an information sheet explaining how to donate IRA distributions and stock to DuBois 6.0. Dates and more information on the Taste of DuBois dinners will be coming in early 2022.

DuBois 6.0 Campaign in Need of a Freezer

You may have noticed in the DuBois 6.0 capital campaign that there’s a foraged dinner fundraiser planned for next fall. The goal is to have foraged foods from the grounds in the dishes that will be served that night, such as fish, hickory nuts, blackberries and persimmons. These foods will be collected over the course of the next few months, and several will need to be frozen when they’re gathered.

The regular camp freezer fills to capacity in the summer, so we need a freezer dedicated to storing food just for this meal. We’re looking for a small chest or upright freezer, about 5-7 cu ft in capacity, with a working lock and key. If you have a freezer you’d like to donate that meets these requirements, please contact Jill Baker at jabaker5@aol.com.

Now Accepting Applications for Summer 2022 Staff and Volunteers

Applications are open for Unit Coordinators, Barn Assistants, and Counselors. View our website in the weeks to come for updated employment information and job descriptions. Contact Rylee (program@duboiscenter.org) for an application. Please share the news far and wide! We are looking forward to summer 2022.

We are also now accepting volunteer applications to help with our summer 2022 schedule. Can’t come all summer but want to donate a week of your time? Contact Hayley (director@duboiscenter.org) for an application or to talk about how you can make an impact. Starting in 2022, volunteers at DuBois Center will need to complete additional diversity and inclusion training, so plan now to help us in the spring and summer!

Finding God at DuBois Center

A Testimonial – “Ever since I was a child, DuBois Center has felt like a second home to me. I started coming to Fall Festival when I was maybe one or two years old and, once I learned about camp, I couldn’t wait to become a camper! My dad and I started You & Me Camp the first year I was able to go, and I continued to be a DuBois Center Camper every single summer for many years until an injury in early high school sadly kept me from attending camp. I also attended multiple retreats throughout the school year and basically found every excuse I could to make it out to camp, even if it was just for the day.”

“I came back after high school as a staff member and I loved sharing my love of camp and my love for God with a new generation of campers. Now, I make an effort to volunteer multiple Sundays each summer for registration (come find me – I’m the loud red head!) and am trying to find time in my grown up work schedule to come back as a volunteer counselor.”

“I have never felt closer to God than when I stand on the dock of Lake DuBois in the early morning when all is still quiet, or when I take a seat in one of our outdoor chapels to worship with friends, or when I’m simply exploring the trails, enjoying God’s Creation. DuBois Center helped shape the person I am today, and I could not be more happy that I still get to call it my ‘second home.”

Kara G. – Camper/Staff/Volunteer

You can make a difference to the place that many have found God. In 1962, the land that is now DuBois Center was acquired from the Illinois Central Railroad–as the need for a lake to re-water steam engines was no longer in demand for the rail industry. After a few years of planning and infrastructure design & construction, our first summer programs started in 1965. In 2022, we are paying homage to our 60th anniversary as property stewards and ministers–with DuBois 6.0, a capital campaign to beautify and enhance no less than 17 designated projects. A full list of our ideas and projects can be found on our campaign website. Help us secure the future of DuBois Center and many memories such as the one above by donating what you can. A secure link to donate is on our website. Together, we can all help continue the mission of DuBois Center.