Summer Camp Volunteers

Consider a week (or even a few days) at DuBois Center and join our Summer Camp 2018 team! Wanted: fun, engaging and caring volunteers to serve as nurses, cabin counselors, activity specialists and barn helpers. Minimum age is 18 for most positions; young adults and older adults are welcome.

Give of your time and talent; make a difference; and gain a wonderful sense of satisfaction…and even perhaps a bit of joy! Check out the photo above. Can you pick out the four volunteers? For more information, go to the volunteer page of our website or contact Shirley at shirley.director@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202.

High School Week at DuBois Center

June 17-22 older youth (completed grades 8-12) take over the Rustic Village. One week, two great options: Wranglers and X-Plore! It’s a week to be yourself, make good friends, find new adventures and grow with God.

Meals on Rustic are back! Choice times are back! And with them more opportunities to hang with your friends and customize your week. Play disc golf – DuBois style; get super crafty; fish at Deer Run; or ride horses in “the bottoms.” Play cricket or Aussie football with our international staff and check out weird and wacky activities at the waterfront.

For details, pick up a brochure in your church office, click here for the online version or contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202. Ready to register? Click here. Don’t delay – June is just around the corner!

High School Week 2

Camps for Older Children: Completed Grades 3 – 6

Classic or specialty camp, three days or five days – there is a wide variety of sessions from which to choose for this age group. Whether a first-timer or experienced camper, new adventures await.

The cozy cottages on the Main Camp side of the lake are “home” for many campers in this age group, but those attending our Horsin’ Around, Rustic 101 and Splash! sessions venture across the lake and live in the Rustic Village. The week of July 22-25 there are shorter sessions for those who would like “a taste” of horse camp or rustic camping.

Additional sessions for those completing grades 5-8 can be found in the camp brochure. For more information, pick up a brochure in your church office, click here for the online version or contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202. Ready to register? Click here.

Older child camps 2

Session &
Grades Completed           Dates   
Settler (3-5)                       6/10-15, 6/24-29, 7/15-20
Pony Express (4-6)           7/22-25
Mad Science (4-7)            7/8-13
Move It! Move It! (4-7)      7/8-13
Rustic 101 (4-6)                7/22-25
Horsin’ Around (5-7)         6/10-15, 7/8-13, 7/15-20
Splash! (5-7)                     7/22-25

Churches: Here’s How You Can Help Promote DuBois

We often have churches ask us how they can help support DuBois Center! Our answer? Help us spread the word! We are often referred to as a best-kept-secret in Southern Illinois – well, let’s get that secret out there! See below for a list of ideas on how to share information on DuBois with your church, your community and below. Click here for a full list of additional information and downloadable promotional pieces.

 Celebrate FAITH FORMATION through OUTDOOR MINISTRIES in April and May! Pick a Sunday for your Camp Sunday. Recruit a planning team and help them brainstorm a list of creative possibilities, then turn them loose to implement the best ideas.

 Personally invite young people and their parents to participate in the spring events and summer camp program at DuBois Center. When pastors and key lay leaders speak, people listen. Your passion for church camp can be infectious.

 Community Outreach: Consider how your congregation might partner with DuBois Center to send children from low-income families in your community to camp. Special funds are available to assist.

 Involve experienced campers, volunteers and summer staff in the Children’s Message or a special Sunday School event. Personal testimonies, special camp stories, games and songs are especially helpful.

 Focus on the goals and values of Christian camping during worship on Sunday. Music, responsive readings and sermons can all be effective tools for this.

 Invite a guest from DuBois Center to join you on a Sunday to share a sermon, extended mission moment, children’s message and/or activities in Sunday School.

 Plan something special for Coffee Hour. Try s’mores or “ants on a log” instead of cookies. Set up a BBQ pit and roast hot dogs, hamburgers or marshmallows.

 Designate and PROMOTE a couple of Sundays during which DuBois alumni are at a table, before & after worship, to distribute brochures and answer questions.

 Encourage grandparents to send their grandchildren to camp.

 Utilize DuBois Center bulletin inserts – copy, cut and insert.

 Gather a group together and attend the RUSTIC BLOCK PARTY  at DuBois Center. Enjoy free youth-friendly activities and tour the facilities – Sunday, May 6.
 Post the CAMP SCHEDULE, POSTERS and FLYERS throughout the church.
 On two or more Sundays, advertise and insert a special offering envelope in the bulletin designated to provide financial assistance for your church’s youth to attend camp.
 Have a Chili Cook-off and use the funds raised to help send kids to camp.
 Have the Sunday School or mid-week program make a special camp banner,
then hang it in the Sanctuary or Fellowship Hall from March through June.

Summer Camp: Faith, Friends and Fun

Studies show that opportunities for kids to just be kids are critical to their development as healthy and well-rounded children and youth.  Active, unplugged, joyful, connected and adventuresome are all words that describe the DuBois experience. It’s good old-fashioned fun, yet a modern classic. All this as well as an opportunity to experience God and each other in new ways, make new friends and have loads of fun.
It’s not too late to make a session of summer camp at DuBois Center a priority! Click here to view our online brochure, and here to register today!

Volunteer at Camp!

Whether in a cabin, at the barn, in the health center, during specialized activities, on the Sunday Welcome Team or all around snapping photos of camper fun – volunteers make a huge difference at DuBois Center! They work hand-in-hand with paid summer staff to provide and support our fun, engaging, faith-filled program.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities click here or contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202.

Service Saturday – April 21

Stretch your muscles, get a little dirty and make a difference! Help spruce up the grounds for our busy spring and summer seasons. We can’t do it without YOU! Projects vary, depending on the weather and the skills of the workers – carpentry, cleaning, painting, raking and more. We may even dismantle a dock. Serve together with friends and family, and gain a sense of satisfaction. Lunch is provided. Check out this flyer for more information.

RSVP to DuBois Center by Monday, April 16 at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202. If this date doesn’t work for you, we have a mission work group in camp May 16-20 and the extra helping hands are always welcome, or we can see if another day works for you and your group!

Counselor in Training (CIT) – June 24-29

Counselor in Training, or CIT, is a great opportunity for young people who are interested in developing their leadership skills, working with younger children, and having a great time at DuBois Center!

The program, which runs from June 24 through 29 this year, functions much like a “lab school” with discussion, training, practice and evaluation sessions. Skills gained will help participants grow as positive Christian leaders, manage problematic behavior, create a safe, fun environment, and teach basic camp skills. CIT is designed for youth who have completed grades 10-12. Previous camp experience is NOT required.

NOTE: A special application is required in addition to the Camp Registration Form. The CIT application packet is available online or contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org. For more information, check out this flyer.

Meet Our Summer Staff: Jack

Welcome Jack Lockhart from Motueka, New Zealand to our 2018 summer staff team! Jack will be serving as a Counselor/Activity Specialist and is looking forward to working with young people in another country, making friends from around the globe and gaining new skills.

Back home, he is passionate about serving his community and does so as a volunteer rural fire fighter and a member of the local community patrol. The most important things in Jack’s life are his “friends and family, moral values & respect for others.” Fitness, health and sports are also near the top of his list. He swims and plays soccer, basketball, rugby and cricket.

Jack’s experience with children is varied; he has served as a coach, referee, babysitter, mentor and leader. As a fire fighter, he spends time in and with the community. One of his favorite “kid memories” is actually from a fire prevention expo. At these events, kids climb through the fire trucks and use the giant hoses to put out controlled fires. One child with a disability was watching from the side. Jack helped him try on the gear, maneuver through the truck and even manage the powerful fire hose.

Being able to connect with and include this child was golden and comes as no surprise. One of Jack’s references wrote, “Jack just has a wonderful way he connects with others – be it adults or children.”

Jack’s favorite foods are typical barbecue foods – sausages, burgers, steak and fresh seafood.  His favorite memories of times outdoors were from primary and high school camps at Abel Tasman National Park. (Check it out!) His long-term goal is to either go into law enforcement or police work, and a summer at camp is great experience for both.

Summer Job Opportunities!

Looking for a summer job that’s fulfilling as well as resume-building? Love being outdoors and working with kids? DuBois Center is hiring energetic, caring, fun and safety-focused individuals for our summer staff.

Out of our pool of Counselor/Activity Specialists, we try and hire at least seven to eight who are also lifeguards. Our waterfront program is based on the idea that the best fun is also safe, and our staff works hard to ensure that environment. Lifeguarding classes include the required First Aid and CPR training, and lifeguards are paid a little extra over the course of the summer to recoup the cost of the course.

For more information, check out our website page or email shirley.director@DuBoisCenter.org.