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Meet Our Summer Staff: Troy

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Summer staff recruitment is in full swing, and we will be introducing members of our 2018 team through Weekly Connection and Facebook. First up is Troy Mcrae.

This will be Troy’s second summer on staff. He will again make the long trek from Western Australia to DuBois, Illinois. Troy grew up in the “Aussie countryside” in the small town of Manjimup. Active in his church youth ministry and camping programs, he grew from youth participant to young adult volunteer leader. Troy loves being outside and spent a year as a trainee and instructor at an outdoor school. Canoeing, lifeguarding, “bush walking expeditions,” food prep and equipment maintenance were all part of his experience there.

Thinking back to 2016 when Troy last served with us, his big smile, gentle nature and amazing height come to mind. Yes, he occasionally had to duck when going through doorways. When asked about his desire to return to DuBois Center, Troy commented, “I just felt drawn back to the overwhelmingly positive atmosphere at camp. It’s impossible to finish each day without a smile on your face.”

Troy brings skills as an effective canoeing instructor, accomplished guitar player and caring camp counselor. His long-term goal is to become a professional outdoor educator. Aussie meat pies are Troy’s favorite food. Two of his favorite hobbies are cycling and larping (think Lord of the Rings meets football, with a bit of theater improv thrown into the mix). He describes himself as a massive “pop culture nerd (in the best of ways).” Welcome back, Troy!

Troy 1

Summer Staff – Laura

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Welcome Laura Renken to the 2017 summer staff team! Laura hails from Hamel, Illinois and is a member of Salem UCC in Alhambra, where she sings in the praise team choir. She has also served as a Vacation Bible School volunteer for at least the last 5 years. Laura attended summer camp at DuBois Center for a number of years. She completed our Counselors in Training (CIT) Program in 2014 and last summer volunteered as a cabin counselor.

When not at camp, Laura is student at Eastern Illinois University where she is studying elementary education. She also works at the front desk of her dorm. Her favorites include: smell – spearmint, color – sky blue, food – tacos, and she loves to sing.

Her favorite childhood memories include summers swimming at her grandparents’ and coming to camp. “I loved coming to Camp DuBois growing up, and it was always a dream of mine to work here when I got older. I always felt that this was a place of love and acceptance where I could really be myself. I wanted to have the opportunity to make Camp DuBois that place for other people as well. I am excited to make memories with everyone and to be a part of such a loving community. I am excited to get to know my campers and to play games and sing songs. I am excited that God has granted me the opportunity to work in a place that means so much to me.”

Summer Staff – Olivia

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Welcome Olivia Cruthis to DuBois Center’s 2017 summer staff team! Olivia is an avid swimmer, lifeguard and horse lover – all helpful traits when serving as a Counselor /Activity Specialist. She is from Lebanon, Illinois and is a DuBois Center veteran, attending summer camp for nine years, including our CIT – Counselor in Training program in 2014. Last summer, Olivia returned to volunteer as a camp counselor.

A student at Illinois College, she is majoring in secondary English education, with a music and theatre minor. She is also on the swimming and diving teams there. Olivia loves gymnastics, reading, artistic endeavors and Mexican food. It’s not unusual to find her singing (perhaps even screaming) and dancing to Disney tunes in her dorm room.

An active member of St. John UCC in Mascoutah, Olivia credits Rachael Berth, Minister of Youth and Christian Education, with nurturing her on her faith journey. “[She] has inspired me since she walked into my life when I was a freshman in high school; we were in the church choir together. She has helped me strengthen my relationship with God as well as help me find who I truly am.”

Olivia can’t wait to spend the summer “praising God with all the kids and staff.” She applied for the position because she loved camp so much as a kid, and as she got older, she saw the impact that the DuBois staff had on the campers and she wanted “to be a part of this amazing group of people.”

Summer Camp Staff – Grace

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Welcome Grace (Gracie) Allen to DuBois Center’s 2017 summer staff team! She will be serving as Counselor/Activity Specialist. Gracie lives in Maeystown, IL where she is an active member of St. John UCC and a PK (Pastor’s Kid). Gracie is new to our staff, but not to DuBois Center. She has attended Winter Weekends with her church and served as a summer camp volunteer. She has also participated in our Buddy to Buddy Mission Experience a number of times, working with young people from the residential program in Hoyleton.

Gracie loves to sing and perform in community theater productions. These talents, as well as her unique ability to sound like Chewbacca, will be put to good use at camp. Gracie is currently working part-time and studying for her associate degree in education at SWIC (Southwestern Illinois College). Her references all agree; she is kind, very responsible and has a great attitude. Gracie is very excited to be serving at DuBois Center this summer. When asked why she said, “When I had volunteered I had loved every aspect of camp… I am most excited about helping kids have a great time…”

Meet our Summer Staff – Pieter

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Welcome Pieter Fourie to DuBois Center’s 2017 summer staff team! He will be serving as a Counselor/Activity Specialist. Pieter lives in Pretoria, South Africa and speaks both English and Afrikaans fluently. He currently works as a camp counselor at Sugar Bay Holiday Camp, where he has developed skills in a wide variety of camp activities. He has significant experience in child care, behavior and conflict management, team building and lifeguarding.

An aspiring actor, Pieter loves to entertain family and friends; he often plans games and activities for family gatherings. In his free time, he auditions for acting roles. He also enjoys traveling, learning about other cultures and soccer.

This summer Pieter hopes to “teach [campers] new skills, form bonds, grow true friendships and encourage others to do what they dream to do.” He is very excited to bring his skills and talents to DuBois Center and to gain many more while serving with us. Ask him about Poi Spinning! Pieter is a Christian who walks his talk, as reflected in these excerpts from one of his references: “He is a young man of upstanding character… Pieter is charming, honest and has a sound set of values. He is courteous and humble… He is principled and lives his life by Christian values.”

We are looking forward to Pieter’s arrival in May!

Meet Our Summer Staff – Ryan

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Welcome, Ryan Goetter, to our 2017 team! This will be his third season on summer staff. Ryan grew up near Collinsville IL, an avid member of his high school band and active member of St. John Evangelical UCC. He attended summer camp at DuBois Center for many years, including our C.I.T. (Counselors in Training) program in 2013. While in high school, Ryan volunteered as a teacher for 4-H groups. That experience has proven to be valuable as DuBois Center began partnering with 4-H of Southern Illinois for their summer camp program. This summer, Ryan will be coordinating our staff team for that endeavor. In addition to serving as a Counselor/Activity Specialist for DuBois Center, Ryan also counsels for Camp Phoenix, the summer camp for the Episcopal Dioceses of Missouri.

Ryan is a student at Missouri State University where he studies Instrumental Music Education. This has given him even more experience working with youth through practicum credit hours. On campus, Ryan works in the business office of the medical clinic and is actively involved in Lambda Chi Alpha. He is the Director for Drug and Alcohol Awareness for the MSU chapter of FSLSA (Fraternity and Sorority Leaders of Social Awareness).

Ryan is passionate about summer camp – from the magical “escape from the real world” to the wacky songs and the spirit-filled worship circles. The wonderful, often off-beat, interactions with campers and the enduring friendships with fellow staff members – he loves it all!

Job Opening – Summer Barn Coordinator

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Enjoy working with children? Have significant experience with horses and barn management? Apply NOW to be a member of the DuBois Center summer staff team. We are searching for a hard-working, early-rising, horse-loving individual to lead our summer barn team as Barn Coordinator. You’ll get to work hands-on with the horses all summer, and will also have the chance to lead campers as well as fellow staff members.

Click here for general information on joining summer staff, and download the position description for more details. Learn more by contacting the DuBois Center office at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-22202.

See ya, Leah!

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Our sixth Outdoor Ministry Intern, Leah Juenger, has come to the end of her internship. Leah Juenger fell in love with DuBois Center as a part-week camper when she was very young. She attended summer camp each year growing up, graduated from our CIT program, worked as a camp counselor in 2013 and 2014, took on more responsibility as a village coordinator after graduating from college in 2015, and then moved into the internship in September 2015.

All these experiences have left Leah with what she knows will be a life-long passion for DuBois Center and the ministry it provides. Over the past 18 months, Leah has gained skills in program development, staff supervision, and administrative duties such as writing and proofing promotional materials and using Excel. Throughout the internship, she also integrated her love of yoga into DuBois Center programming – which she assures us she will continue for retreats whenever she’s available. On the last day of her internship, Leah packed up and headed to Chicago for a yoga conference, where she will complete her journey to become a 200-hour certified yoga instructor.

In the coming months, Leah will be leading yoga classes, serving a few hours a week at DuBois Center and training for her summer assistantship with a company called Bricks 4 Kidz. She admits that spending the summer months somewhere other than DuBois Center is a foreign concept, but she feels prepared for this next adventure. Although, we will miss working with her on a daily basis – especially her welcoming smile, attention to detail, focus on summer staff recruitment and training and willing spirit – we know this isn’t goodbye; it’s “See ya later!”