Lenten Work Day – April 13

Stretch your muscles, get a little dirty and make a difference on Saturday, April 13! Help spruce up the grounds for our busy spring and summer seasons. It’s a great Lenten discipline for you and a wonderful way to get involved and help at DuBois Center. Projects vary depending on the weather and the skills of the workers – carpentry, cleaning, painting, raking and more. A hearty lunch is provided. Check out and share this flyer.

RSVP by Monday, April 8 to 618-787-2202 or email. If this date doesn’t work for you, there will be a Green DuBois Stewardship Day on Saturday, April 27 – or call to set up a different day for your family, church or friend group!

Early Bird Deadline – April 10

All you need to be singing a happy Early Bird tune is a completed 2019 summer camp registration and $50 non-refundable deposit by Wednesday, April 10. Save $30 on full-week sessions and $15 on part-week sessions!
View the camp brochure online or pick one up at your local UCC church. Then register and pay online or postmark your registration form and deposit by April 10. Use this form for mail-in registration. If your church pays part of the camp fee, we will send them an invoice later in the season.
For more information, contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202.

2019 Summer Camp Registration is Open!

We’re ready for summer! Are you? Register now to join us for a few days, a week, or more during Summer Camp 2019!

Campers have a blast making new friends and having new adventures. From swimming and canoeing in the lake to horseback riding to making crafts and so much more, there’s something for everyone at DuBois Center’s Summer Camp! We also play games, go hiking, have music time, fish, learn more about our faith and enjoy God’s creation together.

For more details, check out this summer’s brochure and schedule online here. You can also learn more about our camp, staff, this year’s theme and more here. Click here to register now! See you this summer!

Summer Camp Staff – Grace

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…”

Help Us Spread the Word

We hear repeatedly that DuBois Center is one of the best kept secrets in southern Illinois. But being at the top of this particular list is not necessarily a good thing! Please help us spread the word about DuBois Center as a summer camp, an inviting setting for retreats, conferences and horseback rides and a place for families to gather and students to learn.

Even though the majority of our summer campers and many of our weekend guests come from Illinois South Conference congregations, DuBois Center serves a much wider community. In support of our mission – and our bottom line – we need to serve a wider community. DuBois Center welcomes individuals and groups from a variety of faith traditions, non-profit entities, public and private schools and other educational organizations.

Is there a family or group in your church or community that might benefit from all that DuBois has to offer? Please help us spread the word! For more information, click here for a facility brochure and contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202.

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Meet Our Summer Staff – Meredith

Introducing Meredith Ellis, one of our returning Counselor/Activity Specialists! Meredith grew up in Glen Carbon, IL and is an active member of Troy United Methodist Church. She first came to DuBois Center for summer camp with a friend when she was in the sixth grade. She instantly loved it and returned year after year as a camper. In 2013, she participated in our CIT (Counselor in Training) program and then volunteered the next year. She dedicated the summer of 2016 to serving on our summer staff.

She has “wanted to be a counselor ever since [she] was a camper” and had an amazing experience in that role last summer. She is looking forward to “being back in such a beautiful place” and seeing her past campers again! Meredith’s experience, beyond camp, includes working with family programs and teaching youth tennis lessons at the YMCA. When not at camp, Meredith studies Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At school, she is a student worker at her university library and is involved in campus ministry, a campus sexual assault education program and Alpha Delta Pi. In her free time she likes to read and drink tea. Welcome Meredith to our 2017 summer staff team!

Meredith Ellis

Be a DuBois on Broadway 2.0 Sponsor!

Do you love DuBois Center and its mission? Are you looking for a way to support DuBois on Broadway 2.0 even further than just attending? A sponsorship may be perfect for you! Click here to learn more about the event, which will occur on Friday, May 12.

We need people like you to make this event even more of a success. There are multiple sponsorship levels – and all proceeds will go to DuBois Center. Each level comes with different benefits, read on below to learn more.

  • Friend Level – $100 – $250
    • Includes: Your name(s) on the sponsorship board and program book
  • Honorary Level – $500.00 – $750.00
    • Includes: Your name(s) on the sponsorship board and program book, plus two (2) tickets to the event
  • Silver Level – $1,000
    • Includes: Your name(s) on the sponsorship board and program book, plus a table for eight (8)
  • Gold Level – $2,500
    • Includes: Your name(s) on the sponsorship board and program book, special recognition during the gala, plus two tables for eight (8) for a total of 16 seats

To sign up to be a sponsor, download fill out this form. Should you choose Honorary Level or above, be sure to include the names of the event attendees on the form. You can return the form via email to ISC DuBois on Broadway – 1312 Broadway, Highland, IL 62249 or scan and email the completed form to CPursell@iscucc.org. Please call 618-654-2125 with credit card details. Sponsorship forms and payment are due by April 28, 2017.

Service Saturdays

March 25 & April 22

Lend a hand with spring cleaning and summer prep! Spend quality time with your family, friends, youth or fellowship group and make a big difference. We’ve got engaging projects for all ability levels and you’ll leave camp with a real sense of satisfaction. Projects vary, depending on weather and the skills of the workers, but could include raking, carpentry, painting, cleaning and more. If you or your group has any special skills, please let us know ahead of time.

For more information check out this flyer. Lunch is provided, so please RSVP to DuBois Center at or dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202.

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Service Saturday 2

See ya, Leah!

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!”

Seeking Volunteer Nurses

Volunteer health care professionals are a key component of our ministry. Camp nurses tend to a variety of ailments – everything from fevers and sprains to ticks and rashes. They provide special attention when a camper needs a little extra TLC or just a break from the action. Their’s is a ministry of compassion, presence and healing.

We are currently seeking volunteer nurses for this coming summer. The nurse’s living quarters are air-conditioned, and there is often time to sit back and read a good book, take a hike or dip your toes in the lake. For more information about this ministry opportunity, contact Shirley at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202.