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Thanks to all the Fall Festival horse volunteers!

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The ticket count shows that we provided 450 arena rides for our guests this year. That’s 1,350 laps of the arena over the six hours of Fall Festival. It takes a lot of people to make this happen smoothly and successfully. Our volunteers took tickets, fitted helmets, helped riders mount the horses, and walked the horses. We also have a volunteer monitoring the arena at all times to make sure our riders, walkers and horses are safe. Another assists with any issues that come up in the arena and helps swap out horses as needed. Hours before the gates open, volunteers bring the horses in, feed them, groom them and get them ready for the day.

And we can’t forget the horses. This is a long, probably boring, day of work for them and they all handled it very well and without any issues.

Many thanks to everyone who helped in the barn and the arena this year.

Horse Retreat – November 5-6

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Ask most of our summer campers about their favorite thing at camp…and quite a few will say, “Horses!” If this sounds like your child, this overnight weekend retreat is just for you! This weekend is just like our summer horse camp, but with more time with and on the horses! We also have activities like horse apple bobbing, campfire cookouts with your horse, making horse treats, a barn party, and more. Designed for participants ages 12 to 18 who love horses, this could very well be the highlight of your fall!

Registration for this fills up fast (we limit to 12 participants), so reserve today! Click here to register.

Women’s Retreat – October 28-30

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We had so much fun with this in the spring, it’s back in the fall! Unlike Mother Daughter, you can come to this all by yourself or with some other adult friends! Spend the weekend doing anything but ‘adulting’! No cooking, no stress, just fun and relaxation! The programming is designed as an adult getaway, so we do ask that all registrants are 21 and over.

Click here to register.

Horse Retreat – November 5-6

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Ask most of our summer campers about their favorite thing at camp…and quite a few will say, “Horses!” If this sounds like your child, this overnight weekend retreat is just for you! This weekend is just like our summer horse camp, but with more time with and on the horses! We also have activities like horse apple bobbing, campfire cookouts with your horse, making horse treats, a barn party, and more. Designed for participants ages 12 to 18 who love horses, this could very well be the highlight of your fall!

Registration for this fills up fast (we limit to 12 participants), so reserve today! Click here to register.

Women’s Retreat – October 28-30

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We had so much fun with this in the spring, it’s back in the fall! Unlike Mother Daughter, you can come to this all by yourself or with some other adult friends! Spend the weekend doing anything but ‘adulting’! No cooking, no stress, just fun and relaxation! The programming is designed as an adult getaway, so we do ask that all registrants are 21 and over.

Register today.

Mother Daughter Retreat – October 7-9

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Our yearly tradition returns! Reserve your spots now for our weekend of relaxing and connecting with the moms, daughters, aunts, nieces, or grandmas in your life! With crafts, relaxation, and optional horseback riding, this is just the weekend you need to spend some time with the ones you love!

This is one of our most popular yearly events, so sign up now! Click here to register.

DuBois 6.0 Campaign Update

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We have received over $231,521 for a total donation as of this edition. We started this campaign in October 2021, and we met our goal in August 2022. For the remainder of 2022, we will have a stretch goal of $300,000. Any DuBois 6.0 donations received will now go toward cost overages on the original 17 projects; plus some additional projects, including an Oak Lodge Kitchen facelift; a Hickory Lodge refurb, and a new face for the waterfront area. Hurray! Congrats! Let’s see how far we can go.

We thought you would like to see some of the things that have been worked on because of your generosity.  These projects are completed:
  •  Oak Lodge Windows
  • Office windows
  • Oak Lodge HVAC – most of the money for that was used from previous Designated Donations
  • Program Director’s House Update bedrooms and living room replacement
  • New Rustic Fish Ridge Cabin – completed #5 cabin in this village (still needs inside bunk beds and mattresses) – was not used for campers in 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Projects worked on but not yet complete:
  • Deer Run Shower House – roof was replaced – still needs new shower and toilet partitions
  • Fence Painting – Only the Rustic barn area arena fences are completed

Greetings from the Camp Interns – Mary Cailin Wagner

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Hi ya’ll! My name is Mary Cailin Wagner, and I am one of the DuBois Center Camp Interns! I grew up in Red Bud, Illinois, and my home church is the St. Paul United Church of Christ in Lebanon, Illinois. I am currently attending McKendree University to study Organizational Communications and Political Science. I started attending DuBois Center during Just You and Me camp in 2009 with my grandma, Nancy. I went to camp every summer until I finished high school. My favorite memory as a camper is tree climbing during High School Week in 2017!

I had the opportunity to become a camp counselor for the Summer 2022 session, and my favorite memory from this summer has to be starting my first campfire alone for my Splash kiddos! My favorite camp activity is, of course, the water mat and anything pertaining to the lake!

In my free time, I enjoy hiking, swimming, photography, and hanging out with friends. As a camp intern, I am most excited about continuing my professional relationship with the Illinois South Conference and working towards making DuBois Center a more welcoming and sustainable organization.

Greetings from the Camp Interns – Meredith Malone

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Howdy! My name is Meredith Malone, or better known as Buckle by my DuBois family. I grew up in Lebanon, Illinois, with my childhood cat, Hershey. Outside of camp, I am finishing my degree in early childhood education. In my spare time, I like to go bother the horses, asking for hugs and selfies!

As a summer camp counselor, I got to spend every week on Rustic Camp with the horse campers, so I immediately fell in love with the barn. Riding horses on the Turtle Cove trail is my absolute favorite activity! One of my favorite memories from this summer was during a creek walk; I did not plan on getting my feet wet in the creek, but my campers were so encouraging! I got in and we explored the creek, looking for shale and small fish. Out of nowhere, I heard a small group of campers say, “ON THREE!” Without knowing the plan, the whole group counted, “one… two… three!” Everyone plopped in the creek at the exact same time; it was so funny! The laughter and joy was astounding! We could not believe that we all managed to read each other’s minds. The small moments, like these, make camp so, so special.

As a Camp Intern, one of the things I’m most excited about, is getting to join all DuBois Center committees! I love participating and learning about all of the hard work that gets put into camp, while also happy to see it bring others together.

I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to share my love of camp with people. I have always called DuBois Center my Home. Every year, I am always welcomed with open arms and accepted for who I am. I can’t wait to share the love this place has to offer.

Join the Fun – Camp Fare Dinner & Groundbreaking Celebration

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On September 17, 2022, you can be a part of celebrating the groundbreaking for Hillside Cottage and taste some of DuBois Center’s favorite camp foods. Food will begin to be offered at 11 am using a fun menu of camper favorites. Then at 2 pm, everyone will have the opportunity to turn a shovel of dirt for DuBois’ new Hillside Cottage (Photo is its future home location).

Come and eat, walk the grounds, and/or groom the horses. The event is free but donations will be accepted on the day of the event for the meal. Please RSVP by September 12 to jriechmann@iscucc.org, so we can plan for food. See more.