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overnight camp

Camps for Older Children: Completed Grades 3 – 6

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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

Summer Camp: Faith, Friends and Fun

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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!

Meet Our Summer Staff: Jack

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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.

High School Week – June 17 – 22

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High School Week is BACK for summer camp this year, from June 17 – 22. The week offers two great options – Wranglers and X-Plore. Campers experience all of the favorite DuBois Center activities, plus more! More fun, more adventure, more friends and with an extra special treat – more meals served in the Rustic Village. Plus, “Choice Times” return with even more great options.

If you have completed grades 8-12, this is a great week to build community, grow closer to God, experience nature and have some great unplugged FUN! Plan now to attend and watch for details in the coming weeks.

Cabin Counselor Volunteers Needed

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Kid – focused! Faith-filled! Safety-conscious! Young at heart! If these characteristics describe you, please consider sharing your gifts and talents at DuBois Center this summer. Volunteer cabin counselors work hand in hand with summer staff members to guide small groups of campers. In doing so, they touch lives and make a real difference. We are currently recruiting volunteer counselors for three and six-day sessions.

Contact the DuBois Center office at 618-787-2202 or dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org. Volunteer applications are available here.

Camp Names Explained

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Finch, Sparkle, Pastor Skippy, Kayak, Nurse Bandit, El Padre, Banana, Squeak, Shark Bait – What’s with all the weird names? Since 2011, “camp names” have been the norm for summer staff and volunteers at DuBois Center. Some are silly and pulled from… who knows where. Others have stories and traditions behind them.

Banana (Daisy Mercer) was first introduced to a new way to open bananas during summer staff training. To avoid inhaling pollen and dust, Nurse Bandit wears a bandana over her nose and mouth when driving around camp on a Gator. Pastor Skippy, who loves peanut butter, has been a camp chaplain for decades at a variety of different camps and his name has traveled with him. It’s a tradition!

We use “camp names” during the summer at DuBois Center because they are FUN, and because sometimes there are just too many Ryans and Merediths running around. Real names are shared on the last day of each session and they are listed on the sign-out sheets when parents pick up their children at the end of a camp. If a counselor senses that a parent is nervous about not knowing their “real name,” the leader might take them aside and share that detail in advance. What’s in a name – a lot of silliness!

Join Us for Sunday Welcome Team!

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Each Sunday of our five weeks of camp, scores of UCC campers will arrive at DuBois Center eager and excited to begin their time at camp. A minimum of 12 volunteers each of these Sundays (plus summer staff) are needed to make the check-in process run smoothly! Volunteers assist with greetings, parking, the camp store, registration, health screenings, dock duty and people-moving. They arrive by 1:15 pm and are done by 4 pm.
Please consider joining our Sunday Welcome Team on one or more check-in days. Check-in days this year are June 11 and 25, and July 9, 16 and 23. You are invited to wear a church t-shirt and show your spirit. Even consider bringing a team from your church! Let us know in advance when you can help – contact the DuBois office at dcinfo@duboiscenter.org or 618-787-2202.

Summer Staff – Kalaba

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Welcome Kalaba Kapunda to the 2017 summer staff team! Originally from Kitwe, Zambia, Kalaba lived in South Africa for the last nine years and is now a student at Eden Theological Seminary. After a successful career in community development in the private and non-profit sectors, he felt a call to ordained ministry. That call led him to study for his Masters of Divinity at Eden.
Back home, Kalaba was actively involved in his home church – Jerusalem United Methodist Church. Through his church and other organizations, he has facilitated youth groups, served as a soccer coach and worked as the youth choir director at an orphanage. Kalaba also did a short stint as a high school teacher – one of the options for mandatory government service. He is the father of his three young sons (seven, four and two years old). His family will be joining him at Eden in the fall.
In his free time, Kalaba enjoys sports, particularly soccer and volleyball. He also enjoys walking, being outside, participating in community work, singing and reading. Kalaba likes all kinds of food, but especially Pap – a favorite from South Africa, fish, rice, goat meat and vegetables. Kalaba is excited to exchange ideas and explore diversity with the campers and staff while at DuBois Center this summer. He believes “diversity can help us respect and celebrate our lives.” He is looking forward to building a team, meeting new friends, and playing together “in an attempt to create understanding, trust, and respect.”

There’s Still Time to Sign Up for Horse Camp!

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Our Horse Camps are filling quickly, but there are still great options for most age groups. Some mornings, it’s up and at ’em long before chow time – the horses need to be fed and groomed before breakfast. Some evenings, it’s untacking, feeding and barn chores before evening games. As long as the weather allows, horse campers have the option to ride each day! They spend more time with the ponies, but still have time for other camp favorites such as swimming, 9-Square and crafts. Younger campers can hop aboard the Pony Express for an introduction to horse camp. Older campers can choose from a variety of sessions.
Ready to register online? Click here. For more information, check out the camp brochure online or contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202 to have one sent to you.
PONY EXPRESS (completed grades 4-5) July 23-26
HORSIN’ AROUND (completed grades 5-7) June 11-16; July 9-14; July 16-21
SADDLE ‘EM UP (completed grades 7-9) June 25-30 – FULL; July 16-21
WRANGLERS (completed grades 8-12) – June 18-23

2017 Theme – Do it for the Vine

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In the story of the vine and the branches, we learn that we have two responsibilities: staying connected to the vine and bearing fruit. Join us this summer as we discover ways to do both! With daily scriptures to guide us, we will explore the vineyard and ways to experience God’s love as we grow as branches. We’ll practice seeing with our hearts, listening for God and reconnecting with Jesus, ourselves and friends at camp. It will be a grand adventure, grounded by deep roots and braced by our strong vine – Jesus Christ.