Register NOW to Save on Camp Fees

All you need to be singing a happy Early Bird tune is a completed 2017 Camp Registration Form and $50 non-refundable deposit. Save $20 on full-week sessions and $10 on part-week sessions. Postmark or submit registration and deposit online by April 5. Any UCC “church share” of the camp fee may be paid separately. For added convenience we can bill churches for all their campers at one time.

To receive a summer camp brochure – check in your church office, click here, or contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202.

Meet our Summer Staff – Pieter

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!

Volunteer at Camp this Summer!

Volunteers are the heart of strong and healthy Outdoor Ministry programs. At DuBois Center, they serve throughout the year on committees and teams, at the barn, in the office, on work projects, leading retreats and raising funds.

During the summer, there are a variety of ways to get involved and make a difference in the lives of the young people we serve. Join us for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, a couple days during the week or a full week of camp. Volunteers work hand in hand with paid summer staff to provide our fun, engaging and faith-filled program. For more information, contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202. Additional information and volunteer applications are available here.

Summer Volunteer Options:

  • Cabin Counselor
  • Barn Helper
  • Activity Leader
  • Chaplain
  • Nurse
  • Photographer
  • Sunday Welcome Team

Those looking to volunteer who are 15 – 16 should consider the CIT (Counselor in Training) program, June 25-30.

We Need a Golf Cart!

Planning to replace your golf cart this spring? Have one that is just taking up space? DuBois Center is in need of a 4-seat golf cart – gas or electric. Our nurses currently use a two-seat gator to respond to medical situations and deliver medication. If a camper needs to be transported back to the health center for treatment, there is no room for a third person.

Renting a golf cart for the summer is very expensive, so we are exploring other options. You can help with this critical need and, perhaps, save some on your taxes. Donations are tax-deductible. For more information contact Shirley at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202. Thanks in advance!

Early Bird Registration Deadline – April 5

In less than three months, the first week of summer camp at DuBois Center will be in full swing! It’s time to THINK SUMMER! Register for 2017 Summer Adventures by the Early Bird Deadline and save $20 on full-week sessions and $10 on part-week sessions. Completed registration (online or by mail) and non-refundable deposit are required for this discount. The Early Bird Deadline this year is Wednesday, April 5.

View the brochure online or download it along with a registration form. You may also contact DuBois Center at dcinfo@DuBoisCenter.org or 618-787-2202 to receive these by mail, or register online here.

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

Job Opening – Summer Barn Coordinator

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.

Meet Our Summer Staff – Kalie

We are excited to announce Kalie Vyers as the 2017 Lead Counselor! From Belleville, Illinois, Kalie grew up as an active member of Damascus Road Fellowship, where her father is the pastor. She has always enjoyed working with children – having gone on mission trips to orphanages in Mexico, working with day camps, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, and currently working as a missionary with a preschool through a church program in Tahoe City, California.

Kalie’s relationship with DuBois Center began as a camper when she was 12 years old. She recalled, “I always looked up to my counselors and knew that one day I wanted to be just like them.” Kalie graduated from our CIT (counselor in training) program, volunteered at DuBois Center in 2011, 2012 and 2015. She dedicated her summers to being on summer staff in 2013, 2014, and 2016.

She says she is excited to be back again in 2017 because, “Being a counselor is the best job I have ever had. I enjoy getting to meet children with many different lifestyles and personalities. It feels great to be able to give them the wonderful camp experience that I always loved to have when I was a kid.”

This summer Kalie has agreed to be our Lead Counselor – a position that only appears occasionally when an individual has extensive experience and skills to share with newer leaders, but prefers to spend most of their time working directly with campers. When not at camp, Kalie loves to be outdoors – hiking, skiing, playing basketball and engaging in all kinds of water activities. She also enjoys painting, and playing cards and board games with friends and family.

Kalie Image 2

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.

Service Saturday 3

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!”