Thanks to all the Fall Festival horse volunteers!

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.

Many thanks to our Summer Camp Coordinator Team

Thank you to our coordinator team – (first row left to right in photo) Olivia Cruthis, Bailey Avise-Rouse, Rylee Hodges-Stone, and Catie Goetter, and (second row left) Ryan Goetter for coming out to power wash, scrub, and move equipment. More importantly, we are grateful to them for making sure we could serve more than 350 campers this summer at DuBois Center! Without their hard work and dedication, this summer could not have been successful. Thank you for your many efforts!

Hayley Elliott (in photo second row right), Acting Director of Outdoor Ministry

Farmers & Merchants Bank

A special thanks to our local bank for a gift and the recognition of the importance of DuBois Center’s ministry. Even though most DuBois Center funds are housed with ISC funds in FCB Banks, we do keep a small account with this community institution. It’s used for cash received at camp, stocking our cash boxes for Fall Festival and Schnuck’s script payments. One of the biggest benefits, though, is having a friendly, local bank where our international summer staff can easily cash their checks.

Karianne Schnitker from the bank wrote, “We are so very sorry this pandemic has affected business at DuBois Center. We know how hard your group works to give area youth the experience of a lifetime through your summer camp program. It really is a shame these couldn’t continue like normal. Please accept our $2,000 donation to help defray some of the lost revenue. We knew your organization would put this money to good use.” The bank received a grant from Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago due to the COVID-19 situation. This grant enabled them to distribute funds to a variety of groups that are enduring hardships.

THANKS Farmers & Merchants Bank for being such a good neighbor!

Give Thanks and Enjoy Today!

Reasons to give thanks are plentiful at DuBois Center. God’s creation is majestic – the plants and critters, the trees and lakes, the people. During the coming weeks of preparation, anticipation and celebration, remember to get outside and ENJOY TODAY! “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24