Looking Back on Summer 2017

All good things must come to an end and Summer 2017 is one of those things.

“Camp Time” is a perplexing concept. I’ve heard people describe the timeline of watching their children grow up as “long days, short years.” I feel like that descriptor is fitting for the camping season as well. The camp day begins at 8 a.m. for breakfast and concludes around 9 p.m. after vespers. While the days are long, I always find myself declaring at the week’s end, “This week went by so fast!” And now I find myself saying, “This summer went by so fast!” Camp time, it’s baffling.

 

This was our biggest and best summer yet! Sure we say that every summer, but this summer it seemed extra true. We had a truly remarkable summer staff; we are so proud of them and the work they did. The summer our staff was composed of enthusiastic young adults from England, New Zealand, India, Madagascar, Wales, Ireland, and the United States.

This summer we served a grand total of 1,540 campers! That’s a 12.6% increase over last summer! And while statistics like that are worth celebrating, there’s a lot of success that goes unseen. Our theme this summer was “Branching Out.” Campers compared the way trees literally branch out to the way that we as a community can deviate from the norm, try new things, and consequentially grow personally and spiritually.

The fact that Ferncliff is a safe space for campers to try new things and challenge themselves yields incalculable results. We can’t share a statistic for how many campers tried new things, learned something new, or saw the world through a new lens as a result of their experience at Ferncliff, but knowing that that experience is inevitable for most of our campers makes all the hard work well worth it.

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Overnight Camp:

• We introduced a handful of new theme camps this summer. Our theme camps offer all the fun of traditional overnight camp with the addition of activities geared toward a certain theme. A few favorites among the list of new additions were Amazing Race, Adventure & Challenge, Ukulele Camp, and Helping Hands. Theme camp activities are led and planned by our leadership staff; they did such a great job infusing our programming with creativity for these camps!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
  

Day Camp:

• Our fastest growing program! It’s crazy to think that when I started working for Ferncliff we only offered Day Camp for two weeks each summer. We started offering Day Camps every week in 2013 and the program has only continued to skyrocket. This summer we served a record-breaking 455 campers!
  

 

 

 

Nature Preschool Day Camp:

• A hybrid blend of Nature Preschool and Summer Day Camp, this new program was a great success!  Campers aged 4 and 5 enjoyed all kinds of fun camp activities as well as nature-based play and hands-on learning. The program was led by both our Nature Preschool and summer staff members.
• 25 campers were enrolled in this inaugural program! It was such a joy to be able to share the Ferncliff Day Camp experience with a younger demographic.

Camp-2-You: 

We took camp on the road again this summer! Our staff led a total of eight Camp-2-You programs all over Arkansas and Louisiana. A special thanks to all the congregations that invited us to share the camp with them! If you or someone you know is interested in booking a Camp-2-You program for next summer, click here for more information. 

Outreach Camps:

Outreach camps have become a hallmark of our summer programming. The camp experience is beneficial, and healing, for so many, so by partnering with various organizations we are able to cater our programming to meet certain needs.

This summer we held the following outreach camps:

• Camp Alex – A camp for youth who have lost a loved one to suicide; put on in conjunction with the Alex Blackwood Foundation.
• Vera Lloyd – A camp for youth who reside at Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home in Monticello.
• Aim Hi – A camp for youth who are deaf and hard of hearing; put on in conjunction with Arkansas Children’s Hospital

A special thanks to the donors that make these outreach camps happen!

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Rise Against Hunger: Formerly known as Stop Hunger Now, Rise Against Hunger is a meal-packaging program that we facilitate during each week of camp. It’s high energy, fast paced — it’s a party with a purpose! Meals are delivered to school feeding programs around the world. By packaging these meals, our campers are helping kids their age and putting their faith into motion. This summer we packaged an estimated 33,048 meals! Woo hoo!

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What’s Next??

Many people ask us what we do when camp is not in session. Lots of things!

• End of camp clean up:
  • Once campers and counselors leave, there’s no longer a need for the absurd amount of program supplies we have scattered around camp. The first aid kits can be collected. The ball boxes can be put away. 9-Square can be taken down. The three metric tons of lost and found can be washed, sorted, and held for parents to claim. The list goes on. This is also a time for us all to take a deep breath and look back on a successful summer.
• Conference Season is upon us!
  • The fall is undoubtedly our busiest season for conferences. From business retreats to family reunions, we have quite an assortment of groups that rent our facilities. We always enjoy building relationships with guests and showing them some Ferncliff hospitality.
• Nature Preschool! 
  • The 2017-2018 school year began today! Our preschool staff have been busy preparing for the new year, as well as getting things ready for the new Forest Kindergarten. Both programs are “child lead” with teachers acting as facilitators for learning. Students enrolled in our programs spend 60% of each day immersed in the natural environment that surrounds our school. Daily activities include nature walks, interacting with farm animals and the onsite garden, observing the changes of the season, creating natural structures, and using natural materials to create works of art. Click here to learn more about our nature school.
• Day Programs:
  • Just because camp is over doesn’t mean our programs are! We always enjoy sharing Ferncliff with groups visiting for the day, such as youth groups or school field trips. Our program staff work to develop day programming specific to each group’s needs and objectives. From experiential education to general outdoor fun, there’s something at Ferncliff for every group. If you are interested in joining us for a day program, click here for more info!
    

That’s all for now. In the meantime, be sure and follow us on our social media platforms to stay in the loop about what’s going on at your favorite camp and conference center! 

-Hannah

 

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Ferncliff creates positive change in the world by opening eyes, minds, and hearts to God’s transforming love. We see this mission statement lived out in all of our summer camp programs.

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