Camp Ondessonk Fourth of July Family Camp
We love testimonials from families that visit Camp Ondessonk, here is a recent letter we received:
A huge HEEPWAH to the Camp Ondessonk Staff for another outstanding Family Camp. This may have been the best year yet! I would love to name individually all the staff who made our time at camp incredible, but the list is so long and I am sure I would leave some people out. Thank you to the many staff who walked with (or carried) one of our kids from one activity to the next, and to all of those who watched and played with the girls so that we could spend some time doing “big kid” activities with the boys. We had an amazing hike through the split rocks and an awesome time on the zip lines – all while our younger children were scattered around camp (at babysitting and the swimming area) with various staff members. I knew they were in good hands and never worried a minute. Thank you!
While I am not able to mention all the outstanding staff we had, I want to mention a few of the members of our unit staff in Tekakwitha. First of all, Brenn was an absolutely outstanding unit leader – always full of energy. She was fabulous with the kids and was a pleasure to visit with during our stay. It is evident she loves her job. Lexi and Cindy (and others) spent much of their week playing with and helping our girls around camp. It is always nice to have another lap to sit on or an extra hip to help carry. I think Lexi had one of our girls on her hip every time I saw her. J All of the staff did a fantastic job of keeping the spirits high by sharing stories and leading songs. Although Samm has never been part of our unit staff at camp, she has always been super friendly with our family. Many others in the activity areas interacted with our children in ways they will never forget! It was awesome to see the continued relationships between our boys and staff members that carried over from their experiences at camp during boys’ week and mini-camp – CIT Josh, David, Patrick, and Johnny.
I cannot end without sharing a story about David. The evening of our unit campfire, my daughter Tess brought some of her books out of the cabin and enjoyed having various staff members (Cindy, Lexi, and others) read to her. As dark approached my husband found our oldest son Jack, and the girls sitting on the porch of our cabin being read to by David. Later in the evening, the girls were getting tired just as we were starting to gather under the rock hangover to sing camp songs. David asked the girls if they would like him to put them in their bed and he would read stories until they fell asleep. They were excited and off they went. I will never forget looking back at our cabin between camp songs and seeing the glow of David’s flashlight and hearing the soft mumble of his voice as he read stories to the girls until they fell asleep.
Every year, I am in awe of the kindness, respect, and attentiveness of the staff at Camp Ondessonk. They are outstanding role models for our children!
Last, but not least, thank you to whoever arranged for me to be the “Heepwah Counter” for the closing campfire. It was an amazing surprise and closing to a wonderful trip. It is a privilege I have only seen bestowed upon staff members, and I am honored to have been asked. Thank you!
Looking forward to our next visit to Camp,
Tracey Simpson and the Simpson Family