Building Bonds through the Senior Camper & Lodge Social

By Isabelle Lynn

Music and laughter rattled the screens of the Original Dining Hall (ODH) each Friday throughout Summer as Senior Campers and Lodge Members, including the most newly inducted, came together for the Senior Camper & Lodge Social. While others were racing around Camp on the hunt for activity arrowhead patches, campers in one or both groups played cards, made memory bracelets, and painted a banner to commemorate their time together that would be hung up in the ODH for the rest of the Summer.

Throughout a week of Summer Camp, Lodge Members and Senior Campers are asked to step up as leaders within their unit and around Camp. They are asked to be role models, help whenever they can, and be intentionally kind and welcoming to all, especially those younger than them. As a “thank-you” for all they do, the Senior Camper & Lodge Social provides a space for these young leaders to enjoy a moment of fun and fellowship with just the older campers of Ondessonk.

As they share stories of their week and prepare for the excitement that the rest of Friday holds, campers are encouraged to collect contact information and discuss how they plan to keep Camp in their life until Summer comes again. They are reminded that, whether it be the O.W.L Program, Fall Lodge Reunion, or another week of Traditional Camp next Summer, they can take the next step in their Camp O journey together. The goal of the Senior Camper & Lodge Social is to provide a space that sparks friendships and connections that will last throughout the school year, into next Summer, and for many Summers to come. Through bracelets, banners, and banter, the Senior Camper & Lodge Social builds community between the next generation of leaders at Camp Ondessonk.

Click here to learn more about The Loyal Lodge of Ondessonk & Tekakwitha.