Camp Ondessonk to Receive 2025 SIU Recreation Professions Service Award for Collaborative Youth Engagement Initiative
Ozark, IL – April 2025 – Camp Ondessonk, in partnership with Vienna High School (VHS), has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Southern Illinois University (SIU) Recreation Professions Service Award. This honor recognizes Camp Ondessonk’s commitment to youth development, experiential learning, and regional career pathway innovation in the field of recreation and tourism.
The award will be formally presented at the annual John Allen Symposium, hosted at the Guyon Auditorium in SIU’s Morris Library on Thursday, April 17, 2025. The recognition highlights an innovative collaboration between Camp Ondessonk, Vienna High School, and SIU’s Recreation Professions Program, which created real-world educational opportunities for undergraduate students preparing for careers in parks, recreation, and tourism while also exposing local high school students to a career pathway they may have not realized was possible for them.
Creating a Recreation and Tourism Career Pathway
This multi-stakeholder initiative was sparked through a series of strategic meetings initiated by VHS administrators Rebecca Guest and Phillip Hosfeldt, which brought together Camp Ondessonk, Vienna High School, and SIU faculty to explore creating a recreation and tourism career pathway for rural Southern Illinois students.
Dr. Evan R. Coulson, Coordinator of Strategic Initiatives at Camp Ondessonk, reflected on the significance of this partnership in a recent announcement:
“Students gained a valuable applied learning experience as well as an expanded awareness of what is possible. The success of this pilot project, which inspired the faculty team to select Vienna High School & Camp Ondessonk to receive the 2025 SIU Recreation Professions Service Award, serves as a testament to both the promise of collaborative partnerships as well as the impact that is possible when young people are engaged with and inspired by one another.”
— Evan Coulson
Dr. Coulson also extended congratulations to VHS educators Michelle Thomas and Shayne Midyett, noting their dedication to experiential education and a willingness to open their classrooms to college students seeking authentic applied learning experiences. These SIU students, in turn, gained an opportunity to design, implement, and evaluate youth programming for a real audience—giving high school students a glimpse into possible recreation and tourism professions while gaining hands-on leadership experience themselves.
Educational Impact and Service-Learning Excellence
Camp Ondessonk’s role in leading this partnership exemplifies Camp’s mission of providing “
Exceptional outdoor and spiritual adventures empowering kids of all ages.”
The collaboration aligns with Camp’s long-standing commitment to outdoor education, youth empowerment, and the holistic development of leaders. Camp Ondessonk offered its staff expertise and program resources to support student engagement, while VHS and SIU provided curricular structure and mentorship to ensure academic alignment and outcome tracking.
Following the award luncheon at the John Allen Symposium, guests are encouraged to attend the Project & Research Forum, where SIU students will present outcome assessment findings from their work in the VHS classrooms.
Strengthening Rural Education and Workforce Development
The recognition of Camp Ondessonk and Vienna High School by SIU’s Recreation Professions faculty underscores the vital role of regional collaboration in advancing rural education, workforce development, and access to career pathways aligned with the emerging outdoor recreation economy in Southern Illinois. This award is a testament to the power of partnerships that bridge high school, higher education, and community organizations to support student success and strengthen local economies.
“This project is just the beginning,” said Coulson. “We look forward to many more ideas still yet to bear fruit.”
About Camp Ondessonk
Camp Ondessonk, located in the Shawnee National Forest of Southern Illinois, is a premier Catholic youth camp and outdoor education center offering summer camps, school-year programming, and retreat experiences that foster spiritual growth, leadership, and outdoor skill development.
About the SIU Recreation Professions Program
The Recreation Professions Program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale prepares students for careers in parks, recreation, tourism, and therapeutic recreation through hands-on learning, community engagement, and applied research.