From the Director’s Desk – Sarah Jane Pepper’s Great Idea
There were a handful of counselors who really stood out my first year back at Camp Ondessonk in 2006. One was Sarah Jane Pepper. She was enthusiastic, thoughtful, fun, and engaging. The campers adored her, as did her coworkers. An extraordinarily gifted leader of people of all ages, she became a Ranger at Joshua Tree National Park after earning an Outdoor Recreation degree from Indiana University.
Last summer, Sarah Jane suggested we expand our adventure programming into the visual arts. Frankly, we couldn’t have come up with that ourselves. Camp Ondessonk’s decades of adventure programming offerings have involved activities like climbing, overnight horseback riding, mountain biking, and backcountry skills development. Busloads of past campers have surfed, canoed, and whitewater rafted. Years ago, our Frontier Program campers even went mountaineering in Colorado, canyoneering in Utah, and snorkeling in The Bahama’s. People often share ideas with us. Some are very good. Sarah’s idea is brilliant, as was her delivery. Her pitch came in the form of a handcrafted booklet so compelling we had to say yes.
The first session of Art & Earth Adventure is scheduled for July 12 through 18. Eco Adventure, another new program, is from June 28 through July 4. Both programs will be based on-site, so participants and their counselors will experience meals, evening activities, and Friday programming with the rest of the kids. This, we’ve found, is important to some veteran campers who report being reluctant to sign up for an Adventure program conducted away from Camp for a significant portion of the week. Some kids love Traditional Camp so much; they say FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) keeps them from trying an Adventure session. Countering that sentiment, we all know people who are most comfortable when they are engaged in the Creative Arts and/or Natural Sciences. Please have an encouraging conversation with the kids in your life who love this stuff. Sarah Jane Pepper’s great idea needs adventurers, and so does our new STEAM program.
Speaking of Summer Camp 2026; as of Friday the 23rd of January, 1,224 children were enrolled. That’s 330 more than our year-to-date total in 2025. Some sessions are nearing capacity, but most still have space. Please empower the kids in your life to get registered, and thank you for reading my plea, even though it’s not contained within the pages of a studiously curated booklet of multi-media artwork.
Please keep Camp in your life for the rest of your life.
Sincerely,
Dan King
Executive Director
