From the Director’s Desk- The Halfway Mark
As I write, it’s Wednesday July 1, 2026, the halfway mark of Summer Camp. It always goes too fast, and here we are, once again, speeding through another glorious summer.
I should start by mentioning the weather. While we did have a short warm stretch early in the season, most of the first four weeks were unseasonably cool by Southern Illinois standards. Late last week, a hot air mass entered the region. Then, an extreme heat alert went into effect as our session 5 campers moved into their cabins on Sunday, June 28. Like generations of Ondessonk campers and staff before them, they’ve adapted to the tough conditions. Our programming schedule has long been altered when it’s as hot as it is now, but this year we’ve standardized our approach by instituting an adaptation of rules followed by Illinois High School Athletic Association schools. The guiding metric, Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), is an amalgamation of weather conditions including temperature, wind speed, humidity, cloud conditions, and the angle of the sun. Our Program Committee, a sub-committee of the Camp Ondessonk Board of Directors, worked on this topic during the winter. Nolan Hurst, our Camping Services Director, announced the week’s anticipated modifications at a pre-session staff meeting. As he predicted, high WBGT readings have prompted additional hydration and shade breaks, relocation of our evening flag lowering and inspection ceremonies from the heat of the parking lot to shaded areas near the dining hall, and other adaptations to program areas like the stables. Meanwhile, our campers – your campers, are adapting, learning, growing, and having fun. Someday, they’ll tell stories about how tough they were when they were kids.
Three Sundays ago, Father Brian Barker was unable to make the trip to Camp to celebrate Mass. Our newly appointed bishop and former Camp Ondessonk camper, Bishop Godfrey Mullen, eagerly covered for him. His joyful, cheery presence was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Though we love it when our regulars – Father Brian, Father Steven Beatty, Father Levi James, or any other priest joins us for The Eucharist, we are hopeful Bishop Mullen’s schedule will allow him to visit again in the future. He’ll openly tell you he prefers the comfort of home over an open-air cabin in the Shawnee Forest. But I’m certain he would have made an excellent Camp Ondessonk counselor as a young man. He’s now here to serve and lead in a different way, and we are so very fortunate to have him, and likewise we are fortunate to have you!
Please keep Camp Ondessonk and its campers in your life for the rest of your life.
Sincerely,
Daniel W. King
Executive Director
PS. Camper space is still available for sessions 7, 8, and 9. Click here for registration information.
