LONG-TIME STAFF MEMBER, ISABELLE LINN, IS APPOINTED NEW PROGRAM COORDINATOR
By Judy Blase Woodruff
Isabelle Linn, from Washington, Ill., was introduced to Camp Ondessonk by her mother, who was a camper and summer staff member in the 1990s. Isabelle’s first year as a camper was in 2011 when she was just 10 years old. She was a camper every summer until 2015, often saving up to attend multiple weeks each summer. She was a C.I.T (now O.W.L) in 2016, an L.I.T. (now C.I.T) in 2017 and began as a paid staff member in 2018. She has worked every summer since (except for 2020 during the pandemic). She was an Outdoor Education Instructor in the fall of 2022 and worked two nine-month contracts in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons. She returned as a Senior Outdoor Education Instructor last fall and remained in that role until taking on her new position in February as Program Coordinator.
As a long-term Ondessonk staff member, she has experienced just about every area of Camp. During the summer season, Isabelle has held a variety of positions including Handicrafts Instructor, Summer Office Manager, Handicrafts Coordinator, Business Coordinator, Specialty Programs Coordinator, and Summer Program Coordinator when she oversaw all Traditional and Mini Camp Programs including activity areas, all-Camp programs, and Lodge. In addition to serving as an OE Instructor in the Education & Recreation Season, Isabelle has coordinated all in-school promotion efforts for the 2024 and 2025 promotions seasons.
Isabelle was inducted into Lodge in 2012 at age 11 years old. She became a Council Official for the Peoria Lodge Council in 2013 and remained in that position until she became a Lodge Official in 2018. Her proudest accomplishment from this time was the proposal, planning, fundraising, and building of the Wolf Lounge Hammock Village in memory of Devin Little – a close friend and Peoria Lodge member who passed. She was a Lodge Official in 2018-2019 and a Senior Lodge Official in 2019-2021. Since retiring as a Lodge Official, she has remained active as an advisor for current officials and within her roles as Specialty Program Coordinator and Summer Program Coordinator. She will continue to advise and oversee Lodge programming during the summer as Program Coordinator.
Isabelle has had an intentional and well-supported transition into her new role as Program Coordinator. This position supports the Program and Hospitality Director in the execution of the Outdoor Education Program during the school year. She will provide leadership, direction, training, and supervision of the OE program and seasonal instructors, serve as liaison to teachers, instructors, and administration with on-site school groups, create program schedules for staff and school groups and monthly staffing calendars that reflect the program’s needs, and manage logistics for programs and services.
During Summer Camp, she will facilitate day-to-day efforts, provide supervision for activity coordinators, create daily and weekly program schedules, and assure that all program areas have the proper staff, supplies, and resources.
In addition to her Ondessonk experience, Isabelle brings knowledge from her time working at Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center and with the Beau Grant Foundation S.O.S Kids Camp while earning a B.S. in Recreation Professions with a specialization in Outdoor Recreation Management and Leadership from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale.
When asked if she has time for hobbies, she replies, “I like to crochet and do various crafts, hike, sit around a campfire with friends, listen to music, or spend a cozy night reading or doing puzzles with my cat, Amelia.”
Isabelle states, “This summer will be my 15th summer at Camp, and I will have been living on site for three years in May. There are so many things I love about Ondessonk. Ultimately, I think it’s seeing and feeling the connections that are formed between people, with nature, and with oneself in this place that extend far beyond our 983 acres that makes the work I do here so rewarding. I am continuously growing here and know that with the support of those around me, I still have so much further to go.”
She goes on to say, “I’m excited to utilize my skills and experience within this new role to continue to serve Camp and its community.”
