New Employee Spotlight
Kerstie Phillips, a native of Pinckneyville, Ill., currently resides in Eddyville. She previously owned a photography business, but most recently worked at Lifetouch School Photography as a traveling school photographer. As you can imagine, photography is now one of her hobbies, and she loves to capture the beauty of nature through her camera lens.
Kerstie has discovered many trails around Camp with the help of Evan Coulson. She exclaims, “Hogg Bluff is beautiful!” When asked what she likes best about working at Ondessonk, she says, “Definitely the people and the atmosphere – it’s very positive. I am excited to come to work, and I never leave in a bad mood. I am excited for summer!”
In October 2023, she embarked on a career as the Food Service Assistant at Camp Ondessonk, becoming an integral part of Camp’s team. Her responsibilities include aiding in the food preparations for summer campers, school groups, specialty weekend gatherings, and other guests, while assisting the Food Service Director with many tasks. Kerstie has a solid background in food service, as she, at one time, was a food service trainer for Freddie’s Restaurant.
Beyond her professional commitments, Kerstie is a bookworm and owns more than 300 books – all of which she has read! Her most cherished moments, however, are spent with her four children, whom she treasures deeply.
Angela Vietmeier, born in Brooklyn, N.Y., is a veteran of the Navy Reserves as an electronics tech. She is a Certified Horsemanship Association instructor and owns a small grooming business in Creal Springs. She currently is in school full-time to pursue a degree in equine medicine.
Angela is the new Housekeeper at Ondessonk tending to the rooms in St. Noel and The Fournie Lodge, ensuring that visitors are met with super clean rooms. At first, Angela was nervous about working at Camp as she had never been to Ondessonk before her interview. But she has found that her role has underlying benefits. While “flipping” the rooms, she has the opportunity to pray for the next guest who comes to Camp to rest on the beds she has made. Her favorite thing about working at Camp is the other staff. She states, “Everyone has been so helpful and pleasant to work with!”
She currently resides in Creal Springs with her six-year-old daughter, four horses, three dogs, a cat, and seven chickens! Her fragile start to life; being born at 26 weeks, weighing 1.5 pounds, and 13 inches long, has not kept her from doing what she loves. She enjoys anything with horses, most things arts and crafts, and she is in the process of pursuing a life of homesteading in small increments.
When asked if she would like to share anything else about herself, Angela quickly says, “My favorite bible verse is First Corinthians 13:4-5 that describes love in the following ways: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
Click here to learn more about employment opportunities at Camp Ondessonk.