Spring 2015 Outdoor Education Season

After a long, cold, and snowy winter, we are finally arcing toward the sun once again and the 2015 Spring Outdoor Education Staff is ready to begin another busy season.  Camp is delighted to welcome Greg Fox, Cassie Roy, and Ally Sheehan to the Ondessonk Outdoor Education Staff; and Lauren Lilly has stepped up into her new role as Equestrian Coordinator.

We have just completed our annual Summer Camp promotional campaign, which was organized by our wonderful Program Coordinator, Olivia Hammond.   We visited over 175 schools in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky from January through March.  We all owe a huge Heepwah to Olivia, Ian Standard, Patrick Moseley, and Tony Vrooman for their tireless efforts and enduring long days traveling on the road to ensure 2015 is the best summer ever!

The first annual Maple Sugarin’ Weekend was a huge success, despite the weather.  All 15 participants had a great time and all had a hand in creating their own bottle of Camp Ondessonk Maple Syrup to take home and enjoy.  We are thrilled to be able to include this as a sustainable event into Camp’s year-round culture.

Camp Ondessonk is blessed to be able to continue its mission of inspiring growth through nature year round to thousands of kids of all ages from across the region.  Camp will be hosting many groups throughout the spring, including school groups, scout groups, spiritual and teambuilding retreats, and Road Scholars.  Our school groups are the core of our outdoor education program season; coming to us from Belleville, Evansville, St. Louis, Paducah, and the local area.  We are also excited to be hosting nearly 40 Road Scholars from across the US and Canada who come to Camp for unique, intimate experiences exploring Southern Illinois on foot, on horseback, or in a canoe.  Our Specialty Weekends and events are always a great way to keep Camp in your life throughout the year, and we are looking forward to our annual Father-Son Weekend, Spring Lodge Reunion, and Stable Round-Up in April,  and our two Open Houses in May.  Even with all the great events going on at Camp Ondessonk this spring, there are still plenty of chances to come to Camp for beautiful solitude if you want to just get away, sleep in a treehouse, and enjoy the most beautiful place on Earth.  Give us a call to reserve a unit for the weekend and bring the whole family!

Spring 2015 Outdoor Education Season By Greg Santen Program Director