Camp Edgewood Official Blog

So some of your youth went to Edgewood! Perhaps you would like to know how you can pick up where we left off.

Your kids are familiar with the following scripture passages and themes:

• Romans 8:19
• We are made in God’s Image, We have the power to upset the Earth balance – it is a big reasonability to care for the earth as God cares for us: Genesis 1:26-2:1

• God’s Covenant is with all of Creation, When we Break the covenant the Earth Suffers with us: Genesis 9:8-17
• When we abide by the teachings of Jesus we are “fruitful” and we keep life abundant on Earth, sometimes this means “pruning out” parts of our lifestyle and behaviours: John 15:1-8
• All of creation sings praises to God. When we participate in the balanced functioning of creation we Join in the Hymn of All Creation. The Spirit helps us hear this song. Psalm 19:1-4
• We are sent out to serve. Is serving God about the Stuff we have? What do we do if people discourage us? How do we meet creation’s “eager longing”  as we go out into the world we only need to carry with us God’s Love
• Most Importantly: GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE
• Scripture Campers know through song: Micah 6:8, Ephesians 4:32, Luke 10:27, Psalm 19:14
• Matthew 5:14 or John 1:5

Your Campers Participated in Daily:

• Bible Study and Faith Talk
• Nightly Devotions and prayer, as well as a Vespers service including, experiential worship, candlelight service, a stargazing service
• Acts of service and stewardship as Justice League (of justice)
• A Daily liturgy of the word – over the course of the week they learned to participate in a confession, Kyrie and creed.  They participated in worship and many helped to lead songs, skits, and prayers. They have learned basic responses (The Lord be with you… The word of the Lord…)

Your campers know many camp songs, but in particular they know these songs from Evangelical Lutheran Worship:

• Be Thou My Vision
• The Kingdom of God
• Jesus Remember Me
• Jesus Loves Me
• Lord Listen To your Children Praying
• The Lord Now Sends Us Forth
• Shine Jesus Shine
• Shout to the Lord
• They Will Know We are Christians
• To God Our Thanks We Give
• Touch the Earth Lightly
• We are Marching in the Light of God

If some of your youth were on Staff this summer they participated in and are comfortable with the following:

• Leading songs, prayers and worship as well as planning worship
• Participating in and leading bible study
• Lead Vacation Bible School Programing
• They have been trained and certified as Youth Development Professionals and have their First Aid Certification
• And most importantly they have been encouraged to ask questions!

Thank you for sharing your youth with us; We had a powerful summer. We look forward to continuing together in mission for others. Please see the statement below of how we see ourselves participating in this mission.

Peace and blessings this autumn,

Rebekah Ludolph and Nathan Mantey – Program Coordinators

And the Edgewood Staff

This summer at Edgewood we were Keeping the Earth! We spent our weeks exploring Romans 8:19 “For creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God!”. This lead us wrestle with how we see God in each other and creation, God’s covenant with us, what Jesus teaches us about living in community with creation and each other, and how God sends us out to use our gifts to spread this Gospel. Edgewood staff headed out to spread the good news too, leading Vacation Bible School in Waterloo, New Dundee, and Cambridge.

Keeping the Earth lead us to investigate different environmental issues each week with crazy Banquet themes, skits, documentaries and songs. Each day campers participated in Justice League, completing an activity that worked for benefit of the community and the environment – like feeding the chickens or finding worms for the composter. Staff and campers alike were even challenged to identify over 50 different plants and trees on Edgewood Property! Image that!

To view pictures and highlights from each week as well as biographies of this summers fabulous staff please follow this link: http://campedgewood.shutterfly.com/

We would especially like to thank all of our Volunteers, Chaplains, and Nurses this summer! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Love Edgewood Staff 2011!

Edgewood Staff Gear Up for a Powerful Summer

On a mission together!

Edgewood Camp and Conference Centre is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). The ELCIC has made the following mission statement that Edgewood is committed to upholding in the following (and many other) ways. This summer we have a diverse and dynamic summer team that will take part in this mission:

Compassionate Justice:

At Edgewood we strive to exist in right relationship with others in our community, creation, and the world. We teach children that they are loved and valued members of creation to be treated with respect and equality, and in turn we teach them how to live in right relationship and how to stand up for what they believe to be right and good.

Spirited Discipleship:

Summer camp is a form of discipleship that is spirited to say the least! At camp we strive to live out our faith in everyday actions in the way we exist in community with each other and nature. We do so with intention and enthusiasm. With daily devotional rituals we share this way of life with all who enter into camp.

Focus Framework:

Edgewood is a specific ministry, focusing on youth and children who pass through our program, in the setting of Eden Mills and in the congregations we visit. We practice compassionate justice and spirited discipleship within our financial and insurance based limits and pray for others to continue the journey beyond our capacities.

Diverse Faces:

At camp we receive campers from all background. Camp is a place where campers are to be treated as equals, despite, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, different abilities, or religion. As a Lutheran Camp it is our priority to respect traditional and religious differences and foster in each child a confidence in their value and worth as an individual, knowing that we, the Edgewood community love them for who they are and understanding that diversity itself is of value.

Effective Partnerships:

Edgewood partners with many organizations throughout the year who share with our goals. However, in the summer we partner with organizations such as local congregations, connecting camp to our greater church, child and family services, diverse faith groups, and religions as well as the local school board. These partnerships allow us, and our partners, to work towards being in mission for others in our diverse ways.

Please join us for a relaxing afternoon st Edgewood

By Judy Lindeman, Alumni Committee Chair and Board Member

Spring is here! When you think of Camp Edgewood, what kind of images come to your mind? Campfires, singing, canoeing, crafts, cabins, home in the woods, hiking, devotions, sleeping bags, retreats, nature, swimming, creek wading, worship, and most important of all, good friends!

This time of year, when I think of Camp Edgewood I think of tea cups, fancy sandwiches, flowered china, linens, tablecloths, and live music. Not guitars, but cellos and woodwinds and pianos. What? Camp Edgewood doesn’t bring those images to your mind too? At camp we usually eat on bare tables using sturdy but plain plates, we may scrape our plates after eating into a bucket (not exactly glamorous or fancy). At camp we get dirty and eat outside around a campfire swatting bugs away. Linens and pretty teacups are usually not what we envision, and in reality, are probably not practical.

But once a year in the spring, Camp Edgewood gets transformed into a fancy Tea House, complete with white tablecloths, tea cups, little sandwiches and sweets, flowers, and live music performed by some of the local talent in Eden Mills and surrounding area. Have you ever seen a cello or a woodwind quartet at Camp Edgewood? Well, I did last year at our first Spring Tea, which was a great success! Around 100 people came to celebrate Mother’s Day with our first Spring Tea, with many people making donations in memories of their Mothers, Grandmothers and other loved ones.

This year we are doing it again with another Spring Tea on Sunday, May 15, 2011. There will be two sittings from 12:00 – 1:30 pm and 2:30 – 4:00 pm. The cost is $10 in advance or $12 at the door and tickets are available through the camp. If the weather is nice you can tour around the camp and see what’s new, or just enjoy the trails and watch the plants coming alive in the spring. Come and join us and you will see that Camp Edgewood “cleans up well”! All monies raised at the tea will go towards our campership fund which helps campers attend camp who can’t otherwise afford it. Donations in memory or honour of loved ones will also be welcome.

Information and tickets: registrar@edgewood-camp.on.ca
Telephone: 519 856 9622

A Quiet Time
Christmas has come and gone. Come with a rush and rushing. Gone into Ephiphany, the season of light and giving, normally only remembered in the church.
At Edgewood, winter has settled in but the place remains busy.
This year our rentals are doing very nicely. This is because the camp provides a unique experience for those who can see beyond the dated facilities. Yes, some of the buildings, like Cedar Lodge, have some “retro” furniture and “retro” bath fixtures. But others, like Berner Hall, are slowly being upgraded and look almost new.
The battle continues, but with renewed vigor. Edgewood’s army of volunteers continues to make inroads into the items that need care and repair. They lovingly replace, restore and often refurbish items to give them new life. They keep coming back to help the camp fulfill its mandate and mission – to “welcome all to experience growth and development, year round, in the midst of God’s creation”.

Follow our listing of events posted and updated. Come to the men’s weekend to help repair many items in a single weekend. Come to the Spring Tea to enjoy the facilities and changing seasons. Come to bring your children to a camp experience they will never forget.

Winter – not normally a quiet time. But at Edgewood, where nature rules and time seems to move more slowly, winter is a time to reflect on the previous year and plan for the coming spring and summer seasons. Join us. Better yet, donate either your time or financial gifts to Edgewood. The quiet will soon give way to the wonderful sounds of children discovering God and his beautiful creation. Be a part of providing that continuation of the facilities so the experience will still be there to be shared.

Norma Yau, Secretary, Edgewood Board

We are busy at Edgewood with snow shoveling, students preparing for winter break and designing our Summer 2011 Programs.

We have 19 Community Environmental Leadership students and 25 Headwaters students here everyday during the week. These students bring a great deal of fun and energy to Edgewood.

Below is an overview of some of our camps.

Our one week camps are packed with activities and fun; swimming ,cook outs, sleep outs, canoeing, campfire, crafts, environmental games and projects, archery, hikes, low ropes, theme events,  cooperative and wacky games.  This summer our theme is ”Keeping the Earth”.   

Day camp begins each morning at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. Campers eat both breakfast and lunch at camp. We vary activities from week to week as many campers enjoy more than one week of Edgewood Day Camp.  Games, swimming , crafts, nature study, camp fire lunches, and more fill up summer days.  Our worship and study theme this summer is  “ Keeping the Earth”.  We’ll be practising good earth keeping in Edgewood’s 56 acre back yard, and send campers home with skills and values to keep your backyard green too!

Teen Camp is two great weeks of practicing camp skills, developing  leadership potential, accomplishing projects, camping out, and all the Edgewood memories that come with the experience of living, working and learning together. Teen camp always works on a project the let’s you leave your mark on Edgewood. Last year’s was a wood fired cob oven that we use for baking bread, pizza, and more. This year’s project will be a solar pre-heater  to keep the showers warm and the fuel bills down. Bring your  work gloves, back pack, hiking gear, and a spirit of adventure – we’ll be busy camping, working, learning, growing, and “Keeping the Earth”.

 VET Camp is growing!  This camp is for teens who have finished the confirmation program at their churches, may have participated in Edgewood’s Confirmation camp, and are looking for more Edgewood fun, and opportunities to learn and get involved.  The program has a leadership focus and will encourage campers to teach, play and lead the important work of “Keeping the Earth”.   

Saugeen River Trip   (ages 13-15)     Maximum 8 campers

August  1-5, 2011

The Saugeen River in Grey and Bruce Counties flows through woods, farmland, and small towns. It passes high bluffs and flows over old dams. Its water and valley are home to a wide variety of fish, water creatures, and other wild life.  At times it seems to be in the middle of wilderness, but it’s never far from home or human activity.  It’s a great place to learn about our task of “ Keeping the Earth.”   We’ll meet in Hanover on Monday evening and canoe to Lake Huron by Friday afternoon.  Along the way we’ll learn about drinking water and sewage treatment, visit a fish ladder, meet with the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority and the Saugeen Field Naturalists.  We’ll camp in a new spot along the river every night, swim, fish, talk, float, hike , sing, explore, and enjoy a great river camping trip.

 More information will be coming about our summer camps

We are now accepting applications for summer jobs

Hey there blog readers!  My name is Bethany and I will be updating this blog a few times throughout the summer.  Our theme here at Edgewood this summer is “Just for Life”.  We will be exploring concepts of justice through activities such as “World Food Facts Day”, through chapels, and through our daily bible studies.

First and foremost I want to introduce you to the awesome staff we have here at Edgewood this year…!

Also- To view the summer 2010 pictures visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/51967300@N07/?saved=1

PROGRAM STAFF

Nathan
Texas-born, Nathan grew up in Portland, Oregon.  He came to love the Douglas Fir forests and mountain sea air of his west coast home.  Following his passion for the outdoors, he worked for two summers at Camp Lutherwood in Oregon– once as a counselor, then as program coordinator, and is very excited to be joining the Edgewood team.

Nathan attended St. Olaf College, a liberal arts university in Minnesota, graduating with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Environmental Studies.  He spent a semester studying in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, by far the best semester of his life.  He has not since recovered.

To be honest, Nathan is rather poorly adjusted to society, or at least to the status quo North American lifestyle.  He rages against bottled water and CAFTA, apathy and bananas.  He is passionate about justice, community, simple living, and ecology.  He seeks to be a servant.  Nathan  admires such disciples as Shane Claiborne, Oscar Romero and Francesco of Assisi.  Nathan rarely watches television, choosing to spend the time in a book instead.  Howard Zinn and Marcus Borg are next on his reading list.

There’s no denying it, Nathan is weird.

Nathan hopes that God will use his gifts to bless and serve the Edgewood community– campers, colleagues, and caddisflies.

Rebekah
This year’s Kitchen and Environmental Program Leader, Rebekah Ludolph, is a graduating student at Wilfred Laurier in Global studies and English. having just returned from studying French in Trois-Pistoles, Quebec, she cannot wait for this summer to begin so that she can share in the Edgewood community for yet another summer! Rebekah loves good clean dirt, a good book, experimental cooking, making music, eating good food with good friends, and exploring God’s passion for social and environmental justice. Through her travels in Central America and study of Canadian Liturature at Laurier, Rebekah has come to see that the daily choices we make, from choosing our food wisely, to turning off our lights,  can transform the world for the better. This summer Rebekah is looking forward to creatively working for justice at Edgewood with campers and staff, in the garden, in the kitchen, in worship, and in relationships.

Bethany
Inspired by organic vegetable gardens, tall trees, friends, and bicycles- Bethany has been exploring the concepts of social and environmental justice since high school.   In the past few years she has taken time off school to learn spanish, work, and live in Mexico, central america, and various parts of the US.   In 2008, she took an internship on an organic farm in South Florida, followed by a research position gathering oral stories in Bay St. Louis , Mississippi about the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on the community. In 2009 she studied in Mexico, and then volunteered in Honduras at an orphanage, where she will be returning in September before beginning a one year college program in Organic Agriculture.  She is a a writer, a poet, musician, and avid gardener.   At camp you can find her singing lullabies to children in tents, riding around on her bicycle, and trying her best to keep everything running smoothly!  Edgewood is one of her most favourite places on the planet which is why she is back this summer to create community and help kids have an amazing time at camp!

Alex
Hi, this is my second year returning to Edgewood and I will be the Head Lifeguard for the summer.  I will also be running the canoe programs and any other water related activities.  My favourite hobbies include reading railroad folk stories and paddling the mighty Eramosa River in inflatable dinghies.  I am in my 3rd year of study at the University of Western Ontario and when I grow up I would like to be a lobster.

Megan

Dear friends: My name’s Megan and I’m currently going into my 4th year at Laurier for Communications and Psychology. People here call me a lifer – this is my 4th summer working here at Edgewood and I’ve gone to this camp ever since I was little. This year instead of being a counselor I’m the daycamp coordinator and the program assistant. My passion in life is dance which I just recently began doing again. You’ll know me by my crazy Taylor Swift hair and apparently never-ending smile. My philosophy on life is “WELLLL YA WIN SOME YA LOSE SOME FRIENDS” which I’m 100% sure you will hear every two seconds! I’m super super excited to be here again this summer and can’t wait to see some of you oldies again and to meet all you new campers out there! Peace out friends! Love, Megan <3

LIFEGAURDS
Maddie
I was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario.  I am going into my last year of high school at John F. Ross in the French immersion program.  Since the age of 8 I have competed in the sport of synchronized swimming.  This has allowed me to travel to places all over Ontario, and Canada, and have even had the chance to travel to California and Aruba.  Over the last few years I have been lucky enough to become involved in the coaching aspect of the sport.  I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, as well as my dog Eva.  I will be joining the lifeguarding team at Camp Edgewood this summer and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the staff at Edgewood.  I look forward to the fun and exciting summer that awaits us.  See you at the pool!

SarahHey my name is Sarah. I just graduated high school, where I played a lot of sports my passion is rugby.  I’ve won PRA from my school team, and Allstar team for Waterloo Region.  This is my second summer at Edgewood, and I’m a lifegueard.  I like the game two truths and a lie.  Let’s play:

my favourite shape is a triangle, I like eating fish, I snore when I sleep.  What’s the lie ?!  Summer 2010!!

Tori
My name is Tori.  I enjoy being active and enthusiastic, and love being outside.  The pool is the greatest spot in the summer and I am very excited to be a part of the new Edgewood Staff.  My dream is to be a teacher and/or a writer.  My favourite food is strawberries, and my favourite colour is yellow.

KITCHEN STAFF

Andy (stay tuned for more info.!) Our fabulous head cook

Brittany (stay tuned!) Assistant head cook

Valarie
My name is Valerie and this summer I am working in the kitchen preparing food and cleaning up. I live and grew up in Eden Mills and I used to go to Camp Edgewood when I was a kid. This year I am graduating from high school (John F. Ross in Guelph) and after that I will be taking a year off to work, apply to universities for art, and I may be participating in the Katimavik program. In my free time I enjoy being outside, hiking, climbing, camping, canoeing, making things, drawing, painting, cooking and reading.

Kirin
My name is Kirin and I’m 16 years old I go to J. F. Ross C.V.I. in Guelph .  I like playing all different sports including hockey, baseball, basketball and ping pong.  In my spare time  I enjoy playing guitar and hanging out with friends.  This summer at Edgewood, I will be working in the kitchen and also doing maintenance.

COUNSELORS
Christina
Hey my name is Christina Peloso and I am super excited to be a camp counsellor for yet another great summer at Edgewood! I’ve lived in Eden Mills for 12 years and have loved the camp since I came as a camper. I’m the second oldest in a family with 6 kids and have always enjoyed working with children. I love singing , playing the guitar, dance and drama. I like pretty much every camp activity but my favourites are canoeing, crafts, swimming and finding turtles in the pond. In the fall I will be starting my first year at the University of Guelph in the Arts and Sciences program and will be studying biology and social sciences. This summer is going to be tons of fun! Peace and love

Scott
Scott Malloch is a free spirit who comes from a lengthy background of student leadership and dramatic arts. He can be found around camp connecting with nature (sometimes to the point of carrying a conversation with a bug or tree) or trying to make a joke, most times to the disdain of the campers and staff. Hailing from New Hamburg, Ontario, this small-town young man will use his many gifts (and sometimes his array of costumes) to help everyone enjoy a fun and safe summer together while growing in our faith. Although he tries his best to be a fun character, he holds the highest respect for rules and regulations, and will not stand for any sort of negative tom-foolery. Scottie says, “Let’s make this summer TOTALLY AWESOME!”

Addie
My name is Addie Thomson and I am a counsellor at camp this year! I just graduated from John F. Ross in Guelph, where I was heavily involved in the music and drama programs. I play the flute and I’m in the slow process of learning bass guitar. I love nature walks, and I usually try to bring a camera to capture the wildlife I come across. Although I’m no all-star, I’m a huge soccer fan. I plan to take a couple years off from school to go travelling; England is the first on my list! I’m hoping to live there for a while and visit all of my family again. Being a camp counsellor is a new experience for me and I am so excited to take on the challenge.
See you soon!

Cameron
Hello my name is Cameron McDowell and if your lucky i may just be your counselor for a week or more here at Edgewood. I have just finished grade 12 and will be heading to the University of Guelph in September for Criminal Justice and Public policy. I am a proud member of the foot taller than Jill Club standing up to a good old 6 foot 4″.  In school I was heavily involved in the dramatic arts and announcement club where I learned and developed by booming voice. I have performed in such little know school productions as “The plot like gravy thickens”, “Liver for Breakfast” “Gretchen”, I have even writen my own play. Looking forward to meeting all you crazy kids this summer.

Vicky
My name is Vicky Roth and I am a counselor this summer at Edgewood.  I had so much fun last year and am very excited that God has led me back to Edgewood for my second summer.  I am the youngest out of 4 children and have 2 sisters and a brother.  My favourite colour is ORANGE and I love wearing my orange flip flops.  Just recently I bought a orange water bottle which I love and can’t wait to use at camp! .  My favourote camp food is grilled cheese and chocolate pineapple cake .  I love swimming and canoeing at camp (as i also have my lifeguarding) and playing camp wide games.  My favourite camp song is the toast song and I love singing in chapel.  I love playing sports especially basketball, volleyball, and badminton!  I hope to one day go into a career in science working as a food scientist/engineer.

Stephanie
My name is Stephanie Hoey.  I live in Brampton, and attend Augsburg Lutheran Church.  I like to play lots of sports like volleyball, basketball, baseball, swimming, football, and soccer.  I taught myself how to play the guitar, and I love the rain.  I love to exercise, to keep in shape.  I love country music, and T.V series like N.C.I.S, Gilmore Girls, and Friends.  My favourite movie is Ladder 49.  I love the outdoors, but I have never been camping in a tent.  I am in a drama program at school, and love warm weather.  I love all animals, but my favourite is a dolphin.  I am scared of seaweed, and some spiders.  I love the summer, and the winter.  I like to travel, because I like to see the world.  I love campfires because they allow me to see the changes in life with the way the fire moves.  I am looking forward to being a camp counsellor this summer to give kids the same experience and memories that I had when I was a camper here.

Ben
Hey hey kids!  My name is Benjamin Dmytero and am 18 years old.  I just finished high school and am planning on pursuing a career in human services well enough about me what’s new with you?  LOL “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” -Ghandi/ Ben Dmyterko

Talon
My name is Talon. I’m 18 years old.  I’m a kind guy who loves to play sports, I enjoy Romance films and sometimes tend to shed a tear.  I’m studying to become a fireman.

Counselors In Training (CITs)
Jonathan
My name is Jonathan.  I am a CIT this summer at camp Edgewood.  I’m 16 years old.  I enjoy and play hockey.  I love sports also love guitar and have been playing for 7 years now.  I am a musical and out going person.  I am going into grade 11 and I got to St. James Catholic High school in Guleph.

Vanessa
My name is Vanessa I’m 17 years old, and I just finished grade 12 at Huron Heights Secondary School in Kitchener.  I love to read fiction novels, and write in my spare time.  I’ve been attending Camp Edgewood since I was very young, and now have decided to return as a CIT I hope to become a counsellor next summer, because I love working with kids.  And let’s face it… all summer at Edgewood?  Sounds perfect to me.  My favourite thing about camp is how separated I feel from the rest of the world when I’m here.  “When you’re young everything feels like the end of the world.  But it’s not, it’s only the beginning.” – Zac Efron, 17 again

VOLUNTEERS
Ada
My name is Ada, I’m 17 years old.  I’m a volunteer from Germany and I will stay here on Edgewood Camp this summer.  I like most kinds of sport I’m a total summer person.  When I return to Germany I will go to 12 in German High School.  This summer I will spend some time in the kitchen and also with the kids.  I hope I will have a great time here and we will have a lot of fun and good weather,

Hello. A new feature on the Edgewood website. Blogs.
Welcome to Edgewood Camp and Conference information, pictures and events. Through the blog we hope you will meet some of the people that help to keep Edgewood going. Pastor Fred has posted some interesting insights on the website, but we thought you might like to hear from other people who love and cherish Edgewood.
I have been on the board of directors for about 5 years. I live in London, Ontario so have quite a distance to travel for meetings.
I attended Edgewood as a teen through my church youth group. We used to visit “Camp Edgewood” as it was known then, for the Labour Day weekend. We would have 3 days of food, fun, games, hikes, Bible studies, and services before closing the camp on the Monday afternoon and heading home for school the next day. I actually am one of the lucky people who ate in the “old” mess hall. We had lots of fun in that place – eating, playing games on the benches, and seeing skits and singing songs.
Edgewood in those days was an oasis and after many years away, (I visited my sister once in my 20’s as she was a cook for 2 years) I joined the board because I thought I could help support the camp. There have been a lot of changes.
But the spirit and oasis part of Edgewood remains. There are many people who camp, sleep, retreat, walk through or just visit for one day. Some do not come back but most wonder at the tranquil nature of the paths, the beautiful water features, and the varied plants and animals that can be found. What they do not marvel at are the facilities. They are almost as old as the camp.
Watch this site for more postings from my fellow board members. We hope you enjoy learning about what goes on behind the scenes at Edgewood. But more importantly, we hope you visit Edgewood Camp and Conference Centre soon.

Jumping in the Pool!

“Go Edgewood!!!! This is a fantastic idea and Edgewood Camp is the hub of the Eden Mills community for the many children and youth in the village. You have my vote and I will spread the word!!!!” – Michelle S

It’s back-to-school time and that means that our summer camp season has come to a close! Edgewood would like to thank all those who participated in our summer program – staff, campers, parents, volunteers, chaplains, and all those who helped make summer 2009 great!

Here is a little recap of what we did at Edgewood this summer:

We explored what it means to Love to Serve at camp in 2009, which included some fantastic worship experiences, sing-songs, games, bible study and Edgewood’s new challenge – Acts of Green! Cabins were encouraged to do acts of green every day – whether it be turning the light off when they left the room, to turning off the taps in the washroom while you brush your teeth, to picking up some garbage, to being kind to nature and animals on nature hikes or at home-in-the-woods. This really helped us all strive to something little every day to help ‘love to serve’ God’s creation.

Edgewood also introduced some really great games and activities this year, such as shaving cream fights, the Edgewood E-lympics (environmental olympics), and the mystery pillowcase game! We also had fun playing intense ‘capture the cowboy boot’ (a twist on the original capture the flag), ‘storm the castle’ water games, and some classics like giant twister and counsellor hunt!

Teen Camp had a blast this during their trip to Rockwood conservation area for a few days! This trip helped them form some leadership skills in camping and cooking out but also let them have a bunch of fun exploring Rockwood’s caves and trails. Both Teen Camp and CIT’s even built their own collapsible wooden chairs – including all the sawing, hammering, and construction!

The CIT program is *the* place to be for campers who’ve come to camp before and want to return as they get older, but also for teens who’ve never been to camp and are interested in a leadership program. The CIT group was a big one this year but each and every one of them stood out and offered something different to the group. They had great energy and enthusiasm for camp, and really made connections with their campers. Way to go CITs!

Overall, summer 2009 was a great camp season filled with laughter, fun, learning, and memories that will last a lifetime. Edgewood wishes you a great year to come and we hope to see you all back for summer 2010 – our big anniversary year!

Canoeing on Edgewood Pond!

The A-Team (action team) leads songs!

Shaving Cream Fight!!

Teen Camp at Rockwood caves!

Jumping in the pool!

Giant Twister!

Crayfishing!

Candlelight Service