A summer of firsts

Campers
breathe life into a camp and our campers left us filled with a sense of
joy as well as of gratitude for getting to know them and hope for the positive
impact camp made on them. We know that the campers met new friends,
experienced many firsts: swimming, horseback riding, climbing in the high
ropes, vegetarian lasagna, flying down the zipline, canoeing, dumping a
sailboat, sleeping away from their families and finding a new camp family.

Wherever you have a counsellor, you have a camp
You don’t need a lake or
cabins, a campfire or a dock. Camp isn’t about stuff, it’s about people and
spirit. An empty parking lot, an airport waiting room, the forest--wherever it
is, counsellors can bring campers together around a task and have fun at the
same time.

One tradition we have at Wilvaken happens during the second to last
night. We have a campfire, accompanied by lots of songs and guitar
playing (of course!). Once it gets dark out, we send the campers cabin
by cabin down to the beach. In silence, they follow a candle-lit path
through the woods so that they may reflect on their time here. There are
always tears, hand-holding, and hugs. As they make their way down to
the beach, a final tune is heard through the trees. Words written by a
staff member years ago who tried to capture the essence of Wilvaken.
“Now it's time to say our goodbyes and part in different ways. Don't
forget all our great times that we had day after day. And to all the
campers here, I think you all know what I mean when I say that we are
not just friends, but a great big family.”