September Newsletter!

For the September/October 2009 newsletter, please click here.

Summer Staff 2009 Video

There is a little slideshow montage of the summer staff 2009 if you'd like to take a look, please click here. A glimpse of all the fun memories being on staff has been!

It's over already?

The summer is not over yet but it is time for us to start thinking about September and the months beyond. Here is the first opportunity for you, your friends, and/or your family can rid yourself of any camp withdrawal post-summer months - Fall Work Weekend.

Our Fall Work Weekend is happening September 18-20th. This one is of particular importance because Diocesan Council (the group of people from the Diocese of BC that make big decisions) will be meeting at camp the weekend of October 2-4th. This is great as many of the people on Diocesan Council have never been to camp and we want to put our best foot forward. With that said, there will be a lot of cleaning, grooming, landscaping, painting, etc. We need YOUR help!


Our Christmas Youth Retreat is happening December 11-13th. The cost is $75 if you register before October 31st and $85 if you register afterwards. There is no requirement for you to bring a youth leader with you this year. As with all of the other years, registration has filled up quick and our spaces our limited! Speak to your youth leader about being the first to register 10 kids and get the St. Columba special. The theme will be "Heroes and Champions" but you'll actually have to be here to see what that's all about.

We have more things happening with camp all the time. Check out our upcoming events to find the latest.

"I LOVED EVERYTHING"

...has been written on many of the camper's evaluations after their week at camp and we're not even halfway through. With Girls' Camp and Boys Wilderness Camps coming to a close, we also look forward to the next couple of weeks with a jam packed Teen Camp, Family Camp, and Act Up Theatre Camp.

With campers stretching their faces to catch the marshmellow to the campers screaming their lungs off as they go tubing, I'm happy to report that our summer has been a blast thus far. A few snippets of things to enjoy if you haven't yet made it here this summer are the "Asian Sensation Dinner"

(image has been blurred to protect staff identities, but really...we still know who they are!)

to our inaugural 5+ year camper awards:

Kaitlynd (left) and Nicole (right)

you're guaranteed to enjoy what summer 2009 has to offer. There are still spaces in 7s 8s 9s, Sr. Coed #2, as well as Mini Adventures #1. Don't forget if you're looking to earn some valuable leadership experience we have our one week Crew program and three week Leader In Training program starting August 2nd. We hope to see you all here! Have a great rest of the summer everyone.

SUMMER CAMP NUMBERS UPDATE

Summer camp is filling up. Please stay posted to this blog for further updates on our registration numbers: (updated Aug. 6th - listed in percent full)

7s 8s 9s - 70%
Mini Adventures 1 - 30%
Sr. Coed #2 - 30%

LIT 2 - in progress
Crew 6 - in progress
Family Camp - in progress
Act Up Theatre Camp - in progress

Teen Camp - completed
Girls Camp - completed
Boys Wilderness - completed
Jr. Coed - completed
Sr. Coed #1 - completed
Crew 1/2/3/4/5 - completed


Crew 8 - FULL

Waitlists are being taken for all full sessions. Please call if you would like more information on our Crew or LIT leadership programs. Toll-free 1-866-946-3751.

2 FEATURE VOLUNTEERS

You might remember Kevin Carrigan and Suzanne Vander Wekken. They are coming to volunteer this summer and be a part of our awesome camp programs.

"Hello everyone! If you were around in summer 2007 you may remember me as I was the program director. This summer I am coming back especially to be a speaker for Girls Camp, which in my experience is hands down the greatest camp of the summer! I am excited to get to know all of you who are going to be there.

As a speaker I am especially looking forward to sharing with you some of my stories and things I have learned about God, His unbeatable love and how we can get to know Him in our day to day lives. Hopefully you will have some good questions and stories you can share with me too!


In the meantime, just a bit about me...I have just finished my degree in Recreation & Heath Education and am working on a Healthy Eating project at the University of Victoria. My favorite pastimes are talking with my friends, cycling, travelling (in this picture I am in Guatemala), eating chocolate, and taking photos of people having fun...so watch out for me behind a camera! See all you amigas in July! Suzanne aka Miss Pixie"

"I was the Program Director in 2006 and I love camp and the highlight of every summer for me is when I get to go to camp! I grew up in the suburbs of Vancouver and moved to "The Island" a few years ago. When I'm not at camp, you can find me in Duncan where I work at a church doing youth and music stuff. At teen camp this summer, we'll be having a blast playing wacky games, going tubing on the boat, and getting up to all sorts of chaos and fun!



As well, we'll be chatting about life and what it's all about. We'll be laughing, watching videos, and interacting with each other as we discuss the issues that are important to us as teenagers and young adults. I hope you'll plan on coming to teen camp this summer because it's going to be a blast! See you there!!! Kevin aka Slurpee"

OFFERING SUBSIDIES FOR SUMMER CAMP...

There was an article in the Cowichan Valley Citizen about the freeze on government subsidies for children attending summer camps. We would like to assist you in this difficult time to send your children to a place we know and understand to be of so much value - camp.

We still have vacancies in many of our weeks like the upcoming Jr. Coed for ages 9-11, July 5 - 10 and Sr. Coed 1 ages 11-13, July 12 - 17 . If you and/or family friends of yours would like to be a part of camp this summer, please consider Camp Columbia and we will do our best to subsidize the cost of attending summer camp!

Our camp office can be contacted toll free at 1-866-946-3751.

SPACES STILL OPEN - SUMMER CAMP

We have spaces open in all sessions for summer camp (except Boys Wilderness). Some camps are filling up faster than others. Don't miss your opportunity to be a part of camping tradition here at Camp Columbia. We have 62 years of camping excellence. We offer bursaries to those in need of financial assistance and welcome all ages to come and participate at camp.

If you have more questions, don't hesitate to contact our camp office toll free at 1-866-946-3751 or via email at admin@campcolumbia.com. We hope to see you here this summer!

JUNE NEWSLETTER!

For the June newsletter, please click here!

MEL & SACHI UPDATE 3

Mel and Sachi have arrived at Camp Columbia this May 24th safely, unfortunately they arrived via car from Victoria. If you didn't catch the previous updates they were unable to make the entire trip from Winnipeg to Victoria because their bodies fell prey to injury. They have been visiting the physiotherapist 2-3 times/week in the hopes they can complete their trip at the end of the summer from Thetis Island to Winnipeg! They will be riding throughout the summer up and down Vancouver Island to help complete some of the kilometres they promised you...

If you made a pledge towards their expedition and would like information or updates on their ride, please email eric@campcolumbia.com. Stay tuned for pictures! (they have misplaced their digital camera...)

MEL & SACHI UPDATE #2

The latest on Mel and Sachi is that they are resting their bodies back in Victoria due to the strain and pain of the trip. Both of them had knee problems and had difficulty moving their legs at the knees. If you know either of them at all, you would understand this decision is the last decision they wanted to make as their commitment to this has already been displayed through the time, money, planning, and effort undertaking this ride. As they described to me, "their bodies quit before their will".

They would like you all to know they plan to finish the total kilometers they originally planned on riding from Winnipeg to Thetis here on Vancouver Island. Not many people their age commit themselves so wholly to anything these days that this has been an encouragement and statement to many. Thank-you Mel and Sachi! We hope for a speedy recovery so you may return to riding your bikes...stay tuned for pictures.

MEL AND SACHI UPDATE

Mel and Sachi have started their bike ride from Winnipeg to Thetis Island. They are updating a separate blog when they get the chance. If you would like to keep track of their progress and see how they're doing, visit here or click on the link on the right-hand side!

WORK WEEKEND FUN!

We had a great work weekend with over 35 people in attendance between Friday and Sunday. Our old dock which was destroyed in winter storms was taken apart to be disposed of properly from a group of men from Port Alberni who worked tirelessly on the project (below):


Other main projects included the painting of Heneage doors and hallways, painting the benches outside, gardening and landscaping in and around Heneage, raking the leaves all over the site, burning the burn pile, painting interiors of cabins, and some upgrades to the Farside building. Thanks so much to all of the people who gave their time and energy into all the different projects around camp this last weekend. It was a fruitful time of fellowship and camp is looking very cared for because of the efforts donated this weekend.

WORK WEEKEND APRIL 17-19

Join the work weekend this April 17-19 for FREE. If you love camp and would love to help make the place beautiful, join us this weekend. There are jobs painting, cleaning, moving, burning, gardening, organizing and other things you can help out with. If you have specialized skills like carpentry or plumbing please let us know so we ensure your skills are put to use! We encourage you to bring your own tools if you would like. Registration is required. Please click here to register.

MOTHER'S DAY TEA - MAY 10

Mother's Day Tea
Date: May 10, 2009

Come and enjoy a beautiful afternoon at camp as a mother or with your mother (all other family members invited too). We will be serving English tea sandwiches, salads, and shortcakes.


Cost: $12 adults, $5 children
Click here for the poster

APRIL 2009 NEWSLETTER

APRIL 2009 NEWSLETTER! Click anywhere here.

JOIN THE TEAM...

....the Fundraising Committee team! This team is looking for members. If you would like to be involved in helping out with special events, take part in planning new initiatives and be a part of raising funds for camp, this is the committee for you. This is a working group. That means this group is DOING things. If you would like more information or would like to attend the next meeting to learn more about the happenings at camp and fundraising, please contact mrbenjohnson@gmail.com.

SACHI JOINS THE RIDE!

That's right, Sachi Ihara will be riding with Melanie Duckworth from Winnipeg to Thetis Island. Sachi has been a part of summer staff since 2004 and is coming back again this 2009!!!


Help support their ride and gather pledges to give Camp Columbia a longer and brighter future for children, youth and families to enjoy for ages to come. If you would like an updated pledge sheet, please click here!

SUMMER APPLICATIONS

February 28th, 2009 is the deadline on job posts and the website. However, if you downloaded the job application form the last page says March 10, 2006 which is obviously the incorrect date. We will continue to accept applications until March 10 just in case there was any confusion about 2006 & 2009. In the meantime, we are shortlisting applicants and will be calling qualified applicants for interviews over March 11 - 13th. If you require an answer sooner than the time period listed, please call us and let us know and we will do what we can to assist you! Thanks for your patience.

Melanie's Grand Bike Ride

Melanie Duckworth is a trooper. She will be riding her bicycle from Winnepeg, Manitoba to Chemainus, British Columbia this summer. This is 2408 km according to Google Maps and takes 1 day and 3 hours of DRIVING! (It doesn't give time estimates for bicycles.) Why is she doing this?

This spectacular feat is going to be accomplished because she believes in Camp Columbia. She believes in seeing young people come to know Christ in a meaningful way. She believes in forming lasting relationships with campers and with staff. She believes in the community, the family, and the brothers and sisters that are called to be at Camp Columbia. She believes this will help give Camp Columbia a better hope and future. She believes this furthers God's kingdom and she believes this will make a difference.

If you believe in the same things, please pledge to "Melanie's Grand Bike Ride". If you would be willing to work with her, gather pledges from your friends and neighbors. People can pledge for as little as ONE PENNY per KM up to $1 per KM. At the end of her ride, collect your pledges and mail the money in to "Camp Columbia - re: Melanie's Bike Ride". If you would like to make a pledge, please fill out the sheet for yourself and send your pledge by mail.

Pledge sheets can be downloaded by CLICKING HERE!

FEBRUARY 2009 NEWSLETTER

FEBRUARY 2009 NEWSLETTER! Click anywhere here.

FUNDRAISER DINNER FEB. 21ST

We are having Camp Columbia's 8th annual fundraiser dinner this February 21st, 2009 at the Olympic View Golf Course in Metchosin. Tickets are $50 and we are offering shuttle service from downtown Victoria to the golf course and back. If you are interested in purchasing a single ticket or a reserving a table of 8, email admin@campcolumbia.com for more information.

Click here for the poster.

SUMMER REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

The moment you've been eagerly anticipating is now here. Summer schedule is posted and registration is now open. If you would like to peek at our summer brochure, please click here. If you would like to go to the registration page, please click here.

If you have any questions about registration with the summer, email admin@campcolumbia.com or call toll free 1-866-946-3751.

Supporter for Camp!

Would you like to know how to support camp in 2009? Click here to view the supporter form, print it, and mail it in to camp. Every dollar that is donated towards camp is very needed and very appreciated!