Camp Finland 2020 Was Great Despite the Challenges
Despite the work it took to comply with all of the COVID-19 safety guidelines, Camp Finland did happen! It was in July instead of June, there were definitely fewer kids than usual, and staff wore themselves out somewhat with all the planning, but we did it! All in all, it was really fun!
It felt really good to have kids on the site and in the Center again. COVID forced us to think differently about activities with distancing and safety in mind (think: squirtgun painting, nerf gun tag, that kind of thing), and to have activities outside where the kids could spread out as much as possible. Teen Camp spent nearly all of their time outside. Sadly, we could not incorporate as much community involvement due to COVID concerns. We really missed our kite-flying volunteers and craft mentors! Fortunately, staff were very flexible and creative and worked hard to ensure that it was a quality experience for everyone.
What an outstanding group of staffpeople! Andrew Norcross, Jenna Pollard, Margaret Sager, and Robyn Char pulled off a beautiful week of Teen Camp with amazing activities and mentorship for the teens. Kenny Albrecht, Julia Littlewolf, Oliver Smith, Kyler Knaffla and Amber Lattin (4 of them are alumni of our Youth Program!) were our amazing Kids Camp staff, coming up with so many creative ways for kids to have fun together and remain distanced.
Our kitchen staff was also incredible: Nancy Anselment-Olson, Sandy Gunnink, and Heather Brown worked hard all week (and beforehand) to work out tasty and healthy meals and snacks and individually package everything for COVID-19 compliance and safety.
Big thank yous to all the folks who donated to support Camp: specifically Michele Stocke, Andrea Leabch, Wade Stromgren and Sue Rian, but there are many others who have donated over the course of the year in support of Camp and Youth Programming in general. Thank you all!
More big thank yous to all the folks who helped out with setting up and tearing down the giant tent: Ron Van Bergen, Dustin and Kelsie Williams, Gary Olson, Jeffrey Mitchell Jr, Blake Hawbaker, Jac Knife, Bob Nelson, Jared Conboy, Katee Ristuccia, Kenny Albrecht, Oliver Smith, and Kyler Knaffla. We could not have done it this year without that giant tent!
Teen Camp Slideshow
Everyone stay safe and healthy and we hope to see you at Camp Finland next year!
Many thanks to the Northland Foundation, DSACF Silver Bay Charitable Fund, Cliffs Foundation, and North Shore Collaborative for their ongoing support, as well as to the many community members who share their time and talents!
