Monthly Archives: July 2020

August Parent News

Hey Island Lake families!  I hope you’re all having a wonderful summer.  It’s still so sad and unfortunate that we aren’t up at camp with our happy campers watching them create beautiful friendships, learning and enjoying our fantastic activities, and making wonderful memories to last them a lifetime.  I know you all quickly had to scramble to find alternate summer plans for your children.  I hope it worked out well for you and that most importantly, you’re all remaining healthy!

We’ve been doing our best to stay in contact with our campers via Zoom activities that we are running 3 times per week.  Although we are getting a nice turnout, we’d still love to see even more campers join us.  This week we had Magic with Bill, Theater Games with Corie, and Cooking with Dave.  Please share the emailed links to these Zoom activities with your children so they can all participate and have some good ol’ fashioned virtual camp fun.  Next week we will offer Magic with Bill, Art with Poppy, and Pioneering with Gramps.  Again, please share these Zoom links with your children so they can all participate.

I have to say, it doesn’t even really feel like summer since we aren’t all up in Starrucca together.  It’s hard to believe that if we were at camp, we would already be into our 2nd session.  We would have already had some milestone events such as Visiting Day and Changeover Day.  Soon we’d be breaking out into our annual tradition of Color War!  3 days of pure fun as we would break up the camp into 2 teams, themes to be revealed at the moment Color War broke.  We’ll just hold on to those themes for next summer, not to worry.

I miss your children so much this summer.  Seeing what a summer is like without ILC has made me appreciate my home away from home even that much more.  I know this year will fly by and I truly truly hope that we will be able to safely reunite at ILC once again next summer.  Let’s send some good vibes all around to make sure that summer 2021 gets here safely and gets here quickly.  Until then, ILC U THERE!!!

Island Lake Camp Trivia Game

Do you know your ILC’s trivia? Test your knowledge with today’s game! Answers at the end.

  1. What year was Island Lake Camp founded?
    A. 1980
    B. 1968
    C. 1986
    D. 1979
  2. What was the Color War theme for 2019?
    A. 50’s vs 60’s
    B. Horror vs Comedy
    C. Wonderland vs Oz
    D. Disney vs Nickelodeon
  3. Who says ‘Good morning everybody!”
    A. Dustin
    B. Wendy
    C. Chris 
    D. Matt
  4. What do we call lunches with DJ Wendy?
    A. Music Lunch
    B. Music Party
    C. Lunch Party
    D. Music Hour
  5. Cooking at ILC is called?
    A. ILC Chefs
    B. The Bistro
    C. ILC PopUp
    D. Cooking Camp
  6. How do we end the summer each year?
    A. Campfire
    B. Bunk dreams
    C. Bunk wishes
    D. Bunk journals
  7. What gift do you receive when you’ve attended camp for 5 or 10 years?
    A. ILC “5-year hat” and “10-year hat”
    B. ILC “5-year jacket” and “10-year jacket”
    C. ILC “5-year flag” and “10-year flag”
    D. Camp“5-year blanket” and “10-year blanket”

 

 

 

 

 

Answers:

  1. C
  2. C
  3. D
  4. A
  5. B
  6. C
  7. B

Brighten Your Day: Stories from the Island Lake Camp Community Pt. 2

We can’t believe the outpouring of messages and memories our camp community has shared with us these past few weeks. Reading them puts the biggest smiles on our faces! Here are more stories from our campers, alumni, and camp parents!

“I always tell people that Island Lake made me who I am in so many ways. To have the kind of independence that camp allows for at such a young age helped me develop a sense of self you just don’t get at home or at school.

I wasn’t your typical camper success story. For the first few years, I’d cry in the bathroom on a nightly basis because I was so homesick. Going to camp was always preceded by weeks of anxiety, but I kept choosing to go back. I loved the format of activities that allowed me to build my own summer, and the kinds of things I had access to like a horse barn, a fully functioning circus, and a water skiing lake. I loved the community of kids and counselors and would pride myself on how many people I could get to know each session. Ultimately, it was worth the challenge of leaving my family and the comforts of my home for weeks at a time to experience all of these things.

Of course, with time the crying on my way to camp was replaced by crying when I had to leave. Tear stained notes from my parents buried in my luggage upon arrival were replaced with bus notes that I would keep close to my heart all throughout the school year. I became a ride or die Island Laker who grew from camper to CIT to counselor to a department head. Even now as a distant alumnus, I still get a rush of excitement when I picture myself walking up Island Lake Road.

On top of all this, the camp I selected when I was 9 years old led me to my husband and is, technically, the reason I have the beautiful family that I have today. After years away from camp I reconnected with Lisa Lee on a visit to ILC one summer. It was Lisa who invited me to join her kickball league that fall and who introduced me to Billy. The rest, as they say, is history. We have two beautiful girls who I hope can walk down Island Lake Road themselves one day.” – Emily S., alumni (attended 10 years)

“ILC is by far the best time of the year for my son and I. He loves skating with Dan, swimming with Dylan or acting with Cory! I’m one of the nurses so whether it’s a Med call or getting awakened at 0200 for someone with a fever it is definitely a good experience. Serving the campers or staff is a real pleasure! Matt and Wendy are great leaders and we can’t wait for 2021 and the next Pickleball championship!!” – Kevin W., camp parent and staff

“ILC is the first camp that I went to and it was such a great experience for me as a Chinese kid to attend. At first, it was really hard to communicate with my bunkmate but everyone helped me so much and I really appreciate that! And this is probably why I took a 17 hours flight to the US again the second year to see all my friends in ILC. It has been 3 years since I last visited ILC. I really miss everyone there – I miss the Color War, I miss Sour patch a lot as well (oops). I’m preparing for university now and I hope at some point I will be able to visit there again!” – Sally X., alumni (attended 2 years)

“I packed my bags for Island Lake, an eager 18 years old looking to get some experience. Little did I know that 5 amazing summers later because of these experiences I found a career I love. I’ll always cherish those summers and the memories, and hopefully can return one day to my second home.” – Alex M., staff (5 years)