By Sarah May
Sarah May is working with Camp to collect stories and memories of the Camp Arcadia experience all season long. She has seen that everyone has a Camp story to tell – no matter whether they’re a generational guest or a first-time camper! Sarah lives in Arcadia, MI, with her husband Chip and their three children.
"To serve means to minister, to love and care for others, and to recognize in them the heart of God.”
One of Camp’s core values is being a good neighbor and looking for ways to partner with, encourage, and engage with the Arcadia community. This summer, the Morning Youth Program is living out this value by participating in community service projects each week. Every Tuesday, the 6th-12th grade campers venture out into the community to serve in a variety of ways. They have helped out at Trinity Lutheran Church, the Arcadia Community Center, and throughout the town. Whether it has been washing the fire trucks or weeding gardens, the campers have made a real difference with their efforts.
Inspired by the morning youth program theme of “Mending God’s World,” Stephanie Jass, Program Director, works closely with Chelsea Chapin, Community Coordinator at Trinity Lutheran Church to coordinate these projects. Chelsea Chapin shares, “Working with Steph and the youth program campers has been a huge blessing to our congregation and community! While our church has directly benefited from the hard work these teens have demonstrated over the last month, for me the most exciting part is being able to send the campers into Arcadia to help with tasks in and around town. Every single one of the partners we have teamed up with to find meaningful projects for the campers has glowing reviews of the youth and their work.”
Karen Pakula, a community volunteer, echoed this sentiment by saying, “We so appreciate all their help. The campers weeded, swept, and picked up debris on the tennis court near Finch Park making it look great and ready for the Children’s Activities during Arcadia Daze Weekend. With so many helpers, we were able to finish the project in less than an hour which would have normally taken my husband and I a few days to accomplish. Thank you Camp Arcadia!”
Program staffer Lauren Olds, accompanies the middle school aged campers on these service projects. She loves seeing the energy and enthusiasm that the campers bring with them out into the community. Lauren shares, “The campers benefit from learning more about the town and getting to know the people who live here. Also, the campers make it fun and enjoy the time to interact with each other while serving together.”
“I’ve enjoyed the service projects this summer. Even when we were scrubbing tables at the church, we made it fun. It has given me a chance to meet new people from the community,” said Micah Goldstein, 8th grade camper.
To prepare the campers for the outings, the program staffers perform a short skit prior to heading out into the community. Stephanie Jass explains, “The skit highlights the importance of service. It tells the story of the daughter of the owner of a fix it shop, who decides to volunteer at a local retirement home. She uses her talent of fixing things to be a blessing to the older adults who are not able to come to the shop. Following the skit, we talk about how Jesus used his hands to heal and serve others. Then, we send them off into the community to use their hands to be useful to the Arcadia community. Each week, I am inspired by how the kids dive into their projects with such servant hearts.”
The service projects will continue until the end of Camp’s Family Week retreats. Chelsea Chapin adds, “We are looking forward to the second half of the summer and continuing to partner with Camp Arcadia to serve as Jesus’s hands and feet in our community!”
In addition to the community service projects, Camp Arcadia also builds goodwill with the town by hosting the annual town dinner at the beginning of the season. All Arcadia residents are invited to this event, which raises funds for the Arcadia Community Center. This year, the community center received over $21,000 from the dinner.
Chip May, Executive Director, concludes, “Our value of being a good neighbor means that we strive to be a blessing to those that we share the town of Arcadia with. Camps can often be insular but it is my hope that Camp Arcadia continues to be actively engaged with the community recognizing the many ways we bless each other.”
