Stories of Love at the Camp We All Adore

Throughout the years, Camp has been an oasis for love. Countless staffers and campers alike have met their future spouses along the shores of Lake Michigan and continue to bring their families to the Camp we all adore. This Valentine’s Day, in celebration of the love God calls us to share, campers and former staffers share their Arcadia love stories!

 

Dan and Amanda Campbell
“We met in 2005 at a staff bonfire but had different days off, so didn’t have real “dates” that summer. Our real first date was a few weeks after Camp when Dan came to Amanda’s lake cottage in Culver, Indiana. It was there on the dock that night that Dan told Amanda he had been thinking about her every day since Camp, and Amanda told him she felt the same way!! Dan proposed to Amanda on Weiherman Beach in 2007 while Dan was on staff. It was the best experience to be able to come back to Rinkie Square and tell all our friends together about it! We still have the wine bottle from the engagement filled with beach sand. We were married in 2009 in Fort Wayne, IN and still vacation at Camp with our kids!”

Roland and Irma Rodeck
Roland: “We casually met at RKD in July 1928. Irma was a school teacher working as a waitress here. I had a car and convinced her to go for a ride several times in her free time. Gradually, I got to know her better. When my brother and I were leaving for home, I asked if I might be able to send her a letter occasionally as a remembrance of our visit to RKD. She did not object. As time went on, the letter writing increased and got more personal. I hoped that she might return as a waitress in 1929, so I made arrangements for another visit to RKD. I was disappointed that she could not come on account of sickness with the family. I finally decided to ride to her home in Cologne, MN. Result – the trips to Cologne became more frequent and finally resulted in our marriage on June 13, 1931. The good Lord has been good to us. In our advanced years, we both are blessed with health and three children. And it all started at RKD. All things work together for good to those who love God.
Irma: “What does a teacher do during summer vacation? A girlfriend and I worked as waitresses here at RKD. After a few weeks, we decided that we’d get to know the fine young men who came here with a car. It was Roland and his brother. After that, the highway between Chicago and Cologne, MN was much used for three years. A life in Illinois with three children has been a blessing.”

Greg and Karla Galik
Karla & Greg met in January 2008 at a Starbucks in Tustin, CA for a book club meeting arranged by Greg’s friend. Karla invited Greg to a Foo Fighters concert 3 months away and they knew it could be something special. Greg fell for Karla’s European slippers and Karla fell for Greg’s smile.
After weeks of scheming to propose to Karla, Greg decided to propose during a Family Week at Arcadia. After the closing service, Karla’s two brothers held up a 24-foot sign that read, “Karla will you marry me?” Greg knelt on one knee, pulled out a ring in his pocket and asked Karla. She said yes and asked what to do with the ring – “Which hand?” Thanks, Camp Arcadia!

Jon and Kelsey Spagnuolo
“I was working as a Junior Staffer in the summer of 2003 when I met Kelsey during a game of Capture the Flag, at the beginning of her family’s week at RKD, when we were both 14. We were on opposite teams and ended up chasing each other out of our respective territories several times and ended up talking on the way back to Camp. Through the years, since we were only 14 when we met, and she lived in Michigan while I lived in Florida, RKD was the place where we had common ground. Our first real date was many years later when we were both on staff in 2008. On our day off, we saw Wall-E at the Cherry Bowl Drive-in. In 2012, we were married at Camp! When we have kids, we plan to bring them up here and hope for Camp to be a part of our lives for years to come!”

Do you have a “Met at RKD” story to share? 
Click here or visit the Office during Camp’s season to add your story to our collection!