Show Us Your Mug!
Happy 2012 everyone! We’ve been silent on the blogging front for a while, but it’s a new year and we’re excited to get things going on here with updates, information, and announcements about what’s going on at Camp Oak Hill!
To begin, we’d like to announce the first ever, totally exciting, that’s right it really is a:
COFFEE MUG DRIVE!
As the weather gets colder, things are warming up at camp with our 2012 retreat season, and of course we’re getting excited about Summer Camp 2012! As retreat groups begin to arrive in January, we’re planning on serving a lot of coffee and hot chocolate to keep our guests warm during their stay. In an effort to be more environmentally friendly, we’re moving away from using Styrofoam cups, and would like to begin serving our warm beverages in coffee mugs. The only catch is…we don’t have any!
That’s where you come in.
Between now and January 31, we are asking our camp family to join us in a “Coffee Mug Drive” in which we will be accepting donations of new and gently used coffee mugs for use at camp. We encourage folks to drop the mugs off in person at our Raleigh Business office (3824 Barrett Drive, Suite 107), or mail them if you are not in the area.
The incentive: In addition to filling a need and contributing to the ministry of Camp Oak Hill (and helping the environment), we’re also offering participants a chance to win a $100 credit toward a camp session of their choice. To qualify for this drawing, a minimum of 3 coffee mugs must be donated. The drawing will take place in early February and 1 prize will be awarded. If you are not a current camper or camper family member, the prize will be a warm and cozy Camp Oak Hill sweatshirt blanket…something to keep you warm during the winter months!
The Fine Print & Details:
- Only donations between now and January 31 are eligible for entry in the $100 credit/blanket drawing. If you mail the mugs, please include your name to be entered into the drawing. If you win the drawing and have already paid in full for Summer Camp 2012, you will have the option of applying the $100 credit toward a camp store tab or a future camp session. Prize is not transferable.
- Preferred mug size is 8 – 12 oz.
- Mugs should not be chipped or broken, and may be new or gently used. Decorations on the mug are fine as long as they do not contain vulgar or offensive language or images, or anything that will negatively affect the mission and values of Camp Oak Hill.
- Donation hours are M-F, 9:30-4:30 in our Raleigh office. Office address is 3824 Barrett Drive, Suite 107, Raleigh, NC 27609. It’s a good idea to call first before coming – just to make sure someone is here (we may be at camp!) Office #: (919) 782-2888.
OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE AT LEAST 200 MUGS!
See you soon!
Golf Tournament – September 15!
On Thursday, September 15, golfers, friends, and supporters of Camp Oak Hill will gather for our annual Golf Tournament to be held at Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh. The tournament is one of our largest fundraisers of the year, and is always a lot of fun! Currently we have over 80 golfers signed up, and we are still accepting more!
Golfers will play with teams of 4 all morning, followed by a BBQ lunch. We are so thankful for all the supporters of Camp Oak Hill who participate each year in this tournament, and are looking forward to a great day of golf and furthering the ministry of camp!
If you have questions about the tournament, or would like to participate or be involved, please give the Raleigh office a call at (919) 782-2888. We’d love to have your support!
A few pictures from last year’s tournament…
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yaD sdrawkcaB!
It’s Backwards Day at Camp Oak Hill! The campers were a bit confused to wake up with devotions this morning, followed by…dinner!? at 8:30 in the morning? That’s because our schedule today is completely reversed!
Our schedule for the day is as follows:
7:30am – Wake Up & Devotions
8:30am – Dinner
9:00am – Evening Worship
10:30am – Evening Program (Capture the Flag & Pool Party!)
1:00pm – Lunch
1:30 – 3:00 – Rest Time
3:00 – 6:00 – Rotations
6:00 – Breakfast!
6:30 – Free Time!
8:30 – Morning Watch & Opening Ceremony!
9:30 – Showers, Devotions, and Bedtime!
Welcome to Youth Week
We’re so excited to welcome campers this week to YOUTH WEEK! It’s the last “official” week of camp for us, and we have lots of fun and exciting things planned.
This week we’ll be doing a lot of special programs for the youth this week, including a full day of the CAMP OAK HILL OLYMPICS! It’s a camp tradition and always a lot of fun – we’re sure to have some updates and info on that as the week goes on! We’ll also be having lots of fun at evening programs this week, which will include capture the flag & a pool party on Monday night, opening ceremonies for the Olympics on Tuesday night, Olympics all day on Wednesday, and lots more planned for the end of the week.
Keep checking in – we’ll provide updates and pictures as the week goes on!
“Board Day!”
We’re excited to welcome members of our Board of Directors to camp today! Each summer, we always set aside a day for board members and their families to come enjoy an afternoon and evening at camp. Board members arrived this afternoon in time to see some of the free time activities in progress, followed by the annual “Staff vs. Board” basketball game in the gym! They’re also eating dinner with us, and many will stay to enjoy our evening program tonight – “Closing Campfire!”
Tonight we’ll sing some songs, play some games, and reflect on the great week we’ve had here at camp. We’re excited for Thursday as well, which will be full of activities in the morning, followed by “Closing Ceremony” at 2:00 in the Activity Center – we welcome parents to this, as its a great opportunity to reflect on the week, as well as present our “Honor Camper” awards and watch a video of all the fun we’ve had!
Thanks for checking in and also checking out the pictures we’ve posted on Facebook! It’s been such a great week!
Tuesday Update
Hello parents and blog followers out there! We hope all is well with you at home, because things are great here at camp!
It’s another beautiful day at camp (although a bit hotter and muggier). The kids continue to enjoy morning rotations, and especially free time (currently in progress) during the afternoon after rest time. Can you guess what the #1 free time activity is at camp? I’ll give you hint…it involves a long line, sweet (and healthy!) snacks, and souvenirs. That’s right, CAMP STORE! It’s funny each day to ring the bell and watch all the kids run from their cabins down to the activity center to purchase a snack…the guys in Cabin 1 are always some of the first to arrive! We’ve really enjoyed our new popcorn machine this summer…tastes like the kind you get at the movies!
Counselor Hunt was a lot of fun on Monday evening. Perhaps you’ve seen a few of the pictures posted on Facebook? Half of our staff hid, while the kids searched them out! We also placed index cards with varying point values around camp, so many cabins were able to boost there score at the end. In the spirit of tradition, we always “pie” a few (or more) counselors in the face with a delicious whipped cream pie. Fun for the kids, and tasty (and sticky) for the counselors!
Tonight we are so excited about our CARNIVAL, which (weather permitting) will be held on the lawn in front of the dining hall. We’ll have face painting, ring toss, bingo, bowling, balloon popping, a “tractor pull,” and many more games to play. We had a carnival on July 4th and it was a blast…we’re excited for another one tonight! We’ll be sure to post pictures on Facebook…if not tonight, definitely Wednesday morning.
That’s all for now…check back soon!
New photos added
It’s been a great Monday so far – beautiful weather, and lots of fun. We’ve posted some photos of our morning activities on the Facebook page, so be sure to check them out!
http://www.facebook.com/campoakhill
Tonight’s evening activity – Counselor Hunt! Many of our counselors will hide, while each cabin goes around searching for as many counselors as they can find! The winning cabins get to “pie” a chosen counselor in the face!
Dear Moms and Dads…Love, The Director
We are excited to begin Session 4 of camp, and especially excited that this week, out of 125 campers, 80 are here for their first time! Some have been to other camps before, many of them day camps, but for many more this week represents a “first” – perhaps their first time away from home, their first time at a camp, or their first time at a sleep-away camp. While this is a first for many campers, we recognize that this may also be a first for many moms and dads out there – the first time sending your child away to camp – so this post is dedicated to you!
First, rest assured knowing that your child is in good hands! I am so amazed with our summer staff this year (and every year) – it is wonderful to see the work of God in their lives, and the way God is using their gifts and talents here at camp. A long-time staff member said last year that one of the defining qualities of an excellent counselor is the ability and desire to “love kids well” – and I can say with full confidence that this is in the heart and mind of every staff member at at Oak Hill. Not only are we committed to making this the best week of the year for each camper here, but it is our hope and desire that they leave camp on Thursday with a firmer knowledge of the love God has for them in Jesus Christ.
Second, we’ll be posting updates and pictures on Facebook and on this blog about our activities this week. Even if you’re not a Facebook user, you can still have access to our page to view pictures at www.facebook.com/campoakhill. Each morning will be filled with “rotations” in which kids spend time with their cabin mates at various activities around camp. Each afternoon we’ll have some free time before dinner, followed by a camp-wide activity, which may will likely include our traditional and much-loved “Counselor Hunt” and even a Carnival outside on Tuesday night! We’ll wrap things up on Wednesday with a closing campfire, and have some other special activities planned for closing day on Thursday.
Lastly, I’ll share a personal story to hopefully ease the hearts and minds of some first-time camp parents out there. Over 20 years ago my mom was working as a dental assistant, and one day a college-aged patient came in for a simple cleaning. This patient happened to be a camp counselor, and was on his way to staff training that day at a place called Camp Oak Hill. The details of the conversation have been forgotten over the years, but suffice it to say that this young man impressed my mom so much that she decided right then and there (even against her own fears and uncertainty as a first-time camp parent) that she would send my older brother (who was 8 at the time) to Camp Oak Hill. Before the counselor left that day, my brother was signed up for his first week at camp! Little did she know the impact Camp Oak Hill would have on my brother and our entire family over the next 20+ years. My older brother (and later, my younger brother), never missed a summer at camp, and went on to work here as counselors while in college. And to round out the story – here I am working full time as the Camp Director since 2008! All this is to say that you never quite how much of an impact a week at camp can make on your child. It’s made a huge difference in the lives of me and my brothers and our entire family over the years, and I’m certain that this week there are many campers who (quite unknowingly) are embarking on an experience that will shape the rest of their lives.
So, Moms and Dads out there, be excited! It’s going to be a great week at camp, and perhaps the beginning of a journey that will shape your child’s life (and your own) for many years to come.
Love and peace,
Brian Hollingsworth, Camp Director
Session 3 Recap
So…what else have we been up to this week? Be sure to check out the Facebook page for pictures, but here’s a brief recap of some of the activities!
Counselor Hunt was (as always) a lot of fun on Tuesday night – and ended with some staff members getting pied in the face! This is tradition at Camp Oak Hill – the “found” counselors must stand in a line, and the winning boy cabin and winning girl cabin get to choose one of them to pie! Delicious…
Wednesday night was “Crazy Olympics” – a series of team-based relay style races between the different cabins. Events included “Hoola Hoop Relay,” “Dizzy Bat Relay,” “Disc Toss,” and “Water Balloon Relay” in which campers had to balance a water balloon on a spoon – it’s not easy! The evening ended with worship in the activity center, followed by devotions.
Thursday morning we had a special surprise for the campers – some neighbors in Granville County brought over 2 miniature horses! Picture a horse…only smaller. The kind you pay money to see at the State Fair – they were at camp! It was a great experience for the kids, who got to pet the horses, walk them around a little, and ask questions to the owner. The kids who signed up for the special horse rotation this week were given even more time with the miniature horses by the horse ring, and a few lucky campers were given the chance to ride one! It was a really neat morning and we are thankful to our friend and neigh Fred who brought the horses for us to see!
The weather Thursday has been spring-like, and we’ve enjoyed the change! We were able to spend almost all day outside, ending with a closing campfire by the lake.
More than anything else, we hope each camper this week has experienced “Real Love” – the love that God has for us, made known to us through Jesus Christ. We are thankful for all the fun we’ve had, but are mindful that the real reason we are here is to grow in our faith and knowledge of God.
It’s been a great week – looking forward to Friday for the traditional “Run for the Roses” relay in the morning, and a closing ceremony in the afternoon!
Session 3!
Sorry it’s taken us until now to update you about the week…our internet has been down, so we haven’t been able to post anything! The good news is, its up and running again so here we are with a quick update about how things are going with Session 3:
The first thing that comes to mind is HEAT! It is stifling outside, with temperatures in the upper 90′s and heat index over 100, so we’re making sure to drink LOTS of water all day long, and offering activities indoors during the hottest part of the day.
We had a great opening campfire on Sunday evening, complete with songs, games, and a really funny skit about a trip to the doctors office! Some of our counselors also revealed their hidden talents with “Headphone Karaoke” – a task that requires them to stand in front of the camp with headphones in their ears, and sing along with the song! If you’ve ever tried to talk to someone with headphones on, you can perhaps understand how funny this was to witness…believe it or not, the staff have some pretty good voices (and quite the stage presence…).
Monday was a “typical day” of rotations in the morning, followed by some gym and movie time in the activity center after rest time…this was due to the heat and not wanting much high activity during the hottest part of the day. It was also great to refresh with a pool party Monday evening, followed by some evening worship in the Activity Center.
It’s Tuesday, and another hot day, but we had a great morning of rotations, followed by some much needed rest time after lunch, and then some time indoors to get away from the heat. We all met in the Activity Center and had cabin “skit time” which required each cabin to pick one item in the camp store and create a skit/”commercial” about that product. This was a lot of fun, and followed up by some free time before dinner.
Evening program for the night – COUNSELOR HUNT! Many of our counselors will be hiding around camp, while campers do their best to seek them out and earn points for their cabin! It always ends with some delicious pies placed ever so gently in the face of some of our counselors – always a lot of fun!
Be sure to check out our Facebook page for pictures!
