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Acceptance and learning relationships

One of the founding principles of Bethany Birches back in the 60’s was to “provide a camping experience for youth where counselor and camper together can engage in learning relationships which will prepare them for future responsibilities in life.” As you probably know it’s easier to have a learning relationship with someone you trust and respect. And it’s easier to trust and respect someone who accepts you for who you are.

During staff training we teach the importance of being with campers in the daily routine of camp; Befriending them, learning to know them, accepting them for who they are. I recently heard from a parent about her daughters experience from this past winter. Her comments warmed my heart and pointed to an effective season of camps.

This young camper is a strong and talented girl. She’s pretty and smart and her peers like her. So I was a little surprised to get this email from her mother:

“Thank you all so much for providing such a wonderful place for [my daughter] to feel love and acceptance. She has been struggling at school feeling like an outcast . She came home with a great outlook on life again and seemed so much happier. It is with tears that I write this. Thank you, Dana”

I am thankful for caring staff that can create this kind of experience. I am thankful for a God that loves us and gave us examples of love and acceptance. Pray for us as we strive to mirror this blessing and pray that each camper will grow in their confidence and strength as they learn to see God through us.

Brandon “Tuna” Bergey

Backcountry Ski Experience

Parents. Campers. Donors. Friends!

Backcountry skiing? What’s that? Well, basically, it’s when you get some skis and go into the mountains and ski… it’s beyond the resort. It takes human power (your legs) to get yourself up the hill. And then it takes gravity to get you down. The going up looks a little like this:

And my favorite part, going down, looks a little like this:

OR THIS:

So what’s happening this winter at camp? We are doing backcountry skiing! We have some good areas for this. The hill above the pond (wide open, steep, safe). Nearby hills that are similarly open. If the snow is fast (i.e. icy), we’ll ski on flatter terrain in a more cross country style. If the snow is slow (i.e. powder) we’ll go all over the place and make turns!

Your child will learn basics of skiing and attempt telemark turns. They will get plenty of exercise and take skiing to a new level and beyond the resort.

You can sign up for this unique program within our winter camp program when you register for winter camp. There is no extra charge for backcountry skiing. Each session is an hour and a half and fit within the normal schedule. Your child will still be able to tube, skate and do all the other good stuff winter camp has to offer.

Hope to see you on the hill,

Brandon “Tuna” Bergey

The BBC Engine

Just the other week my father took me to the Deleware bay to fish for tautog. (Don’t ask me what tautog look like… because we didn’t catch any). Unfortunately, our trip was cut short because of a problem with his boat’s engine. We ended up going through three sets of spark plugs throughout the trip and finally decided to head home in fear of being stranded without any more spark plugs! Sitting in the car during our three-hour drive home I thought about how prepared we were for this trip (boat, rods, tackle, bait, etc) and yet the trip was derailed by a faulty engine.

I think summer camp is quite similar. All year long I work hard to prepare campers for an amazing week of camp. I plan fun games, create great schedules, research new activities, etc. And yet, without an “engine” all of that work is totally useless. At camp, our engine is our staff and volunteers: Counselors, cooks, maintenance, shepherds, program, and more. Without these people, camp doesn’t work.

I wanted to share with you some opportunities to be our “engine” this summer. Below is a list of available positions. All of these positions provide real opportunities to love campers, serve God, and grow in life experiences. If you know young adults who would benefit from a summer working at camp please share with them about BBC! This link is a great place to find more information about each of the available jobs.

We are also working to hire more assistant counselors than ever before! These positions provide older high school students a chance to grow, mature, learn about working with kids, and learn about God. It also makes a great statement on college applications!

Lastly, if you are looking for a way to serve this summer but are only able to work one week, please check out these volunteer opportunities: Shepherd, Nurse, Kitchen, or Maintenance. If you have any questions about these volunteer opportunities, please email Amber at amber@bethanybirches.org

“During my summer at Bethany Birches, I made close friends, I got to know myself better, and most importantly, I got to know God better.”
~ Scoop

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you up on the hill this summer!

Dan “Chick” Laubach- Program Director

Awesome Friends

Summer Staff Sighting: From Camp Counselor to Veterinarian

10 years ago she was known as a camper.

7 years ago she was a rock star intern.

5 years ago she was a solid staff member.

The last 3 years she’s been our competent life guard trainer.

Right now she’s on her way to becoming a veterinarian at St George’s University in Grenada.

Quincy started to coming to camp at a young age. She completed the BBC internship in 2010 to fast track her to BBC staff as a 17 year old assistant counselor in 2011 and returned as a counselor in 2012 and 2013. She’s also been back to volunteer numerous times since being on staff. Quincy is a top quality person and we are thankful for her service to the youth of VT. We have great confidence she will provide wonderful care to animals just as she did to campers. And if she’s back in the area and a camp pet is sick, we’ll know just who to call.

Can’t wait till we see you on the hill again Quincy!

From Jamaica To Vermont

It’s been exactly 3 months and a day since I left Bethany Birches. I’d really like to say that the time has been flying by, but it hasn’t. I think since this past summer my life has become so fixated on looking forward to possibly serving next summer, that I’m still reliving every day as though I never left.

Apart from the fact that the faces of my fellow staff members are splattered all over my social media timelines, I realise that camp made an indelible mark on me. And no, it wasn’t the fact that there were bears rummaging through the garden I worked so hard on (ok well, one bear), or Susie-sized* rabbits hopping around Hummingbird and scaring my campers (because I refused to scream and embarrass myself), or even the fact that I had to pretend to be strolling through the Garden of Eden [to stay motivated] with every trip to every facility on the campsite because every direction was a 10-minute hike. I can’t say either that it was the rock-farming or getting stuck in the bathroom whilst waiting out a thunderstorm at 3am. But what I can say is, before Bethany Birches, I had never really found somewhere that I felt like I just ‘fit in’.

I was different in so many ways—my culture, my heritage and even the way I worship had nothing in common with Bethany Birches, and I never got a lot of the jokes either; yet, I found my place there. And despite the fact that I almost froze to death on occasion, or got trapped in almost every ‘Mission Impossible’, I can’t say I’d ever change any of my experiences. I have felt my heart literally bursting with love and acceptance of not only so many others, but even myself, and I think that has been the most rewarding thing about Bethany Birches for me. It isn’t often that one literally finds themselves by wandering off into the ‘unfamiliar’ (never do that at camp by the way)…But this summer did that for me. Coming from Jamaica to cold VT wasn’t comfortable but it helped me become more me.

RaeChelle-Faith “Artsy” Hamilton, BBC Counselor

*Susie is the director’s daughter; 1 year old this past summer

Winter Camp gets tubing upgrades

That’s right. It’s safer, faster and you’ll get trips back up more often. Many campers choose tubing as their favorite activity at winter camp. Why shouldn’t they? 1/4 mile long, speed, 3 turns, a ride back to the top. It’s great fun! We upgraded the famous tube run in three ways this year. Safety, speed and the ride to the top. Safety and speed were addressed through some excavation of the second turn. That turn was always problematic. On the slow days it was fine and on the fast days it was not fine! By adjusting the shape of the turn and adding earth a few places we think we have made it both safer and faster. Parents and campers rejoice! The ride to the top: with the addition of the Birchmobile for hauling campers back up (rather than the tractor) the ride up will be faster. That means more runs in a weekend!

Winter camp is around the corner. During February we’ll host elementary and middle school age campers for weekends and long weekends. Winter camp at Bethany Birches is something to behold. Super great food (afforded by volunteer cooks), 160” annual average snowfall, a large indoor space for getting out of the cold, a backcountry ski program and a quarter mile tube run. I wanted to take a minute to update you on the tube run.

See you here this winter?

Brandon “Tuna” Bergey

Summer 2017 registration is open!!

Your child is going to love Summer 2017! There’s plenty of options for all age groups, more things to do at camp, and more choices to help him and her grow and develop emotionally, physically, socially, and spiritually!

Exciting things for each age group:

More Options for Younger Campers

If your 9 year-old has experienced Launch and is now ready for a full week of camp sign them up for Core A! Core A is now for 9-12 year-olds to allow younger campers to experience “core” programming!

Discounted Rates for Day Camp Transportation

Day Camp will also continue for another year! This is a great alternative to summer day care, especially since your child will get to experience plenty of classic camp games and activities. Transportation is available from Woodstock for Day Campers and is offered using the typical tier pricing. Click here for pricing.

Three Core Weeks

Your 10-13 year old can come to one, two, or all three! These weeks are the “core” of our programming here at camp. Theme days. Crazy camp-wide activities. Mission Impossible. Whether it’s their first or fourth time at BBC they’re sure to enjoy it!

Wilderness Adventure for Middle School Campers

Expedition is a great option to help your child put down their phone or iPad and experience creation first hand. They will learn important skills like team building, and wilderness living all to prepare them for a three day, two-night backpacking trip! This trip will be led by our experienced staff who will help your camper learn to live minimally and enjoy nature (and walking with a heavy load… seriously).

Exciting Trips for High School Campers

Summit High offers three overnight trip options. Your child can choose the trip that most interests them. This year, we have: White Water Rafting, Bromley Areal Adventure, and Music and Movies at the Treehouses. More info here.

Register this week (by Friday November 18th) and your child will receive a free t-shirt and DVD of your child’s week at camp.

Most campers come summer after summer. If you’re new to Bethany Birches, this page may answer some of your questions. If it doesn’t, call me at 802-672-5220. We hope to see you and your family here at camp this summer.

Dan “Chick” Laubach

“I love everything about camp. This is a great place to learn, grow, love and make new friends.”- Morgan, a camper.

Summer Camp 2017 Registration Open Fri

Next Summer is kind of far away. The leaves just fell off the trees here in central VT. But, many of you are no doubt planning your summer vacations and other details of family life. It’s important to us that we have our dates in your hands as you do that planning. And so summer camp dates were released a month ago and now, this coming Friday, online registration for all summer sessions will be open! If you sign up the first week that registration is open, we’ll add the weeks video and tshirt to your registration at no charge.

New to Bethany Birches? This new parents page will answer many of your questions. If you have more questions, just send us a message here on the FB page. And if BBC is old hat to you and your family, will you do us a favor and tell your friends about camp? One mom told me that BBC is VT’s best kept secret. We don’t want it to be a secret!

I just love this quote from Sarah, a new camper mom. “My daughter had a terrific first year at Bethany Birches Camp. Her counselor was engaging, fun, thoughtful, and so helpful to her as she adjusted to life away from parents. She came home talking about the playing on the water trampoline, rock climbing, eating ice cream in a pig trough, and solving the mystery with fellow campers of who stole the chocolate chips!”

Hope to see you this winter or upcoming summer.

Brandon “Tuna” Bergey

Opportunity to Help: Fall Work Day – Oct 29th

Come help Rupert and Gary!

It’s the time of year when we need to get BBC ready for winter. Can you help us?!

On Oct 29th we’ll do work around camp from 9-3. We’ll break for lunch around12:30. Come for the whole day or come for part.

There are jobs for skilled and non skilled folks. Come alone or bring the family.

Skilled labor for remodeling the BBC Cabin bathrooms. (If you’ve used them in the last few years you know this is long overdue.)

Non skilled labor for all the other miscellaneous tasks: blowing up snow tubes, putting the garden away, leaf raking, wood stacking, taking down shelter tarps, pulling in the floating dock, etc)

The bathroom renovation will take more than 1 day. If you’re available any day from Oct 29 – Nov 3, we could use your help. If you’re traveling from a distance and want to make a long weekend out of it, we’ll have a place for you to stay!

Hope you can join us!

Email amber at bethanybirches.org to let us know you’re coming or visit the Work Day Event on our Facebook Page