Alford Lake Camp

We all need our Mother.  Mother Earth!! 

When Maggie was little, she would agree to do errands without complaint as long as we ended up at the Post Office.  It wasn’t about the interesting stamps or the friendly postal workers, but rather it was because of the ducks; ducks that swam around the pond near the post office.  So off we would go to mail bills and packages but only after we fed the ducks and watched them swim and dive and waddle around the small pond by the lake.  Some days the visit would last a moment or two but more often it was hard to pull her away from the amazing colors of the water, the actions of the ducks and the cool breeze blowing from the pond.  These were moments of exploration, observation, understanding, amazement and peace. 

Maggie is grown now and no longer accompanies me to the post office but she would be sad to see what has happened there: they put up a fence!  Yes, a fence surrounds the little slice of nature that we once enjoyed.  Perhaps there is a good reason for the fence but nevertheless I feel sad for the children who will no longer get to spend a moment interacting with this small part of the natural world.  And it made me think, are we putting up fences around our children’s interaction with the natural world? 

Surely a summer at Alford Lake Camp allows girls to connect with the natural world.  Here we live in wide open spaces.  Camp life is simple, natural and peaceful.  We have an environment that encourages all of us to enjoy and learn from:

• Tents nestled under pine trees
• A lake unchanged by development and undisturbed by motorized boats 
• Green pastures, open meadows and hills of grass
• Maine’s woods that surround us
• Mountains and rivers to explore
• Starry nights unspoiled by man-made lights
• And, yes, the sound of the loons’ calls celebrating the clear, clean Alford Lake and the natural beauty and safety of camp!

Take a look around your life.  How much nature is left?  Do you miss it?  Have you noticed changes to the open spaces in your community?  I feel you will agree that more nature – not less – is what we all need in our lives.  Here, at Alford Lake Camp, we are surrounded by nature and from our Mother Earth, we all are nurtured. 

Join me today to celebrate a summer without fences.  No boundaries to navigate as we appreciate experience and learn from nature.  A summer at Alford Lake Camp! 

Best wishes to all,

Barb Sullivan

Alford Lake Camp

Okay, we won’t keep you in suspense:  S.O.A.R. stands for “Strength, Ownership, Achievement, Respect”.  But more on that in a moment. 

 Allow us to begin with another question:  What does a residential camp experience offer older campers?  And what specifically does Alford Lake Camp offer to 7th, 8th and 9th graders?  Parents and grandparents, we think you will agree: this is an interesting age for young women.  Teenagers who are more independent, more friend dependent, excited and curious about the world and wondering about their futures.  This age is full of spirit, confidence and curiosity!!  And with these general characteristics comes unique challenges and questions for their families.  How can we allow these 13, 14 and 15 year olds to explore their independence, engage in healthy and safe activities that enrich and improve their lives?  And how does residential camp enter into this equation?

Let us be clear:  we love all our campers!  Alford Lake Camp distinguishes itself from other residential camps in the simple fact that we are ONE camp.  We do not separate our age groups into different campuses.  Together, young and old campers share the camp days in many ways.  Yet, of course, there are differences in the camp experiences of an 8 year old camper and a 14 year old camper!  Each age group attends activities with their own peers.  This is important for the instruction of activities and allows for our counselors to tailor their instruction to the overall maturity and skill sets of the various age groups ultimately leading to a more meaningful activity experience for all.  And of course, campers live with tent-mates who are within months of their own age, thus allowing for the sharing and understanding of their camp experiences to be appropriate for camper’s social, physical and personal development and interests.  We grow as a camp community by coming together for whole camp activities, meals and special events.  In all our camp events, we love that older campers become role models for our younger campers. 

 But most meaningful for our older campers, Guides as we call them, are the privileges and opportunities that are available ONLY to them.  They are our Guide Crew, our Guide Mentors, our Guide Honor Trip participants and our S.O.A.R. candidates.  The “hows” and the “whys” are easy to explain and the value of these opportunities is clear.  Our 7th, 8th and 9th grade campers need ALC as much as they did when they were younger.  They need stellar role models (our amazing counseling staff), they need structure (our daily liberal-arts approach to the activity schedule), they need meaningful and positive peer interaction and they need challenges to help them gain true and meaningful accomplishment in their lives (S.O.A.R).

So, back to S.O.A.R.  (See, we told you we would discuss it!).  Available for 7th, 8th and 9th graders who are at least 2nd year ALCers and full season Guide, the S.O.A.R. program is designed for campers ready to accept more leadership, explore and achieve mastery in a specific ALC activity.  A summer long program is developed in each activity for these special campers to work DIRECTLY with an ALC counselor of the activity to achieve proven mastery in the chosen activity.  Independent work, carefully monitored by the S.O.A.R. mentor, allows this camper to dedicate her time to achieving a high level of skill in her chosen activity.  In short, the S.O.A.R. program allows our older campers the opportunity to commit and excel in her favorite activity and to understand and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that true dedication and mastery brings.  Our S.O.A.R candidates are supported and encouraged to make a commitment and follow through with this program.  What a valuable skill for this age!! 

Not only does ALC provide fun, friendship and a healthy and safe summer for your 7th, 8th and/or 9th grader, we also allow and recognize dedication, commitment and excellence.  Real achievement can not be rushed; real skill requires time and commitment and opportunities for developing excellence is what our teenagers crave and deserve.  S.O.A.R and our Guide program has so much to offer our campers!!  The lasting benefits of these experiences are invaluable and we encourage you to consider this window in your camper’s lives:  how will they become confident in their leadership, skills and peer relationships?  Where will they be given the opportunity to shine and define themselves?  We believe the very best place for 7th, 8th and 9th graders is right here, on the shores of Alford Lake on what we proudly call, Guide Row!

Do you know a 7th, 8th or 9th grader who is ready to explore real challenge and growth?  If so, please be in touch with us at 207-799-3005.  We have so much to be proud of and our Guide Program is one of the most meaningful parts of our camp.

Warmly,

Sue McMullan, Director

Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

A blog about the gym?  A comment from a coach?  No!  In today’s blog we would like to explore with you one of the resounding themes of Alford Lake Camp.  “Flex!”  We say it a lot at camp.  And we would like to share with you why.  Perhaps we can convince you, by the end of this blog, to flex a little too!

If there was an ALC Dictionary (and we are seriously considering creating one), you would certainly find an entry under FLEX.  Flex (verb): to change and adapt as necessary, to see a situation in a new light, to turn in a new direction…commonly used at ALFORD LAKE CAMP.

A simple characteristic, to be flexible.  But we believe in our rigid, results oriented, progress driven society it is undervalued.  Yet, at Alford Lake Camp we encourage our campers and counselors to be flexible, to be willing to see opportunities in challenging situations and learn valuable skills in the process.  All the planning in the world can not meet the challenges of nature’s whims:  a sunny day turns to rain, a fine sailing wind slowly fades away, an out of camp trip trail is suddenly closed.  What will you do?  FLEX!!  Find a new path, try a new activity, make another choice.  Sometimes “flexing” is about re-evaluating, sometimes it is about suing the skills you already have in another way but always it is about adapting and being willing to change.  Don’t we all need those skills in life, work and relationships?

ALC Flexing is also about understanding oneself.  A young camper who arrives to ALC for the first time will “flex” – learning to be away from home for the first time.  An older camper will discover, through FLEXING, that she is more capable than she ever imagined.. perhaps socially by interacting with peers in a new way, perhaps in a sport or activity that she has never tried before.  Our Global Challenge Trip participants FLEX internationally – expanding their world view as they travel abroad and conquer tasks unimaginable in their daily lives.  ALC parents FLEX every summer:  entrusting their children to the care of ALC and believing that their sons and daughters can learn from new experiences, new environments and new people in their lives. 

Flexing is not always easy… it is comfortable to stay in the “known”.  But we all can learn and grow and see the world in a new light when we FLEX, when we are willing to accept change and delight in learning more about ourselves in the process.

This is a part of ALC.  This is the part of “values that matter” at Alford Lake Camp.  So we challenge you all, the next time your life presents a challenge or change, to pause and think: “I can flex!”  We think you will agree that our attitude will serve us well and help us through the exciting and challenging  journey of life.

Warmly,

Sue McMullan, Director

Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director