Alford Lake Camp

We don’t really want to add to the pile of paperwork on everybody’s desks… but …..it is that time of year again!  Forms for the summer of 2011 are online and ready for you to fill out.  We do need you to complete your camper’s forms and hope you will find this blog helpful in explaining the process. We want to help make this as easy as possible for our 2011 ALC Families.  By now many of you will have received your first Parent Mailing, which also explains the process.  Still, if you have any questions, please call us anytime at 207-799-3005.

So what does it take to make sure 175 campers enjoy a healthy, fun and safe summer at Alford Lake Camp?  Information and lots of it!!!  We, the Directors, along with our medical staff and other Department Heads need information about your camper in advance of the summer to prepare.  We have the awesome responsibility of caring for your camper and we take this very, very seriously.  We will work with you closely to make sure our camp is prepared for every eventuality.  This is why we need all forms completed (both online and mailed to camp) by MAY 1, 2011. 

Why does camp require so many forms?  We might need to contact you during the summer and will need as current contact information as possible.  Should your camper need medical treatment, we will need to have all of her health history information.  We must prepare for chaperones for camp buses to and from camp.  Etc., et., etc.  Campminder allows us to manage most of this information through a secured, password protected data base.  But some of the forms must be printed, completed, signed and mailed to Alford Lake Camp.  We couldn’t be the excellent camp (100% American Camp Association Accredited Camp) we are without these forms at our summer camp office.

So, let’s begin!  Go to the Alford Lake Camp website and find the MyCampMinder icon on our homepage.  Follow the login instructions to begin completing the online forms for your camper.  Don’t remember your login credentials?  Simply call camp and we can help you!

Go to the Yellow Button (Forms and Documents) – and begin!  All forms with the computer monitor icon maybe completed online.  All forms with the arrow are to be printed at home by you, completed and signed and mailed back to ALC by May 1, 2011.  A special note:  the online form entitled “Health History” will be the longest form – over five fields.  Make sure to “save work” at the bottom of every page as you complete this form. 

Once you have completed on-line forms, you will note that they will turn to green.  How satisfying!!  Printed forms will not “turn green” until they are received at the ALC office.  You will receive periodic e-mail reminders of forms that remain unsubmitted. 

Campminder is our friend!  We can manage the important information regarding your camper and your family through this data base.  Additionally, you will be able to view password protected photos of ALC Camp life on the site during the summer. 

We need a bit of your time to complete these forms.  We urge you to schedule a doctor’s appointment if your child needs a camp physical this year.  Do not delay in arranging your camper’s flights if she is flying to/from camp.  Please don’t forget that extended trip participants (ALC Abroad, ALPs and NOVA) need valid passports!!

Thank you for helping us prepare for a fun, safe and healthy summer.  Mail all forms to:

Alford Lake Camp

5 Salt Marsh Way

Cape Elizabeth, ME  04107

Please do not hesitate to call us if you have any questions:

207-799-3005

Warmly,

Sue McMullan, Director

Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

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

Water cooler conversations all over the USA were buzzing about Amy Chua’s new parenting book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.  So we would like to share with you our “bubbler” (what we call the water cooler/water fountain at ALC) chats on this book!

Parenting books are always on our radar!  We recognize the ever changing challenges and concerns parents have as they raise their children.  Through the years we have found truths in books that encourage parents to consider the need for balance in their children’s lives.  We cheer for books that recognize the need for positive role models, outdoor experiences, etc., etc.  We bet you have read a few of the parenting books that we keep on our bookshelves!  Let us be clear:  we know that parenting is challenging and there is no one right way!  Our sons and daughters, our families, our cultures and communities shape the way we parent and ALC respects and applauds how varied our families approach parenting opportunities. 

 Yet, we were saddened to read that among the “never allowed” activities the author declared for her two daughters was “sleep away camp”, justifying this as her desire to keep her daughters focused on academics and musical aspirations.  Ahh… yet we KNOW and have seen that residential camp experiences can enrich and improve the knowledge of young women’s lives.  Learning to make INDEPENDENT activity choices, gaining valuable skills in living with peers and navigating personal responsibilities are all part of the value of ALC.  Self-confidence comes through self-awareness.  Community living is the basis of future relationships: work, school and family lives.  Allowing children to live away from their families, for a time, is the fundamental and exciting part of residential camping.  Summers at ALC provide unique opportunities which allow campers to learn about themselves and others ultimately enhancing their personal and academic growth.

In his recent column, “New York Times” Columnist David Brooks articulated some of our feelings regarding the importance of independent social activities for children that we know lead to significant personal growth and development.  We urge you to read his column.  And then let us know what you think!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/opinion/18brooks.html

Thank you for sharing this “water bubbler” moment with us!

 Warmly,

Sue McMullan, Director

Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

Before we say “good-bye” to 2010 we wanted to remember some of our memories of the wonderful summer we shared:

AMT Resupplies

Camp  Leaders

Apples in the basket

Blueberry Blues & Sunday Whites

Campminder Photos

First Day of Camp

“Miss Nelson Is Missing!”

Cardboard Boat Races

Spirit Night

Canoeing

Swim Across the Lake

ALC Soccer World Cup

Laundry Days

Sailing Regatta

Jr. CT PT Projects

The Library

Campfires

Video Arcade – 4th or July

Trail Rides

Beach Days

Max in his workshop – for the last time

ODE

Old Loon Saloon

The Wide Mouth Frog

Friday Night Theater

Mellon Ball at Sports

Swimming in Alford Lake

Beds Made the ALC Way

Tent Time Mail Delivery

Gymnastics

Belief Statements

Singing in the Dining Room

Singing in the Front of the Farmhouse

Singing at Logs

Singing EVERYWHERE!!

Mrs. M and the loonmobile

Sue & Betsy

The Raft

Buddy Check

Guide Priviledges

Sunday in the Pines

Family Camp

Riding Overnight

ODE Sitings

Tent Overnights

Chick-broc

Wimbledon on the ALC Tennis Courts

Counselor Hunt

Song Contest

Laundry Days

Guide Crew

Dance

Extended Trip Reports

Story time with Sue & Betsy

Announcements!

Nova’s Return

Abroad’s Return

Alps’ Return

AMT’s Return

Rangers on Ranger Row!

Explorers!

Blazers!

Guides!

Challenge

Guide Honor Trip

Out Of Camp Trips!!

Baskets Made in Art

Camp Sisters

Tent-Mates

Friendship Bracelets

Sunny Days

Starry Nights

Counselors

Campers

Friendships

Memories for a life-time!

Summer 2010

Thank you all for being a part of a magical year!  See you in 2011!

Best wishes for a safe and happy New Year,

Sue McMullan, Director

Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

Holiday Greetings from Alford Lake Camp! 

As the song states: it really is “the most wonderful time of the year”!  We send warm wishes to our entire ALC Community – our campers, counselors, staff and families.  Each one of you have made ALC what it is – a place of learning, growing and a true community.  So we ask you to remember, in this season of joy and giving, to GIVE of yourself.  Reach out to the people around you and make a difference in your world.  Connect or re-connect with family and friends and cherish the simple pleasures of the holiday season!!

Thank you for being part of our Alford Lake Camp Community…thank you for making 104 summers of memories.  They are our very BEST gift!

Warmly,

Sue McMullan, Director

Betsy Brayley, Assistant Director

Our Camp! 

Our Community! 

 Our Commitment!

Please help us in our commitment to share the Alford Lake experience with as many campers as we can

Help Give the Gift of Camp – Donate by December 31, 2010

In this season of giving – help us to give the gifts of camp to girls who would not be able to attend without your help.  You can not unwrap this gift – you can not put it on a shelf or show it off, instead the girls who receive it – feel it, breathe it, live it and have it for a life time!  What joy!

How to donate today:

Please visit our website and our Giving page, where you can make an online donation directly to the American Camp Assoication care of Alford Lake Camp and help us raise $60,000 by December 31, 2010!  Or you may mail your donations to:

Alford Lake Camp

5 Salt Marsh Way

Cape Elizabeth, ME  04107

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR GIFT

*MAKE SUMMER MAGIC* DONATE TODAY*

The Scholarship Committee

Lani Toscano, Chair