 |
|
|||
|
|||||||
|
Runoia is a Native American name for "harmony". Camp Runoia is an Accredited American Camping Association camp for girls located in Central Maine. Runoia's 80 acres of woods and fields, located on nearly a mile of shore-line, is on the largest Belgrade lake, Great Pond. Runoia is owned by Pam Cobb and is Co-Directed by Pam Cobb, Diane Smith and Alex Jackson.
Magnificent as our setting is, there is much more to Runoia than just natural beauty. It is the people working and playing together in a community, the tradition of the years of operation, and the professional ethics that pursues the idea envisioned by the founders, Jessie Pond and Lucy Weiser.
In 1906, Miss Pond and Miss Weiser while teaching and attending Columbia summer school in New York, thought of the idea of starting a camp. They wanted to take girls away from the hustle and bustle of the city to come to Maine to enjoy the woods and water. Miss Pond and Miss Weiser spent part of the summer looking for a site for their camp and found a place for lease in North Belgrade on Great Pond. In 1907, they started Camp Runoia with less than ten campers and three staff including themselves and a cook. There is not much documentation of the first three years of camp. In 1909, the directors decided to keep records of the camp history and the first Runoia "Log" was written in 1910. This tradition has been maintained since then, and the year by year documentation is found in bound volumes in the camp "Lodge" with pictures and details of trips, plays, cookouts, and people -- who they were and what they did. It is a rare and valuable collection of the dreams and ideals of these two adventurous and talented women and the people they brought to Runoia.
In 1959, the Cobb family took over directorship of Runoia and the Phil and Betty era began. Betty and Phil were both prominent educators in New Jersey, and they were passionate about the positive role that camping played in the lives of children. It was also camp that brought Phil and Betty together, when they met while working at Camp Wyonegonic in 1953 . The Cobb family is America's oldest camping family, having continuously directed Maine camps since 1890. Today, Phil and Betty's daughter Pam carries on that tradition with her direction of Camp Runoia as a very special place for people to learn to live, play, and grow together in the out-of-doors.
Camp Runoia is about learning to live with other people, sharing ideas and working out differences. Camp Runoia values diversity and develops a community of individuals who learn acceptance and celebration of people from different cultures, races, sexual orientations, ages and social-economic backgrounds. The commonalty between everyone at camp is a set of strong values including respect for others and helping those around you. Our motto is "building lifelong skills", but our mission is to build lifelong confidence, friendships, and memories.
PAM COBB : Pam was born the year after her parents took over Camp Runoia and she spent every summer into her teenage years there. After taking time off away from the camping world to pursue business opportunities and to raise her daughter Jai, she returned to Runoia as Director in 1990 after earning her MBA at North Eastern University. Pam is passionate about the importance of camp and she and is very active in the American Camp Association; having served on both the national board of directors and as the New England ACA Past President.
ALEX JACKSON : Alex has spent nearly a decade working for Camp Runoia as the Co-Director. She oversees much of staff recruitment and training, as well as programming. Alex comes from Manchester England and has her Bsc in Physical Education Sports Science and Geography as well as a Postgraduate certificate of education to teach PE and Humanities. She has extensive Outdoor Education experience and is certified as an American Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor, Ropes Course Facilitator, and WSI FACPR instructor.
DIANE SMITH : Diane has spent over twenty summers at Camp Runoia and her expertise in camping has made her invaluable to the sailing, tripping, and leadership training programs. Diane hails from Iowa and has lived in Cape Elizabeth Maine for many years. She owns and operates her own early childhood care center in Portland and continues to work at Runoia each summer.
Camp Accreditation by the American Camp Association
The American Camp Association (ACA) , founded in 1910, is a 5,000 member, not-for-profit education association committed to the continuing values and benefits of camping. ACA's mission is to enhance the quality of the camp experience for youth and adults, to promote high professional practices in camp administration and to interpret the values of camp to the public.
For over 40 years ACA has sponsored a voluntary, peer-run accreditation program. This is based on a system of standards that camp professionals have determined to be desirable program practices.
Camps are visited at least once every three years while in operation by trained visitors who compare the camp's practices against the standards established for the industry. Camps must comply with all mandatory standards and earn a minimum score of 80 percent to become accredited.
Camp Runoia, accredited since 1960, upholds the standards for accreditation through all aspects of the camp operation.
We are also members of the Maine Youth Camping Association .
Runoia rests on the shores of Great Pond in Belgrade Lakes, Maine. We are blessed with a picturesque New England setting and a traditionally designed campus. In many ways the camp has stayed the same over the past 100 years: the tall pines, the view across the lake, swimming, canoeing, hiking, campfires, singing, friendships. Camp Runoia's programs and facilities have developed; the equipment and training are more sophisticated. But, Camp Runoia is still about making choices and sticking with them; it's about leadership, caring, fun, and adventure.
Learn more about the Belgrade Lakes area of Maine. Visit http://www.belgradelakesmaine.com
