If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Camp Ondessonk, at camp@ondessonk.com or 618-695-2489! There are challenge and high rope courses, and a variety of special interest weekends and open houses. Illinois state regulations apply. Wham!CowboyRope that steer! You learned a lot about your friends while at camp. Listen to Unit Cheers, a playlist curated by Camp Ondessonk on desktop and mobile. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The 2011 Jeanne M. Newton and Thomas R. Cromwell Campership Challenge Grant, Camp Ondessonk Celebrities For a Buck and a Quarter. Hope to see you there! Camp Ondessonk is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Belleville and has been offering summer camp experience since 1959, the same year I was born. Wound Managementincluding open fractures, lacerations, burns and blisters. The ghost stories told around the campfire at night spooked me. As children and parents arrived on opening day, volunteers scrambled to finish building the last of the bunks in the cabins. CIT program recruitment, selection, and training is made on the basis of qualifications that meet the needs of Camp Ondessonk, and not to discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, or any other categories protected by Federal, State, or local law. A stream near the spillway. Most meals are served family style. Only one-fourth of the camps in the US have earned this mark of distinction. Campers were able to discover much of the natural beauty of the Shawnee as they rode through the various trails encompassed within the forest. The camp strives to remain a "last frontier" of sorts, where participants can experience life away from the plugged in world of today's society, and go back to a . The trading post building was also constructed the same year allowing it to move out of the small section of the Administration Building it had been previously housed in. Intermediate adventures, formerly called level two programs, offer a more intense experience and greater challenge to campers. Camp Ondessonk. The largest single, free-flowing waterfall in Illinois, and it is conveniently in camp property. There was a swinging bridge across the main lake. Gender did not apply to these units because there was no coed season of summer camp during the time during which they were around. Phone: 618.695.2489 x104 All cabin units have fire pits, benches, picnic tables, a potable water spigot, an outhouse, and are within a short walk to a shower house. You look at every building here at camp, old and new, and you know it was largely done by a team of volunteers coming together, Werner said. The spirit of volunteering is as strong at Camp Ondessonk as any organization I have been involved in. In 1967 Amantacha became the first tree house unit. In 2008, he assumed the role of Camping Services Director, overseeing Ondessonks summer camp program and other camper services. Ow! Surrounded by other areas of stream that are great for catching crawdads and skipping rocks. SoundCloud Unit Cheers by Camp Ondessonk published on 2022-08-04T16:52:35Z. Their children, Katie, Charlie, Brian, andColleen,cant wait until they are old enough to be Ondessonk campers. I promise to make good decisions. not smoke, vape, or use any tobacco or e-cigarette product on Camp Ondessonk property. display humor and a positive attitude in response to stress and change. refrain from intimate displays of affection with anyone else. Ondessonk also offers lodging, camping, group retreats, horseback trail rides, corporate retreats, and outdoor education programs for scouts and school groups. Depending on position, staff members are certified by the Certified Horsemanship Association, National Rifle Association, American Red Cross, or other appropriate certifying bodies. Behind the scenes, there are new Read more. Camp Ondessonk welcomed possibly the most iconic member of its family in July 1966 when it acquired Tommy the Bear. If you are selected and accept a position at Camp Ondessonk, you will commit to upholding Catholic values in your public work, and acting as a positive role model and mentor to our campers. She had blossomed so much in that one week. The other seven are represented with stars on the camp symbol. [2] The Primitive Units gave campers a unique experience, away from camp, during which they lived off the land for the week. Camp Ondessonk offers specialized programs, referred to as adventure camp, that allow campers to focus on one set of skills in a particular area for an entire week. They also act as families for campers for the week as units attend activities and compete in all-camp activities together. All cabin units have fire pits, benches, picnic tables, a potable water spigot, an outhouse, and are within a short walk to a shower house. Good and bad. At the time, families lined up hours early at the beginning of each session to register campers for the most popular cabin units. Camp Ondessonk is committed to providing a Catholic, faith based, fun, safe, educational, and inclusive experience for all campers, CITs, staff, parents, and volunteers. Ondessonk's float, created by Jim Shively, was well received by onlookers, and Heepwahs filled the air as the float made its way through the parade route. The Belleville Optimist Annual Santa Parade is touted . 2023 Camp Ondessonk. She was quickly promoted to Program Director in 2008, overseeing the Ondessonk Outdoor Education Program during the school year, all Camp Ondessonk specialty programs such as Mother-Daughter Weekend and Fall Family Camp, and summer activity areas, as well as hiring, training, and mentoring the Seasonal Program Staff. Education: B.S. Campers carried all their food and gear in the canoes with them. 9:00-12:00 pm. June 7-10, 2022. There will be a performance on the last day of camp. "Lodge of Ondessonk and Tekakwitha." In order to encourage campers to stay in the temporary unit, they were promised exclusive use of shower house C. This resurrected unit of Couture was only around for one year. Print. Campers will learn stunts, jumps, dance, and cheers. There was also an occasional snake or lizard, and plenty of insects and bugs. Take a hike. Throughout the early 2000s various camp activities were introduced and different adventure programs were tried for brief periods. You have chosen to report this camp for inaccurate content.If you would like to receive a reply, please include your email address in the comment box below. A store in the main area that sells food and items such as: toiletries, camp gear, camp paraphernalia, soda on certain days, and ice cream/candy. During their stay campers were given extra time and opportunities to participate in their favorite activities. CIT program recruitment, selection, and training is made on the basis of qualifications that meet the needs of Camp Ondessonk, and not to discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, or any other categories protected by Federal, State, or local law. Chabanel was moved to its current location in 1979 and the LaLande cabins were rebuilt into tree houses in 1981. The cabin was a complete loss along with almost all of the camper belongings that had been in it. 10% of Camp Ondessonk employees are Black or African American. The Garnier tree houses were built upshore from where the Garnier cabins had sat and the Amantacha bridge was added to replace the various methods of getting campers across Lake Echon. The two units were eventually dismantled due to lack of need for 12 units. Nickname: Teon (Has a very scary and quite well known ghost story). [4] Omar's Bikini Club near East St. Louis advertised a bear for sale after it failed as a dancing attraction. Dan lives on site with his wife Suzy. Whats next, what's next? New activities and programs continue to be added as camp evolves with the changing times around it in the real world.. Some weekends are open for lodging only. Bad aim. It offers programs and facilities year round. In 1973, Teondecoren was made into a cabin unit when camp was overbooked for a coming week and the cabins supposedly had to be built by staff the weekend before. The John de LaLande Award is presented to a non-Lodge Member who is part of the Camp Ondessonk staff and feels that they do not meet the proper requirements for membership into the organization but have rendered meritorious service to Camp Ondessonk and the community. Although no such program currently exists, campers may attend as many concurrent sessions as they qualify for according to gender. There is now a bigger dining hall that is used but it is farther from the main area. Hometown: Johnston City, Illinois The Metro East Lodge Council and Camp staff greeted more than 20,000 spectators for the 2022 Belleville Optimist Annual Santa Parade. The very first Frontier trip went to Rocky Mountain National Park. Campers spend their nights in either Chiwatenwha or Aonnetta with staff trained to take on the challenges of younger campers experiencing their first week-long sleepaway camp stay. [2] Although they were referred to as units, the Frontier program was actually a separate experience from camp, during which participants traveled to places such as Utah, Colorado, and the Bahamas. A new barn was added in the pastures in 1983 and a new modern health center was added in 1986. Campers in Teondecoren lived off the land, and made the unit a popular visiting spot for other units on the Wednesday night overnight. A week before opening day a bathhouse was built, although it lacked a water heater, and a well was dug to provide fresh water. Omar Monds agreed to donate the bear if Ondessonk was willing to take it and camp was willing to take the bear if Monds could deliver the bear and get it into the cage that camp had set up. Killed mosquitoes. This program is designed for participants wanting an enhanced experience in horsemanship while still enjoying many of the all-camp activities of traditional camp. Services/Products. Sleep-away camps for ages 8-15. But most of the campers were from the Catholic grade schools in the metro-east. It is located in the Shawnee National Forest of Southern Illinois, near Ozark, Illinois. On a typical day at camp chants ring through the dining hall, cheers sail across the field, and songs embrace the campfire. You can experience the same camp you went to as a kid with your own kids, or grandkids. See more of Camp Ondessonk on Facebook. Businesses can utilize conference and retreat facilities. So if it were not for Camp Ondessonk, I would have never slept in a cabin, treehouse or tent, or learned to wrap hamburgers, potatoes and carrots in aluminum foil and cooked a hobo dinner in a campfire. }))); He went to camp as a kid. The units can be sorted into four different categories based on cabin type. We love being camp counselors,Theres nothing wed rather be!Since we are camp counselors,Were as happy as can be! When Couture was no longer a unit the tents were used to expand other units in camp. Contains tracks. Phone: 618.695.2489 x104. The dining hall is air conditioned, and has windows on all sides to allow for ventilation. Music-making. However, everyone is certain to learn a lot at the clinic through all the knowledge shared by both participants and clinic staff. I was lucky. During the first summer of camp in its new location, 481 campers and 52 staff attended over the four-week period that camp ran. Many of the units adopted their three-sided look in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s based on the inspiration of a Polynesian design discovered on a trip to Walt Disney World. Wednesday was hump day. Belleville IL Camp Ondessonk Camp Ondessonk Event Diocese of Belleville Illinois Summer Camp Santa Parade. Caught a few toads in the bushes. Deadline to apply is February 17, 2023. This makes Tekakwitha the perfect unit for younger campers or those nervous about their first stay away from home. There was a great big mooseHe liked to drink a lot of juiceThere was a great big mooseAnd he drank a lot of juiceChorus:Singing oh way oh!Way oh, way oh, way oh, way ohWAAYYY oh, way oh!Way oh, way oh, way oh, way ohThe moose's name was FredHe liked to drink his juice in bedThe moose's name was FredAnd he drank his juice in bed ChorusHe liked to drink his juice with careBut he spilled it in his hairHe drank his juice with careBut he spilled it EVERYWHEREChorusNow there's a sticky mooseAll covered in juiceOn the LOOOOOSE. show initiative, be responsible, and do things without being asked. The Blob made its debut in the swimming area in the late 1990s but was later removed for safety reasons. Hometown: Johnston City, Illinois. xmlns: "http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" This required some reorganization as a boys and girls side of the lake was designated, separate bathhouses were issued, and brother/sister units were developed. 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