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News From The Point
Category: News from the Point
Update on Summer 2020
Dear Campers,
Over the past few months your lives have changed so much and we know it has been really hard. During this difficult time, we want more than anything to bring our Point O’Pines family together for the summer because we know how much you need camp right now. We have been working so hard to try to figure out a way to have a wonderful summer while keeping you all safe and healthy. However, it breaks our hearts to let you know that we have made the decision that the best way to keep all of you safe and healthy this summer is to postpone camp until the summer of 2021.
This decision has been the hardest decision we have ever made. Every year, we spend 10 months preparing for summer and we wait excitedly all year for the first day of camp when we can bring our summer family back together. There is no greater joy for us than seeing you at camp as you make lifelong friendships, thrive in your activities, and have the time of your lives. We are inspired by the love you have for each other and The Point, and it is that love that will get us all through this difficult time.
We know that this news is very upsetting to you. We are experiencing many of the same emotions of sadness, anger, frustration, and loss you are feeling now as we come to the realization that we won’t be able to come together in person this summer. It is so important to remember that the real magic of The Point is that we stay connected in our hearts and through our friendships even when we are not sitting together at the campfire circle under a beautiful starlit sky. The bonds that unite our Point O’Pines community are strong, spirited, and loving and will support us all as we work through the challenging days and weeks ahead.
You probably have a lot of questions for us right now and we encourage you to reach out with all of your questions. There is one important point we want to make sure you understand. We are just pausing camp for the current summer and we will move forward in 2021 with all of you in the same groups that you would have been in this summer. The Peakers have already put so many hours of work into planning an outstanding summer for the camp community and these amazing Peakers of 2020 will become the unique Peakers of 2020/2021, and the Seniors of 2020 will be the Seniors of 2021.
We also want to take special care to make sure our new campers continue to build the bonds that they have started to create with their Big Sisters and other POP campers. We are so grateful to our Big Sisters for the kindness and love they have shown their Little Sisters and we are excited to see these bonds continue to grow over the coming months.
Although we won’t be coming together in person this summer, we are going to work hard so we all stay united as we wait for the summer of 2021. We will continue with our “Point@Home” program throughout the summer, but right now, it is important that we can see you, answer your questions, and come together as a community to share our love during this time. We invite you all to join us this Sunday at 3:30 for an all-camp Zoom meeting (we will send the Zoom link to parents on Sunday morning).
Every year at our last campfire, we make wishes for the next summer and we light candles on our wish boats as we say a sad goodbye and look toward the future. Tonight as you fall asleep, it is okay to shed some tears as you say goodbye to the camp summer of 2020. But let’s all remember, just like we do at our last campfire, to make our wishes for next summer that will bring us back together and turn our dreams into reality. All of us at camp will work harder than ever to make sure these wishes and dreams come true.
We love you all and are holding you all close to our hearts. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday afternoon.
Love,
Sue, Jim, Brandon, Caressa, Sherie, Erin, & Betsy
Big Sisters are Getting Ready for Camp
As most campers know, one of the secrets to a great camp community at Point O’Pines is our Big Camp Sister Program. New campers get to connect with an older more experienced girl who can tell her about what to get excited about. When camp starts, the big camp sisters do a great job of checking in and making each new camper feel welcome and right at home. We asked a few campers for their perspective on being a big camp sister. We hope you are as excited as they are for camp time to finally arrive.
Welcome to The Point @ Home
We welcome you to Point O’Pines! We’re mighty glad you’re here!
It is officially 98 days until the buses arrive at camp. While many of you are focusing on school work at home, we decided that we could all do with a little dreaming of warm days of sunshine together with friends.
So, for that reason, we are going to start camp early this year! The snow is not even off the ground and we are introducing “The Point @ Home” to tide us all over until the summer when we can be together again. Starting today, we will be posting activities and programs on the Point O’Pines website for you to participate in and enjoy from the comfort of your home (even in your PJs!).
We also want to include all of your wonderful ideas over the coming weeks in this new program, so feel free to contact us at pointathome@pointopines.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Our Snowy Paradise
This weekend started with Winter Storm “Kade”. With freezing rain encasing trees in ice and transitioning into just about the biggest dump of snow all winter, the storm left nearby communities without power. Fortunately, we were still 100% powered up due to our ample generators powering everything at camp. In fact, the lights of Point O’Pines on the lake brought in some of our neighbors to have a warm meal in our dining room (and restaurant).
On Saturday, the great Peak of 2020 rolled into camp for their winter visit. We played in the snow and took a walk out towards Schultzs’ Island, and even lost and found two phones in the snow (oops!). We came back inside with some warm hot chocolate and started planning. These organized Peakers-on-the-rise shared great ideas, and we were so impressed with how they were able to make decisions together. 2020 is going to be a great summer at Point O’Pines!
Starting last night our electricity in our town is coming back bit-by-bit with the hard work of line crews. We spent the morning having brunch together and a last dose of fun in the snow. We had to say tearful goodbyes to our 2020 Peakers, but we know camp is just around the corner in less than 138 days. See you all soon!
More photos of the weekend retreat are posted in an album when you log in on our website.
