Upcoming Liberty Lake Foundation Events

The Liberty Lake Foundation for Youth has been hard at work this off-season, especially in planning events and fundraisers. Community events and fundraisers are a BIG part of the Liberty Lake Foundation for Youth. To support the local community and raise money to send children to camp, our Foundation hosts, sponsors and participates in a wide range of events throughout our area. We hope that all members of the Liberty Lake Family support the Foundation by participating in our events. Click here to learn about the Foundation's upcoming events.

Together, we can make a difference! 

Introducing the Liberty Lake Family Benefits Program!

At Liberty Lake, membership has it’s privileges!

We’ve always prided ourselves in extending our impact on campers, team members and camp families from the summer into the rest of the year. Whether it’s our annual Senior Camp/Teen Leaders Focus Group, team reunions, parenting workshops or Community Health Day, Liberty Lake is much more than a ten-week summer camp experience. It’s in this spirit, that we introduce our newest initiative – the Liberty Lake Family Benefits Program, which has been implemented by our year-round administrative dynamo, Joe Craig.

Through the Family Benefits Program, we are establishing partnerships with a wide variety of local businesses-many of whom are Liberty Lake Families. All of our partners provide YOU – the Liberty Lake camper, parent and team member with exclusive discounts from businesses that you can trust! All current Liberty Lakers are eligible to take advantage of the discount opportunities, there is no sign up.

Please visit the Family Benefits Page of our website to learn more about the program and check out the current offers. Right now, you can receive 10% off Pampered Chef products, enroll at Ladies Workout Express at no cost, get 50% off storage space at Simply Self Storage + several other great offers from local businesses.

Be sure to check the Family Benefits Page regularly, as we will update the current offers frequently as we establish new partnerships.

If your business would like to partner with us, please complete the application and Joe will follow up with you.

We hope that all of you have take advantage of our Family Benefits!

Liberty Lake’s New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year Liberty Bloggers!

At Liberty Lake, we continually strive to improve ourselves. Whether it’s coming up with new ideas or putting creative twists on old standards, much of the off-season in the camp office is spent making plans to make us better. As we say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012, we have put together a list of LLDC New Year’s Resolutions - Things that we, as an organization, are dedicated to doing in 2012.

Camp Mission & Philosophy:

• Continue to refine & enhance our core mission, philosophy and values - and infuse these in everything we do. We intend to build upon the commitment we made in 2011, to dedicate ourselves to teaching our Campers and Staff the 21st Century Skills to become successful, contributing adults in modern society.

• Become more and more intentional in all of our thinking & doing. Last year we intentionally programmed our activities integrating the 21st Century Skills framework into the camp curriculum. In 2012, we intend to take this a step further, integrating these skills into our informal times, such as group times, lunch, special events, etc.

Outstanding Service To Camp Families:

• Keep Camp affordable - both for current and new families, for as long as we can - we'll continue to keep our Camper Tuition rates frozen until we see the economy take a turn for the better!
• Provide Liberty Lake families with added value and benefits through our newly established Family Benefits Program. The intent of this program is to provide Liberty Lake Families with exclusive discounts, services and offers from local businesses. We have several participating partners already, and will work hard to keep the list growing. 
• Parenting Program/Workshop- We will be holding a Parent Workshop on the evening of March 1st to show the critically acclaimed movie Consuming Kids, and hold a discussion panel afterwards, moderated by Dr. Rafe Vecere.

Protect Our Environment:

• From the negative effects of the New Jersey Turnpike's expansion and proposed Warehouse Distribution Facility. We will continue to "shake the trees" for environmental justice more than ever in 2012! Our goal is to double the number of members in the We Love Liberty Lake Coalition, and continue to promote awareness of environmental issues in our local communities. 
• Continue Going Green- besides recycling more, we intend to start composting from our landscaping and lunch debris!

Community Impact:

• Increase the scope of our Liberty Lake Foundation by fostering more relationships with schools and youth development organizations. 
• Continue to give the gift of camp to underprivileged children through Foundation “camperships.” 
• Promote physical and mental wellness at our Second Annual Community Health Day.

Social Media & Website:

• Continue improving our website - which has taken a giant leap forward into the 21st century this past year. In 2012, we plan to add more content & resources to the site, while also improving it's organization & layout - increasing it’s value for campers, parents and team members alike. 
• Strengthen our connectivity & sharing with the Liberty Lake Family through our social media outlets. 

Staff Team:

• Retain our best team members from 2011 and find the best and brightest to add to our 2012 Team. 
• More training and professional development for our summer and year-round teams.

Camp Programming:

• Amaze and wow with new special events, and new electives

And of course.....

Make 2012 our best summer yet!

LLDC Salutes Jason Samuel- An Exceptional Individual!

At Liberty Lake, we take pride in having the greatest team of staff members we can possibly assemble, and we get better and stronger each year. More and more experienced staff return, and more and more Campers evolve into outstanding staff- seeking to "pay it forward" from their amazing Camp experiences. I'm proud of our outstanding team members at Liberty Lake- both year-round and seasonal. We are fortunate to have some very dynamic performers, eccentric characters, and dedicated, hard working wonderful people- And one of our best ever is riding off into the sunset at the end of this month.

Long-time Assistant Director Jason Samuel is moving on in the Camping world, having recently accepted a job as a Camp Director at a Resident (Sleepaway) Camp beginning in January. We will miss Jason greatly- but it is a great opportunity, and we wish him the best.

Jason Samuel, LLDC Assistant Director 2004-2011

Jason leaves us after 7 wonderful years with a unique opportunity to help lead a onetime great Camp back into prominence. Replacing Jason will be challenging, as his talents were so varied and so many- From hiring, to the pool, the lake, outside program facilities, the high and low ropes course which he helped build, dealing with contractors, American Camp Association standards accreditation, being a true extension of "Me" outside during the Camp day- I could go on.

But what I want to put forth with this blog is something about Jason that I feel is EXTRA special. Something that you only see in the top tier of employees in any organization. Jason worked at Liberty Lake the past seven years as if he were an owner. What does that mean? It doesn't mean that he used his company card on lavish vacations- on the contrary, he'd probably ask permission to buy a pack of gum. What I'm talking about is job commitment, work ethic, and selfless way of seeing the big picture. No matter how difficult the situation, Jason did what it took to get the job done.

The newest generations that have entered the workforce- Gen Y and the new "Digital Generation" have a reputation for NOT being like their parent's generation. Our parents toiled away at thankless jobs, dedicating their lives to their families, becoming the first in their family to attend college, living with the core necessities of life, looking forward to the annual week down at the shore, and the occasional trip to Disney. My Generation (X), in an effort to give our kids more than what we have, generally spoiled our children, and created a generation of well-meaning, but entitled young people. This is a generation that despite the poor economy, only works at jobs that they enjoy, lives at home well into their twenties, lives for today- doesn't plan for the future, and aren't so good at dealing with disappointment (because their parents protected them from it for so many years). Jason was a throwback to the old days.

From the first day he worked at LLDC, until this last week- Jason was in early, stayed late, worked until his assignments were done, didn't look at the clock, didn't take days off, worked at home when he was sick, always went the extra mile, got his hands dirty (you don't even want to know the details), and kept a positive disposition through it all- and it was real. That was Jason.

Overseeing so many areas at Camp, Jason understood the delicate balance of what was best for Camp and the Campers- with what was best for the budget. He saw the monstrous pool pumps in regards to their relevance and efficiency- as well as their replacement cost and electrical usage ($$). He knew when it was important to spend money, and when it was fiscally prudent to find a cheaper way- and it wasn't his money! He was getting paid the same regardless. He often made fiscal choices that made his job more difficult, but that was Jason- he felt an ownership at his job, as if he were an owner. He worked his job as if it were his money. For Jill and me, the ones who pay the mortgage each month, we were very fortunate to have Jason as an assistant director for so many years.

Jason can't and won't be replaced by one person. Like a good sports team, we will band together, dividing and conquering from now through the summer and beyond, and Liberty Lake will continue to flourish. But Jason's spirit, just like his many contributions- will remain with us for years to come.
Onward and upward- Good luck Jason, we will miss you!

If you’d like to say goodbye to Jason, you can still Email him at libertylakejs@gmail.com.

2011 Parent Feedback Survey – Summary of Responses

Thank you to the 100 + parents that completed our end of the summer survey! Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us. We love hearing about what you love about Liberty Lake, and your suggestions on how we can improve are a big help in our off-season planning.

Below is a quick snapshot of the responses -

Q: What makes Liberty Lake Day Camp such a special place for you and your family?

“My son has Special Needs. This was his first camp experience he has had without an aid. He did GREAT! He was so happy at Liberty Lake. His independence and comfort level were amazing. He said how nice everyone was to him and he can't wait to go back! THANK YOU!”

“We love that it is all about making friends, learning to work with people and playing outside and getting dirty. One of the best things is that there are no electronics ~ this is great! I love that my kids come home dirty and tired after a long day of playing and just being kids. It's nice to be around people with similar views and it's nice to know that our children are being well cared-for.”

“Tons of activities they have never been exposed to surrounded by a caring staff. An opportunity to learn and grow both academically and socially. I wish we signed her up years ago! She loved it!!”

“The chance to be good as in the 'good old days' before sitting on butts playing video games all day.. And of course, the staff, electives etc. There's nothing in NJ like LLDC”

Q: Please RATE your feelings from 1 (poor) to 5 (AMAZING) with this summer's service or program:

More than 95% of parents rated us with a 4 or a 5!!

Q: How can we make the Camp experience better for next summer?

“Food needs fewer carbs and sugar, more veggie options than just salad and more lean protein.”

“You should sell LLDC tees and other items at Family Night ~ I think it would do well and we would definitely make purchases.”

“We would love a bus pickup/dropoff site in Collingswood!”

“I'd appreciate more frequent communication/updates from the counselors. Sort of a group version of the weekly-ish notes we got at the younger levels. Sometimes the incite helps us prime the kids to tell us more about their days...”

"Discuss with the older kids preparing to become CIT/LITs what the program is and that it is important to LLDC if they want to become counselors in the future.”

“Enhance pre and post weeks.”

“Keep the pricing reasonable.”

“It would be fun to see some sort of closer to real time info feed. Hourly twitter updates, or mobile web cam that might follow the action and broadcast the gaga tournament or tug-o-war, live-ish photo stream...I don't know. The kids are obviously excited to be there, but the parents are excited about it too. Just catching the kids crossing the driveway on the webcam is great fun.”

“LOL make it all year long.”

Well unfortunately we can’t make camp year long : ( 

Although it sure would be nice! 

However, the people that are at Liberty Lake all-year (Andy, Jill, Jason, Joe, Brandi, Ellyn & Justin) will work hard to put many of your suggestions into action for 2012! While the Liberty Lake experience is excellent, we also know that it can always be better. Thanks again for helping us with this, and you can send us additional comments & suggestions at any time – fun@libertylakedaycamp.com.