"This year marks the 52nd year of ORPR Camp, over 50 campers from all parts of the United States are attending this year's camp session.  We have campers from Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Wisconsin, Delaware, Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, and Massachusetts with quite a few being new campers.  All three cabin leaders in the boys camp were returning from last year while the girls cabin leaders were holding the position for the first time.  Our veteran Nachalstvo made sure that all campers were having a good time.

The first week's activities included the kids crossing the creek on a zipline, a luau (complete with DJ!) on the beach with Nachalstvo grilling burgers and hotdogs for the campers, and Top Chef: Dessert Challenge.  Each cabin was given a cake and then 20 minutes to decorate it using an entire picnic table filled with candies, cookies, and icing!  The best part?  We all had dessert for breakfast Saturday morning!"

- Nika Ignatiev, Camp Leader - 1st Week

"The second week let the kids creatively explore their talents: from the Magical Talent Show where a number of kids showcased their unique abilities (including gymnastics, musical instruments, singing, magic and more!) to the 80's themed picnic (with a surprise appearance of Rocky Balboa!) where the cabins put on choreographed dances to the 80's song of their choice. Campers got a surprise cooking lessons from their 'Swedish Chefs' - also known as counselors, on how to make a tasty omelet - a new skill they had to put to the test during their Varka cook-off (Yes, on grills! Sorry, no fires this year). But the best part of the week was of course the surprise trip to the Waterpark!"

- Alena Khavkhalyuk, Camp Leader - 2nd Week

"The third week included Vladimirovo preparation- complete with Russian dancing and a play, the challenging mile swim, a great trip to Lake Summerset (activities included swimming and beach volleyball), night games, and of course The Ball - the most important dance of the year ;)"

- Marina Schachowskoj, Camp Leader - 3rd Week

"The last week of camp was filled with fun, friendship, learning, and overall left the campers yearning for more.

The week began with our traditional Vladimirovo program.  This year however had a little twist…the campers performed in the rain.  As the show was about to get started, the rain started to fall.  Normally, everyone would find the rain annoying, but this rain provided hope that the county enforced fire ban, that had been in effect the first three weeks, could be lifted.  More to come on that…

The show, besides the rain, went off without a hitch.  The campers impressed, the parents were pleased.  What more could you ask for?  Another event the highlighted the week was our movie night on the peninsula.  A “big screen” movie theatre was constructed out of a large white sheet and two tall flag poles.  The campers brought down their sleeping bags and pillows, and enjoyed a movie and popcorn.  After the movie was over, the camp slept underneath the stars…for a few hours.  We then awoke to the sound of rumbling thunder and ushered the campers back to their cabins just in the nick of time.  The skies opened up...sad that we couldn’t spend the rest of the night on the peninsula but hopeful that this would lead to the lifting of the fire ban!  Sadly, still not lifted.

On Tuesday of the 4^th week we went for a 13 mile hike on the Jane Adams Trail in Freeport.  After the hike, we had lunch and then headed for a surprise visit to Lake Summerset.  Interspersed in the week we also had some fun arts and crafts time, using duct tape.  We had a “Keem” (memory game) using the trunks of two cars.  One nachalstvo member hid in each trunk and would open the trunk randomly to reveal an item that the cabin would have to memorize.  The trunks opened at different times and for various lengths of time.  It was a true test of the memory.  We played night games, we swam, and played all sorts of sports.

One of the last events we had during the 4^th was our “super” varka.  This takes us right back to the fire ban.  After all the rain we saw during the 4^th week (at least three separate occasions), the fire ban still had not been lifted.  This meant another varka with no fire.  No fire, no problem.  Time to get creative.  Our super varka involved all of the components of a normal varka, it just did not include a fire.  The cabins headed to the beach.  There they made a float out of sticks and a bundle of rope which they were given.  Their objective was to build a float that would keep multiple things dry as they crossed the lake.  One older cabin member was responsible for swimming across the lake (wearing a life jacket) and bringing back a match.  If the nachalstvo could light their match when the brought it back they could move on to the next task.  They had to make two cups full of wood shavings which they had to transport across the lake.  Once there, they picked up a piece of bread to represent their food.  That needed to come back to the other side dry.  Bonus points were given for the best raft, most creative methods of keeping the items dry, etc.  Once they had completed all their tasks, the nachlastvo grilled hamburgers and hotdogs on the beach and we ate lunch to music and carried that right into kupanie (swimming).  I think it was safe to say that the campers barely remembered that they needed fire to have a fun varka.

Finally, the week ended as it normally does…Lots of reflection, lots of appreciation, lots of joy, lots of tears, and lots of campers yearning for “just one more week.”

- Nikka Pawlukowsky, Camp Leader - 4th Week

"Why do I love ORPR? As a priest, I see that ORPR allows for clergy and youth to interact in ways that simply are not possible in the parish setting. Daily classes in Orthodoxy are just the start. Topics first mentioned in class are later discussed in the woods, at a meal, or while on a hike. Kids are able to internalize their faith and get answers to their most important questions. Camp also provides an incredible opportunity to train youth in how to be Christian leaders -- and then gives them abundant ways to put those values into action."

- Father Daniel Marshall, Spiritual Father