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Hey, Welcome to the Wonder camp website and thanks for checking us out. I have been a part of Wonder camp for 4 years and a part of Rowe since I was 15. I love being a part of Wonder camp and find it difficult to really give a good description of what it is all about. IT IS ABOUT FUN! I love doing art there with people and seeing all the beautiful and interesting things they come up with. I love the running around in the fresh air getting sweaty and laughing my head off. I love being with old friends and making new ones that seem so exciting and wonderfully familiar. I love all the silliness that recharges me into the whole loving person I always want to be. I have SUCH a great time there I believe everyone would love it and come away with such a valuable experience that truly is about CELEBRATING LIFE. I wouldn't miss it. Hope to see you there!
The camp called Wonder; a mix of old school Rowe and something entirely new, was born in a weekend some three years ago. The idea was conceived by two women and a group of former Rowe campers, with me being one of those women. The meeting place was of course, Rowe Camp and Conference Center. I was there during Members & Friends Weekend, which that year coincided with a ten-year camp reunion. I was not there for the reunion but rather for the annual board meeting; at the time I was a board trustee. So, quite a bit to my surprise some of the people attending the reunion were old friends from my teenage years participating in YRUU conferences. I was absolutely thrilled to reconnect with my old friends, Mike Stevens and Bonnie Rovics, the two at the reunion that I had known from some ten years ago. So much time had passed and yet in typical Rowe fashion we connected quickly on a deep and spiritual level.
Bonnie and I sat on the front porch of the Rec Hall for hours catching up, yet it seemed that most of our conversation focused on our common experiences of how Rowe and YRUU conferences had impacted our lives. We talked excitedly about the open minded, creative, loving energy that we had shared as youths. We began wondering how we could recapture some of that energy in a modern setting.
There are adult camps at Rowe that are incredible events like the Women Circles Camp that I have been attending for the past eight years, as well as other adult camps. But what we wanted was a continuation of Senior High Camp with an adult flair. Now, I have the advantage of experiencing Wonder Camp, and have realized that we did succeed. We had hopes and dreams of what Wonder Camp could be. Wonder, though, like any living entity has a life completely of its own, and has become something uniquely special
On a whim; I proposed the camp to the board. Felicity and Doug, the current Directors of Rowe, as well as the board all took a chance and stood behind the dream. We organized our first meeting in Boston, where we got an overwhelming turnout. After that first gathering there was no turning back. Helping to make it all come together has been a lot of hard work but being at camp makes every minute worth it. Wonder is a dream of community. It is the realization of play and laughter combined with friendship and caring. Wonder came about because a few people wanted it to, but honestly I do it just for me. Whatever dreams and wishes I had for Wonder have come to full bloom. All may now share in Wonder Camp, yet I still feel like I have created my own special space and a new community has come to fruition.
Wonder started quite innocently, but I can honestly say it has forever changed my life.
In 1986 I walked up the Rowe hill to Sibley Cabin with my parents. As I got closer to the cabin, I just as much wanted to turn around and go home. I was not sure if this was going to be the right place for me. I had never been to overnight camp before, and I was unsure about what was going to happen. I also was nervous about how I would fit in, and about staying here for two weeks. Would people like me? Would I like everyone else? Would I have fun? Should I stay?
Jump ahead to feeling free, handfuls of stars, laughing, laughing, laughing, being told that I was fine for who I was, rain, telling stories, raspberry zinger tea at 2:00am, hearing someone playing guitar in the woods, feeling alive more than ever, eating fresh delicious food, strawberry scented shampoo in an outdoor shower, connections between me and the moon, discovering a previously silent voice, making friends in a way I did not think possible. I had never been here before - to this place - or to the opening of my heart. I was glad that I had stayed.
Further aheadÉ the friends that I made at Rowe are the strongest friendships in my life. The bonds that I have formed are unlike any other connections that I have with people. When I see the people that I went to camp with I feel the history and see the electricity that buzzes through us.
Like most things, time and miles separated many of these people from me, and although we still had connections, we didn't have many opportunities to see each other to rekindle our old energy. My friend Sarah and I decided to hold a camp reunion during Rowe's annual Friends and Family weekend to try to get a hold of some of the folks that we didn't get to see too often. The feeling was wonderful and the people that showed up, old and new faces alike reminded us of who we were and why we were there.
After two successful reunions, an idea was born. Some folks at the reunion pondered the idea of taking the magic, the creativity, the connections, the celebration and the wonder of Rowe to a new level. The thought was that there should be a week that allows people to come to Rowe and to experience life like they had in summer camp or as if they were experiencing summer camp for the first time. We could infuse the magic of the past with the fresh perspective of being an adult. It was a perfect recipe for creating a place of fun, spiritual awakening, and celebration.
WONDER is now in its third year and has become a place of rejuvenation and relaxation and fun. We blaze and celebrate and play and leave our imprints on the mountain, the earth, and then the sky. Hopefully we bring a little of that home too.
Rowe has given me so much and is such a beautiful place to learn to be oneself. It has taught me that life, even in its darker moments, also can shine. We hope to honor that shining at Wonder Camp - and the glimmering, the sparkling and light that is in all of us.
I first came to Rowe in 1982 for Jr. High camp. I was warmed and welcomed into a loving community of people who accepted me for who I was and encouraged me to continually discover myself, and celebrate in that person. A trusting and loving atmosphere was firmly established and re-enforced, and we all thought of ways to bring the spirit of Rowe into the outside world. I came to camp every summer through 1987, eagerly waiting for each session. The values and ideals of Rowe had helped form the core of who I was, and I felt that I could never separate from that. As several years went by, I found myself thinking that the outside world wasn't ready for the spirit of Rowe. Sadly, I learned that trust is often violated, and love can be rejected or used against you. The values I learned at Rowe are right and true, but they weren't practical. The weight of society bared heavy on me. I was dishonest and self-serving at times, and that seemed justifiable.
In 1994 I was quite a different person from the idealistic teenager who had just graduated for Sr. High camp. That year I found myself back at Rowe for an Alumni reunion. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces, but I wondered what I really had in common with these people. We took a collective trip down memory lane, than returned to our lives. I thought it was great such communities still existed, but that didn't affect the world at large - just provided a safe refuge for occasional use.
By 2000 I was quite depressed and unhappy with my life. I knew something was fundamentally wrong, but didn't know how to change it. I got an envelope in the mail that said "We're doing it again". Just as I suspected it was an invitation to another Sr. High Alumni reunion.
I had a lot of time to think on the fifteen hour solo drive to Rowe from Nashville, TN. A lot of memories came back to me, and I was reminded how Rowe formed a large part of who I was. Finally arriving I was struck by an extraordinary sense of homecoming. I drove through the town of my childhood on the way up, but realized that Rows was my home and always would be
The 2000 reunion was a very powerful experience for me. I felt invigorated and more alive than I had in a long time. It was great to reunite with old friends, but I also got a lot out of meeting people who went to camp after me. It reinforced the idea that the community was ongoing, that people who had never met could still be a part of the same thing. It was a great weekend and we all wanted to do it again, maybe for a whole week. Community and relationships are what life is truly about. I realized I had lost myself as my ideals and values faded over the years. I wanted to rediscover the person I was, but I couldn't do it alone. I needed the support of a community to deal with the amount of negativity I was subject to.
The idea of a weeklong camp persisted, and developed into an adult camp called Wonder Camp. It's been held at Rowe for two years now, and will be again this May 18-23. It's an excellent opportunity to reconnect with Rowe, or a unique and different experience for those who are still involved with Rowe's programs. The energy of camp is quite vibrant, and the people are extraordinary. Everyone is accepted unconditionally, which allows them to express themselves without fear of rejection. We hope you will join us for this amazing opportunity and spread the word to those who have not yet heard of us. Wonder Camp has given me exactly what I needed, and I want to spread this energy to others, even if they have never heard of Rowe before. I feel like I found myself again!
