the green spot blog

  What an amazing couple of weeks it's been here at camp. Last week we welcomed our Spring Staff onto site for training. It's always a crazy week full of a tons of information, games, and learning how to teach Outdoor Education in a short amount of time. Next week we will devote the whole blog about what it takes to be a staff here when it's not summer. Today...today we just want to say thank you. THANK YOU! Our Dinner and a Laugh Fundraiser was a huge success but more than that - it was just a wonderful evening. Start to finish, we just really loved connecting with and visiting with supporters of Evergreen - people who personally experienced the life-changing power of camp themselves or through a loved on and are invested in the future of Camp Evergreen. It's such an encouragement to US to hear the stories of change and support from our constituents. It all began with an explanation of our Reaching Higher project. If you don't know what Reaching Higher is - c...

As most of you know, May 7th marks the day of our Spring Fundraiser at Dalhousie Church. It's going to be a hilarious event as Leland Klassen joins us as the entertainment for the evening. Laughing is not the only thing we can promise about the event. Ken, our Red Seal Chef, will be preparing a most amazing meal. There's rumours of roasted goodness and homemade salad dressings. If you've ever had a meal from Ken - you know how much love and imagination gets poured into it. The other thing that you can get excited about is our Silent Auction. There will be an amazing spread of family friendly tickets to things like Calaway Park, Tyrrell Museum, and Heritage Park and then some cool getaway ideas like Golf and Hotel Packages to Olds, Cranbrook BC (Kimberley Golf Resort), and even a week hotel in Maui, HI. If destinations aren't what gets you excited - look for a home speaker system, artwork donated by some Alumni, a Fitbit, a tablet, an AMAZING decorated cake, and ...

As you may have noticed on our Facebook Page - this last Saturday was our annual Pond Hockey Fundraiser and let me be the first (well, I'm probably not actually the first) to say that it was an amazing day! Nine teams signed up for the day - all prepared to win the coveted Golden Skate trophy. Teams came to us from Sundre, Edmonton, and Calgary. We even had some "free agents" sign up for the day to be placed on some teams that needed some extra legs. The day started out at 9am with some pretty frigid temperatures. -24C to be exact. At this temperature...not much works (like us humans!). Not even the ice. Our Ice Maintenance teams were quick at work trying to patch large cracks in the ice from it being too brittle. The "Quadbonie" team on Rink 2 and our Ice Maintenance Rink 1 team worked hard to make sure the ice was as good as we could make it. We kept trucking, patching, and playing and with each game - the temperature rose about 4 or 5 degrees. Before ...

This fall the Evergreen Barn has been as busy as ever! Not only are we loving and caring for our main herd consisting of 36 saddle horses, but we are also training our Clydesdale team to pull a wagon for hay rides! On an average day in our slower season (starting in November), we as a barn crew are working together to exercise the trail ponies, complete any medical care needed, and work on any barn maintanc(y) things that need getting done. This fall, however, is special because on top of all that other necessary work we love, the barn is allotting a fair amount of time to training our team of Clydesdale. Don't worry though, we still make sure we have time for the saddle horses so that they get adequate exercise and more than enough love. Let us introduce you to our big girls. On the left side of the wagon we drive Irish, and on the right there is April. These two are a mother daughter team that we have been blessed with by donation. Left side is Irish - Right s...

This is the best day of my life - I love camp, I JUST LOVE CAMP!!  Those are familiar words at camp - kids living in the moment at camp. Each day is filled with new adventures - from rescuing princesses in towers (staff on top of the climbing wall) to stopping the cookie thieves on horseback or rounding up dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Camp creates a world like no other - opening doors of imagination and wonder. If that wasn't enough - the food is amazing (not as amazing as your mum's, of course) and the staff are like superheroes. For some campers, a week at camp represents more than the games and activities - one camper describes camp as their "home away from home. It's impossible to come to camp and not make friends". It also offers a place to learn about the Creator of the world in a safe place. To learn who Jesus is and how much each of us are loved by Him.  An application from one of our Interns this year said that every person should get to ex...

In the past few months, you may have heard about a new campaign at camp called Reaching Higher.  Maybe you've seen it in an email, or heard me talk about it at Closing Program throughout the summer.  Perhaps you stopped by to look at the plans (and eat the cookies) at the Welcome Centre during Registration or Closing in July and August.  We're very excited about how the camp is moving forward and we want to share it with everyone because you're all part of it. As you know, Evergreen is focused on changing the lives of everyone who visits.  Through our loving staff, amazing facilities, and the beautiful wilderness around us, we share God's love, sacrifice, and the excitement of a journey with Christ.  During the summer we're able to reach hundreds of children and youth with the Good News of the Gospel.  In the winter, we are able to reach even more, by hosting school groups and retreats, with people of all ages and walks of life.  Check this out...