Take a Little Teka-with-ya

Written by: Rachel 'Cricket' Pischke

I have done a lot of profound, life-changing, and exuberant things in my life. There are many things that I am proud of: special events that brought immense joy and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. However, nothing has tugged at my heart strings, given me hope or brought more comfort and joy to my life than Camp Tekakwitha has. Camp has carried my most treasured moments for more than a decade of my life.

I spent long summers on Loon Lake that felt far too short. We spent nights stargazing with Treble on the waterfront. Days preparing for campers by building an observatory. Long nights by the fire making nickel s’mores and telling recycled scary stories. Afternoons that were so hot we swam all day. 

I watched kids struggle with archery on Monday and saw them hit the target by Friday. I lingered over the smell of the cabin the first night of the summer after a long winter of vacancy. I perfected my pancake-making skills during our Polka Pancake tradition where sprinkles in your pancakes were a novelty. I have memories of berry picking with my very best friends at 6 AM, saving baby bunnies from a wild storm, kayaking until our arms hurt, ducking through the spider tunnel, and eating dinner in the pouring rain.

 

Camp Tekakwitha isn’t just a physical place that I left back in 2016, it’s forever with me. I carry it wherever I go. The memories and lessons I learned there have guided me. As I’ve found myself now in a role with youth programs, I continue to encounter many children every week who have also fallen in love with Camp Tekakwitha, and I get the honor of sharing such a special commonality.

I have brought songs from Camp Tek meals with me all the way to South America. I played the same games that I once played with campers, with orphans in Africa - and I attempted the same crafts I once made at camp, in South America. As I look forward to my future, Camp Tekakwitha and what I learned in its presence will guide my choices for the rest of my life.

I hope that as you continue to experience the powerful joy and peace that dwells within the midst of Camp for the coming summers, that you always remember to take a little teka-with-ya and leave a little of yourself behind.

Blessed are the Curious, for They Shall Have Adventures

Written by Anne 'Nala' Geenen

Over the past eleven years, I have spent approximately 5,000 hours at Camp Tekakwitha. 5,000 hours laughing, loving, and learning. 5,000 hours with God, friends, and family. 5,000 hours at the place that means the most to me in the world. 

I like to think there is an eleventh Beatitude: blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures. Every waking moment at camp is an adventure. As a camper, the counselors would never tell me what we were doing next (despite me asking every few minutes) so there were surprises around every corner. I always tried everything: archery, boating, swimming, field games, arts and crafts, and gaga ball. Days passed in the blink of an eye and I never wanted to leave when my parents picked me up on Fridays. When I turned 15, I graduated to LeaderQuest. This adventure was crazy awesome and exciting. We were given more freedom like a later bedtime and offsite trips, but with more freedom came more responsibility. We were put in charge of some activities for the younger kids. I had always considered becoming a counselor, but my two years in the LQ program solidified the idea for me. At 17, I became a junior counselor. I remember the day I checked in and got to pick my camp name. I had spent years debating, but I finally settled on Nala. Yes, from the Lion King. As a JC, I spent two weeks at camp helping the full-time counselors. The following spring, I applied and got accepted to be a counselor for Summer 2016. The summers of ’16 and ’17 have been the greatest adventures of my life. At camp, I am free to explore who I am, deepen my relationship with God, and become my true self. Working with kids has been incredibly rewarding. There are good days and bad days, obviously, but when I look back at my time spent at camp, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

I want to talk about names for a minute. Both my camp name and my confirmation name have great significance. In the Catholic church, when a follower of Jesus receives a new mission from God, he or she receives a new name. Like Saul becoming Paul, I have done this twice. When I got confirmed, I selected Saint Kateri Tekakwitha as my saint. In my mind, there was no other choice. Saint Kateri is the patron saint of children, ecology, and Camp Tekakwitha – three things I feel strongly about. When someone gets confirmed, they are sent out into the world to help spread the word of God. This was the mission for which I received the name of Kateri Tekakwitha. Then, when I was hired at Camp Tekakwitha, I received a new mission: to help my campers grow in their faith, realize their abilities and become more confident in themselves. For this mission, I received my camp name: Nala. Now, my full name is Anne Kathryn Nala Kateri Tekakwitha Geenen. And no, I don’t sign all six names when I fill out forms or credit card receipts. 

My time at Camp Tekakwitha has been the single most influential thing in my life. I made lifelong friends, learned real-world skills, and had boatloads of fun. Camp Tek will always hold a special place in my heart and I thank God every day for it.