Dear Friends Camp Community, The daffodils have popped in my front yard, and that means spring is here! Camp is, of course, the quintessential summer activity for many of us. But spring is a very special season for camp, as well. As the Camp director, two of my favorite things happen during this season. Firstly, I get to talk with campers and their families about the upcoming summer. I love meeting you on Zoom, or having a phone call, and talking with your camper about hopes for the summer season. Please feel free to reach out if you’d like to do this! My second favorite thing about spring is that we host our Volunteer Work Weekend (May 16 – 18) at camp. It is so fun to come together with camp families, alums, Friends, members of our camp committee, staff members, and neighbors. In a weekend, our property goes from looking bedraggled after the long winter, to fresh and organized for a new season. If you’ve never attended work weekend, please know that we would love to have you! It is so heartening to feel like part of a team doing something that matters. There are roles for all kinds of volunteers: cooking, cleaning, raking, painting, sorting, laundry, and organizing. Scroll below to learn more and register for work weekend! This newsletter also contains information about: A Camp Timeline Project Reminders for Registered Families Seeking Your Recyclables for Art! An Available Rental Weekend in September And more! Looking forward, Anna Hopkins, Camp Director (207) 877-4302, director@friendscamp.or

Our annual volunteer work weekend is happening Friday, May 16 – Sunday, May 18 at Friends Camp! Work weekend is an opportunity to spend time at camp, helping prepare the property for the summer alongside others who care about camp. Volunteers should come prepared to participate in physical labor. Children are welcome to attend, but there is no kid’s program for the weekend, so families should plan on supervising their children the whole time. Use this link or click the button below to register! Volunteers are welcome to join for all of or any part of the weekend. Meals will be served from Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast. More information, including a packing list, will be sent out at a later date.

Register to volunteer!

Tasks will include: raking & clearing pathways removing leaves and debris from cabin areas cleaning preparing the camp kitchen preparing flower & vegetable gardens minor carpentry projects outdoor painting If you have skills in a particular area, like carpentry, painting, gardening, or you own tools or equipment that could be useful for any of these project, please let us know! We are especially appreciative when people can lend their skills to camp.

Introducing: Camp Timeline Project!

During the summer of 2024, former counselor and office manager Erin Carr began the process of archiving the historical materials from Friends Camp’s beginning through the decades is has existed. This included director’s notes from the early days of camp, minutes from camp committee meetings, old daily schedules, and many pictures and videos. This summer, we plan to create a physical timeline that documents camp’s history and includes some of these historical materials, and we want your input! Is there a moment or event that you think should be included in the timeline of Friends Camp? Fill out this form and tell us about it! We are hoping the timeline will be installed by the end of the summer. For now, check out these photos from the summer of 2000! Above is campers performing in Aviary at a variety show. Below are campers playing basketball (the hoop is attached to the Health Hut – wild!) and a picture of Snipe cabin.

Reminders for 2025 Registered Families

For families with campers registered in 2025, the summer is feeling closer than ever! We are so excited to have your campers with us this summer. Head over to our website to download and read through the handbook for campers and parents. The handbook contains lots of handy information to prepare you for coming to camp, including what to pack for your session. There are also a few upcoming deadlines to be aware of. Reach out to our office with questions about either of these deadlines. May 1: Health forms due. Log into your Camp Brain account to complete the online health form and to upload immunizations and physician’s forms. June 1: Tuition due in full. Pay via e-check or credit card online, or mail a paper check to Friends Camp.

Seeking Your Recyclables!

Our Friends Camp Meetinghouse is our most creative space at camp. This special space (first constructed by Friends in 1806!) plays host to all different kinds of creative arts including drawing, painting, fiber arts, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, and more. We love to turn cast-offs into art. We are currently seeking the following items that can be dropped off to Friends Camp during our May volunteer weekend or at any camper drop-off. To arrange another time to drop off supplies, please email Anna at director@friendscamp.org. If you have a large stash, we may be able to arrange pick-up!

Tile samples Paint samples Shoe boxes Baby food jars 35mm film canisters Marbles and aquarium glass rocks Bottle caps (plastic and metal) Corks, Dowels, PVC pipe,Wire, Wood scraps (balsam is great!)

Ribbons Cabinet hinges and knobs Screws, nuts, bolts, and washers Beads (plastic, wood, and glass) Paint brushes (any condition, no wider than 2″) Cardboard tubes (wrapping paper, bath tissue, paper towel) Tissue boxes Can tabs Tissue paper Tension clothespins

Rental Weekend Available

The weekend of September 12 – 14, 2025 is available to rent for family reunions, group retreats, weddings, or other events! Friends Camp has multiple large buildings that can host up to 100 people, open fields & wooded areas, ample housing, and lakefront access. If you are interested in renting camp for a weekend event, please reach out to director@friendscamp.org or 207-877-4302.

Register for the Young Friends Spring Retreat

Register today for the Young Friends Spring Retreat, which will be May 2nd-4th at Framingham Friends Meeting. The theme for this retreat is “Nurturing Creative & Spiritual Practices.” Read more about the retreat and register at neym.org. Young Friends retreats are special opportunities for high schoolers in New England to take a deeper dive into building community and exploring the Quaker way together. Join Young Friends for a weekend at Framingham Friends Meeting where we will explore art, music, worship, and other practices that give meaning to our personal and communal lives. Registration closes April 28th.

Social Media Staff Intros!

Each year on our Instagram page (@friendscamp) we introduce our staff for the upcoming summer. Follow us and stay tuned to learn about all the counselors, kitchen staff, and other staff members who will be at camp this summer. Below is our staff from 2024 – many of whom will be making an appearance again this summer! Can you guess who?