stories from the last 100 years of camp blodgett
olga niyibizi, camper - young leader - staff - alumni supporter: 2002 - present
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What do you get when you take an eight year old girl - who loves swimming and sports - out of the city, and bring her to the shores of Lake Michigan for a week each summer, providing her with meaningful mentors and new friends, action-packed days and lots of opportunities to swim, play and grow?
You get Olga Niyibizi – a lifelong camper, teen leader, staff member, friend and alumni supporter of Camp Blodgett. Olga shares that “going to camp was transformative to my life and personal journey. Things happen at camp that are hard to explain…” to someone who hasn’t had the experience, she shared. “The sun never sets the same way on the lake… and I was privileged to watch it set on that lake for more than 10 years.” Her early years as a camper were filled with adventures and fun memories, and staff who invested in her year after year. “You can tell when people are pouring their hearts into something – these staff were people I admired and valued,” Olga shared. |
“The sun never sets the same way on the lake… and I was privileged to watch it set on that lake for more than 10 years.” |
Olga (front right) as a teen Young Leader, Summer 2010
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As a Young Leader, one of Camp Blodgett’s teen leaders who volunteers during summer camp, Olga was given her first taste of personal responsibility. Expected to be responsible for her time and her assigned tasks, she learned to be helpful throughout camp and interact with younger campers in a way that helped her mature and grow.
When Olga was hired in a staff position at camp, she became the Waterfront Coordinator, where her duties included caring for the pool and overseeing all swim times in the pool and lake. Known by her fellow staff and campers as 'H2Olga' she served in this role for a couple of years. After taking a couple years off, she returned in the summer of 2016 after college graduation for a partial season as a cabin counselor before starting her first full time job. |
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Today, Olga lives in Chicago, where she works in the field of computer science for a consumer packaging company, Esko Brand Solutions. With a degree in Computing & Applied Mathematics & minor in Physics from St. Mary’s College, she is now pursuing a Master's Degree in Analytics and Data Science from the University of Chicago. She also plays on a travel Rugby team, a sport she began playing in college, but was introduced to at Camp Blodgett.
While Olga considers herself ‘a big numbers person,’ she valued the opportunity to give back to Camp Blodgett during her college years, as it brought an important perspective – the value of investing in people the way the staff at Camp Blodgett invested in her throughout her youth. When asked about her commitment to Camp Blodgett today, she said “the people at Camp Blodgett transformed my life… now, having the ability to give back, you tend to look at the places that have invested in you.” And while Olga has had the ability to make investments in Camp Blodgett over the last few years as she has established her career, she also sees the value in giving of her time to Camp Blodgett as she is able. Olga hopes to travel back to Camp Blodgett this summer to volunteer a few days, and hopes to attend camp’s 100th Birthday Party and Staff Alumni Reunion. We are so incredibly grateful to Olga for her investment in Camp Blodgett as an Alumni Supporter! |
H2Olga in the pool with campers, Summer 2012
Olga says her 'costume game' is STRONG thanks to her years of dressing up for camp events.
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Steve & Paul Uzarski, campers: 1965 - 1968
Meet brothers Steve & Paul. Their father, a member of the Grand Rapids Fire Department, passed away when they were young, leaving their mother to raise five young children on her own. Their Camp Blodgett story began in 1965 when they and two brothers first traveled from the west side of Grand Rapids out to West Olive for two weeks of summer camp at Camp Blodgett. Their story touches our hearts, and we hope it touches yours, too.
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"When you came here you were scared, but when you left, you didn't want to leave" |
Bob & Lois DeBoer, STAff: 1951
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It’s not uncommon around Camp Blodgett to hear the phrase “Camp Love is REAL!” Many friendships develop through the experience of being in a fun and intensive work environment like camp, and sometimes these relationships turn romantic over the course of a summer.
The love story of Bob & Lois DeBoer began at Camp Blodgett in the Summer of 1951. Lois was hired at Camp Blodgett to teach swimming lessons and serve as a cabin counselor. Bob was recruited by a friend to join the staff as the camp’s Engineer. Bob’s primary responsibilities that summer included un-plugging toilets and hauling trash! He was also a trumpet player, and was recruited to play the revile each morning to wake the campers! |
Bob and Lois DeBoer on a recent vacation
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Lois fondly recalls meeting Bob : “He’s kind of cute,” she thought. Lois even recalls the red and white checked jacket he was wearing when they met. “As the summer progressed, we spent time on the beach after the campers were asleep, and you can guess what happened,” shared Lois. After Bob served in the military during the Korean War, Bob and Lois were married in 1955. Sixty-five years later, Bob and Lois are still deeply in love and give credit to Camp Blodgett for the beginnings of their incredible love story! We are grateful to Bob and Lois for sharing their story and for their faithful financial support of Camp Blodgett. They understand what a valuable experience summer camp is for children, and they have the memories to look back on - both together, and for the kids they served during the Summer of 1951.