Second Annual Mentoring Program Retreat

On October 27, mentors and mentees hopped on a bus and headed to Camp War Eagle for the second annual Mentoring Program retreat. The day was filled with fun, starting with the exciting, song filled bus trip out to Camp War Eagle. Once at camp, mentees and mentors were welcomed by Mentoring Program Assistant, Whitney Charles, who told them of the plans for the day and woke up anyone who was still a bit sleepy! Those in attendance became excited for the first activity for the day, pumpkin carving in the craft center. There were pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and designs. A crowd favorite was the pumpkin whose carvers used carved out pieces to craft a crown atop the head of the pumpkin! Pumpkin “Pi” was also a popular creation.

 After pumpkin carving, mentees and mentors went outside into the brisk sunshine to move onto the next harvest themed activity, building scarecrows. Mentors and mentees ripped through haystacks to retrieve the stuffing material necessary for stuffing old shirt and pants. The results were unique! There was an Indian scarecrow, a Justin Beiber scarecrow and more.

After having tons of fun building scarecrows, mentees and mentors enjoyed a camp carnival including a hayride, candy walk, s’more roasting station, miniature golf and inflatables. After hanging out and participating in awesome activities, mentees and mentors got to reenergize with a delicious lunch of hamburgers, cookie cake, chips, salsa and guacamole. The lunch was prepared in part by older student mentees and their mentors. It was an excellent chance for them to learn more about food preparation, while serving the others in a practical way. When lunch was through, mentees and mentors hung out for a bit longer at various activities until the time came for an awards ceremony. The awards were for participation, service during the event and other activities. The award for the best costume went to Kennedy and mentor Emily Trolinger who dressed up as cows, complete with face paint! Emily and Kennedy are one of the newer matches of the Mentoring Program, having been matched earlier this fall. The F.I.T award, a camp tradition that represents putting God first and others before oneself, went to Ryne and Elyssa. The pumpkin carving contest winners were two siblings who are both mentored, Katey and William. The pair creatively used their materials to make a Cat King Pumpkin. In the end, mentors and mentees had tons of fun! It was a great chance for kids and adults to connect with one another over fun activities and bonding moments. We can’t wait until next year for our third annual Mentor/Mentee Retreat!