Summer Ozone: Experience Camp all YEAR!

For many of us the anticipation of summer brings about a wide variety of emotions. For instance, the excitement of family vacations, sports camps and weekend trips. Or the nerves experience of meeting new people or not keeping up with the people you already know. But the emotion that we all fear the most is boredom. Luckily, we at CWE365 have created a way for you to fight boredom and stay connected with us throughout the summer.

This summer we will be meeting every Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday the north cities (Bentonville and Rodgers) will be meeting at the Metro Church from 6-8pm. On Thursdays the south cities (Springdale and Rodgers) will be meeting at the Jones Center from 6-8pm. These meeting will both be combined Primetime and Summit.  We will be studying a video series by Francis Chan called Surrender that will challenge all of us to evaluate our life and see what God is calling us to surrender. Summer Ozone has already begun and, with 2 weeks under it's belt, is keeping dozens of students connected to the relationships established at Camp War Eagle.

The Yearbook

Springdale

Yearbooks are a compendium of memories. Unforgettable memories of friends, inside jokes and achievements. Humbling memories of bad haircuts and funny wardrobe choices. With each turn of the page, the holder of the yearbook is reminded of the many reasons for growth that year. CWE365’s Yearbook event was a live look at the pages of Ozone’s yearbook, a reminder of the moments that have shaped us as a group and as individuals.

Ozone, our weekly club for middle, junior and high school students, originally grew out of the summertime relationships established at camp. Camp War Eagle started Ozone, to help campers earn their way back to CWE through community service and community involvement. 
This past year has been filled with parties, events, clubs and service. We’ve had retreats, sleepovers, competitions and Christmas parties. We have purchased countless passes to the drive-through zoo. We knew we wanted to take time to remember the memories from our year.

The Yearbook was an event, replacing year-end parties of past years with a singular goal: to reflect on how the campers have been supported and encouraged through Ozone. For most students the infectious, unavoidable fun the program delivers has given them some unforgettable memories with caring friends. For some, the memories may be of scholastic and life lessons from volunteers and directors. For others, Ozone has brought a year of personal development through lessons from the gospel of Luke and the life of Jesus.

Hosted at The Jones Center, Ozone's Yearbook event filled the front lawn with inflatables, coke floats, rubber kickballs, hot dogs, frisbees, face paint and dancing shoes. The "take your yearbook photo" attraction was hugely popular! In traditional camp style, students were encouraged to make their own fun in this free-form playground with the underlying goal of celebrating the memories created throughout the school year.

In addition to the bounce houses and hula-hoops, students crowded one station with a sign asking onlookers to “Sign the Yearbook.” There students wrote notes and reflections on index cards and posted these on canvas backdrops. Throughout the night, many of the over 150 students present left us written pieces of their memories (pictured below).

In this season, part of the Ozone staff is transitioning to camp, eager to meet new students and hang out with those who have become old friends. However, we still celebrate the blessing that the Ozone program has grown into, and the impact it’s having on the lives of students in northwest Arkansas, looking forward to. 

To get involved with Ozone in the summer time, check our calendar HERE! We have club for 6th-12th graders every week and fun, all ages family events throughout the summer.