Camp Glen Brook recognized for Program Excellence

Camp Glen Brook was recently recognized at the American Camp Association National Conference with an award for our farm-to-table program and sustainability practices. The Eleanor P. Eels Award is described by the ACA as follows:

Eleanor P. Eells was a leader and inspiration within the field of camp throughout her life. She was an active participant in the Settlement House and Social Service Agency camp movements and a pioneer in therapeutic camping. She was one of the founders of the Fund for Advancement of Camping and served as its director through FAC’s formative years.
Mrs. Eells had an equally important influence on the American Camp Association. Among her endeavors, she worked to support programs such as ACA’s 1970 Standards Research and rewrite. Her greatest contribution was helping individuals and camps to start new programs. When these programs were operating, she shared results with countless others.
Eleanor Eells’ life was an example for the camp professional. She was the first recipient of ACA’s highest honor, The Distinguished Service Award; and the author of
History of Organized Camping: The first 100 years (1861–1961).
Mrs. Eells passed away in her 94th year.
The awards for Program Excellence are designed to:
• Motivate staff to develop effective, creative responses to the needs of people through camp.
• Encourage the development of creative responses to societal problems through camp.
• Stimulate the exchange of creative ideas with others.
• Promote, in and out of camping, the positive contribution camp makes to the well-being of individuals and society.
• Give recognition and honor to those whose programs exemplify these objectives.

Below is the blurb that highlights Camp Glen Brook’s practices:

Camp Glen Brook’s beautiful 250-acre forest and farm campus has been a place of self-discovery, community, and nature connection since 1946. Glen Brook operates summer, winter, and family camps, a gap semester program for 18- to 21-year-olds, and year-round school programs. Glen Brook’s mission is to nurture a sense of personal responsibility for the world around us, and our sustainability practices are woven through every aspect of camp life.
Young people spend time every day in the garden and pastures developing a holistic understanding of food systems. They learn how to grow food, care for animals, and prepare meals, all while engaging with questions that accompany our food choices. Our no-till farm uses organic practices which focus on soil health, ensuring lower emissions and a closer relationship with the ecosystem. We generate about 70 percent of the produce and meat consumed at camp year-round.
At meals we are reminded of the community effort behind our food – our breakfast eggs were collected by campers at animal chores, the vegetables and fruit were harvested in farm class, and likely planted by another group of students months or years before. Leftover food and paper waste goes into compost and slop buckets that feed our animals and gardens, which continue to grow food for future meals.
Other sustainability efforts include our solar arrays that generate all our annual electricity as well as funds that we invest into camper scholarships, the stewardship of our forests through intentional management, and donations of over 1500 pounds of produce annually to local food banks that support our neighbors and wider community.
The process of growing food and stewarding the resources of our environment mirrors the way we invest in and nurture our camp community. A well-tended garden grows healthy food just as a well-tended and cared-for community yields healthy people, and together can we work to leave the world a little better than the way we found it.

Here at Camp Glen Brook, it is an honor to be recognized for this award and to be celebrated for the mission and work that are central to who we are.