Category Archives: Events

Activities, Events, Q-Town & Music, Summer Camp

On A Qwanoes Day

Juniors #1 Happening Now!

Camper soaring at the Qwanoes Skate Park!

Our third camp of the summer, Juniors #1, is on right now! We’ve just passed the halfway point in the week. Each morning, campers have been taking part in Q-Town at the fireside and activities like RC Speedway, Artrageous Crafts, Climbing Tower, Trapeze Jump, Skate Park, and more. In the afternoons, campers have been getting to try out a huge variety of activities at Qwanoes Beach and on the land.

After supper, campers have been enjoying games and events like Castle Conquest and tonight after a barbeque supper, the first Surf-O-Rama Carnival of the summer camp season will be happening! At this giant beach-theme party, campers will have the chance to test their surfin’ skills on the Boogie Board Bonanza, try many other fun challenges, go on fun inflatables like the Amazing Race that are coming in just for the carnival, enjoy some cotton candy or popcorn, and more!

Dancing along with the Quixotic band in Q-Town!

After the evening games and events, everybody gathers together in Q-Town which features singing along with Russ the “Squirrel” and our music team Quixotic, seeing video highlights of the day’s activities and maybe a “Captain Q” video, and listening to the speaker for the week Jonathan Headley. Jonathan has been a speaker at Qwanoes for many years and is here this week with his entire family! See more about Jonathan here. The energy in Q-Town has been unbelievable this week!

Heading up into one of our treehouses! Spending the night in the trees way, way up in the air is quite the adventure!

After Q-Town, sometimes there is a fireside with some crazy skits and more singing… and then it’s off to the cabins for bedtime! Cabins who get the highest cabin cleanup scores of the day get to sleep in our treehouses for one night. A camper just came up to me so over-the-top excited that her cabin won cabin cleanup today and they are going to the treehouses tonight!

As all the fun is happening, campers are learning what it truly means to “Live It Up” in their lives, not just here at camp but wherever they go. So excited that we still have one and a half more days to go of Juniors #1!

~ Written by Julie Bayley, Qwanoes’ Associate Program Director

 

 

 

Activities, Camp Staff, Events, Leadership Training, Summer Camp

Club Coco is being invaded!

Summer staff team 2012 unites

New staff have been arriving every day over the last two months, but now TODAY is the biggest day with new arrivals almost every minute! Staff Training starts today and staff from far and wide are descending on Qwanoes to prepare for an amazing summer together! One week left until Junior High #1 and then soon campers will come rolling into camp in cars and buses! Fireworks will be going off, the qrok tower will be pumping out the tunes and summer 2012 will underway!

Who is going to get the Skee Ball high score this summer? Maybe you!!

Club Coco is being invaded with brand-new games for Summer 2012

Summer staff couldn’t wait to try out the new games in Club Coco! Earlier this year the Giant Connect Four joined popular games like Battle Top Arena already in Club Coco – and now Club Coco just got three brand-new games for summer 2012! That’s right – four new games to try out just as soon as you arrive!

Bumper Pool – Fresh out of the box (literally)… Defend or attack?! That’s the big question when playing this game. Who will be first to score all their balls and be declared the winner??? Campers this summer will love this new game! It’s Carpetball with a twist!

Take a rest in style with the Club Coco giant bean-bag chairs!

Skee Ball – Step on up and try your skills at another new game. It’s like bowling mixed it in with a little target practice! Challenge your friends all week long and see who gets the high score for the week!

Massive bean-bag chairs – You will never see a pillow any bigger than this! Need a break? How about settling back in one of our three giant bean-bag chairs! There is always plenty of room to fit one more!

Giant Connect Four – New to summer 2012! It has been a big hit all spring and now it’s time for our summer campers to try it out for the very first time.


Try Bumper Pool - this awesome new twist to carpetball! Defend or attack, what are you going to do??

 

While in Club Coco this summer be sure to try an old-fashioned milkshake, tasty smoothie, or another treat from the Coco-Hut… come and enjoy!

~ Written by Jay Kennedy (Qwanoes’ Assistant Director)

 

 

Activities, Camp Staff, Events, Leadership Training, Social Media, Summer Camp

Summer Is Almost Here!

It’s June! That means that school is almost out and summer camp is about to begin! Lots is happening at camp every day at this point as we gear up for summer. Staff in every area at camp are hard at work getting ready – setting the stage for the adventure that is going to be lived out in the weeks ahead!

Enjoying the sunshine in a session on the Guest House lawn!

Last weekend, we had Staff Leadership Orientation with almost 40 leaders on our staff team. It is an exciting thing to see staff come together from diverse backgrounds and unite for the common purpose of helping kids discover, live, and share life like no other! Our team of Advance Crew staff is growing every week and we look forward to the arrival of many others on the summer staff team on June 22, the first day of Staff Training.

Now we’re only one week away from our annual Open House and everyone’s invited! Our brand-new Qwanoes Beach activities for summer 2012 will be available for the very first time including the Aqua Rope Swing and Freefall Slide… or be one of the first to try Paddle Surfing at Qwanoes!

The latest surf sensation... get ready to glide and explore!

Find out more about what’s new for summer 2012 here.

Speaking of new activities, another new activity is coming to Qwanoes this summer – in addition to the ones already announced earlier this year! We’re always seeking to make a week at camp one of the greatest weeks ever. Around Qwanoes there is always more fun and new adventure every year. No summer is ever the same! If you want to be one of the first to know what new activity is being introduced, be sure to follow Qwanoes on Twitter!

We can't wait to welcome everyone!

 

Just under 30 days until the camp buses and many cars roll down the road filled with campers and summer 2012 at Qwanoes begins!

~ Written by Julie Bayley, Qwanoes’ Associate Program Director

 

 

Events, Family Programs

Opportunities For Families In May & June

Escape to the great outdoors… connect with God, your family, and others! Make memories that will last. There are many exciting ways for families to be involved at Camp Qwanoes during May and June.

Spring Family Retreat Is Here!

Starting later today as this May long weekend begins, families are going on an adventure together at our Spring Family Retreat! As I write, I can hear Russ and our band, Quixotic, practicing our new summer theme song, Live It Up, and our events team is outside in front of Club Coco getting ready for all the fun (and crazy) family times.

Special (& crazy) family times

The final touches are being put on the children’s and youth programs and the activities (including some Qwanoes Beach activities!) are ready to go. We look forward to holding our very first Surf-O-Rama carnival of many to come this summer! Now we  just need our Family Retreat guests!

Family Work Weekend… Go On A Family Missions Trip!

Two weeks later on June 1-3 is Qwanoes’ Family Work Weekend. This is a great opportunity to serve together and experience Qwanoes all in one weekend – and there is no cost! This special weekend includes all ages working together on Saturday to help prepare the camp for the summer season, our special “Day of Prayer” program, a family fun event and fireside Saturday evening, and a Q-Town Sunday morning.

Be part of preparing the camp for an exciting summer season of ministry! Your efforts will help create the best possible environment for high-impact ministry to take place. See Family Work Weekend for more info and to register.

All ages welcome!

Everyone’s Invited To Our Open House!

On Saturday, June 9… grab your suntan lotion, pack your swim suit, load up your family and friends, and prepare for a special day of adventure at our annual Open House! There’s something for everyone… Qwanoes Beach activities (including the Aqua-Park and Waterskiing/Wakeboarding), the Challenge Course, our world-class concrete skate park and other land activities, children’s activities, and many more options for all ages.

Meals are provided! Enjoy lunch and a barbeque dinner, both at no cost. The day will conclude with music, singing, testimonies, and thanksgiving at a special pre-summer Q-Town. We’d love to welcome you!

Don’t Miss Our 2nd-Ever Summer Family Retreat!

Our first Summer Family Retreat last June was a huge success and we are very excited to be offering families this opportunity once again. From June 15-17 (with a Jumpstart Option on June 14), families are invited to spend an early summer getaway together at Qwanoes!

Qwanoes Beach open at Summer Family Retreat

This special weekend features the program, food (and no clean up!), speaker for the adults, and great extras like complimentary evening babysitting that families love – AND it also features a full range of activities at Qwanoes Beach! We look forward to celebrating the start of summer with all of you! For details and to register, click here.

~ Written by Julie Bayley, Qwanoes’ Associate Program Director

 

 

Events, Youth Retreats

Early Spring Happenings

What a fun week it has been here at Qwanoes!

Trying out the new Giant Connect 4 in Club Coco!

This past weekend, about 125 kids ages 8 to 11 were at our Spring Juniors Retreat. The weekend was filled with many highlights including…

• the introduction of Qwanoes’ brand-new Giant Connect 4

• a birthday celebration on Saturday at supper for our Music & Media Coordinator Russ Smith (a.k.a. The Squirrel)

See Stevie G bringing out birthday cake to Russ!

• challenge course, archery, skateboarding, ricochet,  an evening pool party & more activities and events

Getting ready to go in the Challenge Course on Saturday!

• hearing from our speaker for the weekend Paul Olson of Burnett Fellowship Church in Maple Ridge

• the “Unstoppable” theme and much more

It was great to have kids back at camp and we are filled with anticipation for what lies ahead this summer!

All ages are part of what’s happening at Qwanoes!

One day there were Junior-age kids at camp – the next day we held our annual Senior’s Luncheon. On Monday, we welcomed over 100 seniors representing 10 different churches from up and down the Island. Scott Bayley, Qwanoes’ Executive Director, spoke to the seniors as well as Lindsay Anderson, a pastor from Saanich Baptist Church. The seniors enjoyed music by a chorale from Parksville Baptist Church and a “superb” meal provided by Qwanoes’ food services team.

Now as we prepare to go into the Easter long weekend, we want to say Happy Easter to everyone!  After celebrating Easter, we look forward to next big event that will be happening at Qwanoes… the Kaléo program graduation!

~ Written by Julie Bayley, Qwanoes’ Associate Program Director

 

 

Events, Youth Retreats

Do you know how many days until summer at Qwanoes??

Campers having fun on the Superslide at the Qwanoes Aqua Park!

This past weekend Qwanoes staff headed off to multiple locations to spread the word about summer 2012! First we were in Surrey where the apologetics Canada conference was happening, and then off to three churches in one day on the Sunday. It was great to get out and see so many past staff and campers. We also met many future campers, students and staff! I attended Northwest Langley church myself where I showed our new “At last I’m home” video. Even though the weather hasn’t completed turned yet, I can’t help but feel warmed up by all the summer fun I see in our videos. If you would like us to make a trip to a school, church, event or gathering near you, please be sure to call Camp Qwanoes and ask for Ken Bayley, Director of public relations. In fact, Ken Bayley was just at another school in Campbell River today, so we definitely go to schools too! Just give us a call today! We would love to hear from you. You can also email ken@qwanoes.ca

Did you check your calendar? Today is 108 DAYS TO SUMMER” day! Oh yeah – we can’t wait – it is going to be SO MUCH FUN!

But here’s even better news…you do not have to wait 108 days to get a taste of summer. Why? Because our Juniors Retreat is only two weekends away! It all happens March 30 to April 1 at Qwanoes.

Campers working together to get to the top of the elevator in the Qwanoes challenge course! Just one of many Juniors retreat activities!

This is a great opportunity to step out of the everyday and step into a weekend filled with friends and adventure. Campers will enjoy tons of our activities…like the SkyScraper, Screamer, Breathtaker, skate park, archery, and LOTS more. Russ and the band will be leading us in Q-Town, Stevie-G and crew are planning some crazy All Star Games, and of course there is always great food and plenty of it!

So if you’ve been thinking that 108 days seems much too long – well – you’re right! It IS much too long! But 16 days is much better – and we’d sure love to welcome you here in just a couple more weekends. JUNIORS RETREAT IS March 30 to April 1!

Come on your own or come with a friend – either way we’re looking forward to welcoming you and creating an extra special weekend.

You can check it all out here and register anytime – we still have space available.

~ Written by Jay Kennedy, Qwanoes’ Assistant Director

 

 

 

Events, Leadership Training, Summer Camp

On The Road Again!

Jay & Andrew with the wakeboard winner on the big stage at Youth Quake!

It’s a busy time right now as many Qwanoes staff are out and about spreading the news about the opportunities at Qwanoes this summer!

Youth Quake 2012

Last week, Jay Kennedy (Assistant Director) and Andrew Macdonald (Kaléo & CIT/LIT Program Leader) were at Youth Quake at Briercrest College & Seminary in Saskatchewan. Qwanoes teamed up with HO Sports Canada and Rocky Mountain Bicycles once again to give away a wakeboard and mountain bike at this huge Prairie youth event.

Missions Fest Alberta

This weekend, Ken Bayley (Director of Public Relations) and Matt Flemming (Recreation Coordinator) are in Edmonton representing Qwanoes at Missions Fest Alberta. This is always a great time of meeting new people and renewing friendships!

Quixotic leading Q-Town songs at Duncan Christian School!

Duncan Christian School

Yesterday, a team from Qwanoes was at Duncan Christian School talking to elementary-age kids about camp. Our band Quixotic led the students in singing some Q-Town songs and the Live It Up Summer 2012 Full-Length Slideshow was shown. Every year at this time, Qwanoes makes lots of visits to schools, youth groups, and churches to give as many people as possible the chance to hear about camp!

Vancouver & Mexico Ministry Trips

Meanwhile, two teams of Qwanoes students in our Kaléo Program and several staff members are in still Vancouver and Mexico on ministry trips right now. These trips will be wrapping up this next week and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to Qwanoes and hearing all about what happened!

Excitement Is Building!

Excitement is building at camp as we are just about 18 weeks away from the first camp of the summer, Jr. High #1! Summer registrations are continuing to come in as we prepare to welcome thousands of kids to camp in the summer ahead! We look forward to meeting each and every one. Meanwhile, the summer staff team is coming together and we continue to look for people who are excited about loving kids to life this summer… helping them discover, live and share life like no other!

Who do you know that should be a camper or a staff member at Qwanoes this summer? Join with us in getting the word out!

~ Written by Julie Bayley, Qwanoes Associate Program Director

Events, Leadership Training

An Epic Battle

An extraordinary event happened last week in Pacific Woods Lodge! Find out more…

Pacific Woods Lodge A Battleground?!

Welcome to Pacific Woods Lodge!

Ever wondered what life is like living at Camp Qwanoes? Sometimes life is quite out of the ordinary! Last week, Pacific Woods Lodge was transformed into a battlefield, using couches as barriers and stairwells as tactical positions. Even the visiting professor from Briercrest College, teaching our students in the Kaléo program, got involved! See what happened in all the crazy photos on A Day In The Life At Camp Qwanoes.

LiftOff, Skiing & Snowboarding!

This past Friday and Saturday, Qwanoes partnered once again with churches on Vancouver Island for LiftOff… an adventure that included music, Qwanoes’ 2012 slideshow, a night game on the streets of Campbell River, skiing and snowboarding at Mt. Washington, and more! We invite you to take a look at the Live It Up 2012 Mini-Slideshow for yourself!

Be Trained As A Leader In Summer’s Most Exciting Place

Are you trying to figure out what to do this summer? Do you love the outdoors and all the high-energy activities that are part of camp? Do you want to learn, interact with others, reach out to kids, and be challenged to grow spiritually and personally?

The Counselor-In-Training (CIT) Program at Qwanoes is a high-quality, entry-level leadership training program that introduces high school students to living and sharing life like no other in Christ. You will develop skills in leadership and ministry that will be valuable for the rest of your life!

In the words of  a CIT graduate: “”I just have to say that CIT was the most amazing and life-changing experience of my entire life.”

Experience solid training, spiritual growth, lifelong friendships and great times! And what better setting to get this training than camp—summer’s most exciting place!

~ Written by Julie Bayley, Qwanoes Associate Program Director

Camp Staff, Events

Qwanoes at Missions Fest Vancouver

The Qwanoes display at Missions Fest in Vancouver. Alicia (Camp Registrar) and Bethany (Staffing Assistant) in the front saying hello!

What a great weekend of connecting with so many wonderful people! It was awesome to see all the familiar faces and meet some new ones too. Thanks to all those that came by and said hello – it was great to see you! We truly enjoyed pinning on more “Live It Up” buttons than we could count! I even put on a few tattoos too!

Did you know there were about 250 ministries represented at Missions Fest!? It was incredible to walk into the convention room where all the  booths were set up. Everywhere I turned I saw displays and people who represented all the various ministries… I saw Bible colleges, other camps, ministries for youth, children, adults, homeless people, Christian radio stations, other country focuses, and the list could go on and on! If you ever get a chance to walk under the big white sails of Canada Place during Missions Fest you should definitely do it. It was so cool to see all the incredible things that God is doing around the world and for Qwanoes to be right in the middle!

Our Qwanoes students were at Missions Fest too taking it all in, from great speakers to topical sessions. Word has it that they even fit in a bike ride in Stanley park on tandem bikes!

Building the team one person at a time!

Camp counselor from summer 2011 giving a great big hug to some campers!

We are out and about all over the countryside looking for our summer team 2012! In fact just this last week we had staff in Alberta, Saskatchewan and of course right here in the Vancouver area inviting others to consider Qwanoes this summer. Slowly the team is coming together and starting to take shape one by one. It is exciting to see how it happens and how different people feel called to join up with us. Often people hear about Qwanoes through their friends, so if you know of anyone that you think would love joining the staff team, let me encourage you to share Qwanoes with them! We are looking for people who are excited about helping kids this summer discover, live and share life like no other!

Our Qwanoes display was set up in a giant room under the big white sails of Canada Place.

 

~ Written by Jay Kennedy, Qwanoes Assistant Director

 

Events, Leadership Training, Q-Town & Music, Summer Camp

Qwanoes is covered with snow! But summer sun is coming soon!

Now that's a little different look of the qrok Tower! The Squirrel is hibernating coming up with all new songs!

We woke up Wednesday morning like many of you around Vancouver Island and Greater Vancouver area to a blanket of fresh snow! From our entrance sign all the way to the end of the dock, there was snow everywhere. The year-round staff gathered together in Club Coco for our Wednesday staff meeting and shared stories of how we all got to camp. I live close by, so I put on my snow boarding boots and followed Stevie-G’s trail all the way to Club Coco. Thanks Stevie-G for breaking the path! Check out more Qwanoes winter pictures on our Facebook page.

Snow is here now, but summer sun is coming soon!! We have had many campers reserve their spot for a week at Qwanoes. Every day now registrations are coming in of past campers, and brand-new kids who have never been here before. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Qwanoes this summer!

Here’s an update for you on the new full length CD that the Squirrel is working on. He last reported writing 6 brand-new songs, and there are only 4 to go! I love the new theme song “Live It Up”, but another new favorite one of mine is a new song called “At Last I’m Home.” It is an awesome song and you will be able to listen to the song and watch our new video online real soon! Stand by on FB and Twitter for when it goes live! You’re going to love it! For now take a listen to the new theme song and watch a brand new mini slide show!

Qwanoes students heading up the chair lift at Mt. Washington!

Our students in our Kaléo program can’t wait for the summer too, but they are all loving the snow right now on Mt Washington. They headed up to the mountain bright and early on Monday morning at 5:00 am! You really have to love snowboarding and skiing to do that. They all stayed together in a mountain chalet right at the base of the ski hill. It’s been an awesome time of hanging out together, chapels in the evening, and just enjoying God’s creation. They are coming back to camp tonight, and heading out to the youth groups they help out with. You can go online to learn more about our Kaléo program for college-age students and follow the journey through the program blog. We are now accepting registrations for next year’s program.

We hope to see you at Missions Fest in Vancouver next weekend! We will have our camp booth up in the same spot as last year. Stop on by, we would love to see you!

Summer sun will soon be here at Qwanoes! We can't wait for giant water fights once again!

 

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