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Camp de Benneville PinesAngelus Oaks, California |
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The latest edition of the de Benneville Connection , our semi-annual newspaper
is now available. Pick up a paper copy at camp or download it Here! |
Camp de Benneville Pines is a retreat and conference center located in the Barton Flats area of the San Bernardino National Forest, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. At an elevation of 6,800 feet, the camp is surrounded by a forest of towering pines, cedars, and oaks. We are affiliated with the Pacific Southwest District of the Unitarian-Universalist Association and welcome people of all faiths who want to use our facility for programming compatible with our philosophy of respect for the interconnected web of life and for the worth and dignity of all human beings.
Our facilities include a beautiful heated swimming pool (open in season), a hot tub, children’s playground, an archery range, and opportunities for many outdoor sports in season including hiking, snowshoeing, sledding, as well as fishing and canoeing in nearby Jenks Lake. Our cabins are all equipped with modern bathrooms and hot showers, and offer comfortable sleeping quarters. Delicious meals are prepared by our talented kitchen staff and served in our main lodge. We currently host youth and family camps, church weekend retreats, yoga camps, music camps, art and photography camps, performing arts camps for youths (through our affiliation with Camp Bravo), adult summer camps and many more. Contact us on 909-794-2928 or email us at uucamp@aol.org to find out if we are right for your next camp retreat or conference.
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From the President's Desk - Campfires of Summer It seems like just a moment ago that I was asking your help on the Spring Work Weekend to clean up the Camp and get ready for summer. Now we are more than halfway through the summer season and, as in every summer past, the Camp is bustling with activity. One thing different about this summer is that several of our camps have been able to enjoy campfires under the stars for the first time in many years. Why? Mostly it is because the Camp is blessed by volunteers like you. In an inspection by the Forest Service just before summer began, we were deemed to be “perhaps the best maintained camp in Barton Flats”. I believe that is because we have a larger number of enthusiastic volunteer helpers than any other camp on the mountain. And because the forest surrounding the Camp has been cleared of brush and other flammable waste (and also because the snows of winter watered the forest well), the Forest Service is once again allowing us to use our outdoor fire ring near the Coffee House for campfires. S’mores anyone? |
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Speaking of volunteers, we were once again fortunate to have a crew of volunteers from AmeriCorps, helping us with Camp and forest maintenance. This year we had a group of ten volunteers (three men and seven women) help us in clearing the firebreak behind the Camp, preparing cabins for staining and performing a myriad of other tasks too numerous to list. They were with us in late June and early July, and now that they have completed their service to us and to the Corps, we all miss them greatly. (They are especially missed by our hard working and talented Camp Caretaker, Ray Morales, who claims: “I got more done with the help of AmeriCorps in one month than I could have done alone in a year.” No kidding, these were hard-working young people who should give all of us hope for the future of our country. Thank you, AmeriCorps! If you missed PSWD Family Camp or any of the other recent opportunities to enjoy Camp de Benneville, not to worry! There is still plenty of space left at some of the upcoming camps in late summer and fall. For example, have you considered dusting off that fancy digital camera you got last Christmas and never learned how to use? Photography Camp (August 22-27) might really get you clicking. Or you could get your church back on the right track by attending the Small Group Ministry Institute (August 31-September 3). Yoga and Wellness Weekend, (September 10-12) is always a good choice for anyone wishing to improve their health (and who doesn’t). If traditional folk music is your thing (either as a performer or member of the audience), you couldn’t find a better way to indulge your passion than Music in the Mountains (November 5-7). If none of those things float your boat, then who could say no to roast turkey, pumpkin pie and family fun at the Thanksgiving Celebration (November 25-28). Why wait for that annual church weekend at De Benneville to roll around, when you could choose from one or more of these great camps and enjoy our Mountain home at its finest. Sign up on-line now! I'll catch up with you in a couple of weeks. I've gone fly fishin' in Colorado until the end of August. Water Works! Capital CampaignThe Camp de Benneville Board of Directors is launching a new capital campaign named "Water Works!" to raise money to replace the Camp's failing underground water distribution system. Over 3,000 feet of pipe will need to be replaced to prevent a potentially disasterous loss of Camp availability and revenue, and to ensure that Camp de Benneville will continue to serve UU campers of all ages far into the future. Please click on "Water Works!" or on the Water Works! icon at the lower left of this window to read all about it. Updated 8/11/2010 Click on the YouTube button below to see a video showing Camp de Benneville winter fun, filmed and produced by our newest Board member, Susan Emshwiller. |
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