Company Profile
Camp Cedarbrook in the Adirondacks
Company Overview
Welcome to Camp Cedarbrook. Away from the distractions of everyday life, God uses the special community of Camp Cedarbrook in the Adirondacks to equip girls of all ages to lead God-centered lives. Set on its own private lake in the Adirondack Mountains, this non-denominational Christian camp for girls is a warm and accepting environment where girls make new friends, try new activities, explore the wonders of nature, and gain the spiritual grounding to become confident, godly women. The faith, friendships, and fun of Camp Cedarbrook—an experience that will last a lifetime.
Company History
Cedarbrook has been ministering to young girls for over 50 years!
During the 1950s, Pioneer girls club programs in churches grew quickly throughout the northeast United States. Pocono Camp Cherith soon outgrew its capacity to serve girls clubs from the metro–New York area. June Stump (“Stumpy”), the regional representative to clubs in this area, began a long search for property to meet the growing need.
June was persistent in her search for just the right property. In 1964, Bruce Baker, field rep and director of the Christian Service Brigade camp, told June of a property available near Glens Falls, New York. The seller, Dr. Alvah Davignon of Albany, hoped to see his father’s 500-acre farm used as a camp, preferably for boys. With its 45-acre lake (a former potato field) and hundreds of acres of Adirondack forest and varied terrain, the beautiful property was the perfect fit for a camping ministry.
To help him understand the value of camping for girls, Stumpy invited Dr. Davignon to visit Pocono Camp Cherith in Pennsylvania during the summer of 1965. Seeing the joy of the campers, he was persuaded a girls camp was the correct use for his land. In October 1965, Dr. Davignon agreed to sell the property to the newly-formed Board of Trustees for a price that was amenable to all. At the time of the purchase, the property had just two buildings: a farmhouse and a barn.
On July 1, 1966—June Stump's birthday—after a breakneck building program and thousands of volunteer hours, Camp Cherith in the Adirondacks was opened with a wonderful dedication day. In that first summer, more than 1,000 camper weeks were filled, demonstrating to all how much the camp was needed.
June Stump directed the 1966–68 camp seasons. Several dedicated women have directed camp over the years: Barbara Zimmerman (1969–73), Lenore Hurley (1974), Jan Wood (1975–77), Lynn Vanderhoof (1978), Debbie Nickols (1999), and Nancy Halliday (1979–98, 2000–2015). Camp Administrators have been Jan Wood, Cathy Porter, and currently Dianne Liddy. In 2009 the name Camp Cedarbook in the Adirondacks was adopted.
In the ensuing years, more than 20,000 girls have participated in the Adirondack experience. They are a testimony to the value of a camping experience which emphasizes the importance of building self-esteem and character through the small-group, family-type structure and the beauty and challenge of living in the out-of-doors.
To a large degree, volunteers built the camp and continue to be the backbone of the work. Volunteer participation has formed a foundation of support and commitment that has established a sense of family participation to several generations of girls. Again and again, our camp has experienced God’s miraculous blessings through timely monetary donations and dedicated volunteers that have provided new buildings, site maintenance, hiking trails, septic systems, expanded facilities, and updated programming.
Many innovative opportunities have been implemented to increase the effectiveness of the camper program and expand the program to include their families. Today Camp Cedarbrook in the Adirondacks stands as an independent facility with a marvelous ability to help girls grow into mature, resourceful, and capable women of God.
In 2015 we celebrated our 50th Anniversary, surrounded by many of the camps first campers and staff! Our 36 year veteran Executive Director Nancy Halliday retired, passing the torch to Amy Culhane. An alumnae of Wheaton College, Amy grew up at Cedarbrook and loves her summers guiding young girls and being in the great outdoors.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Member of the American Camp Association, the Christian Camp and Conference Association, the Association of Cedarbrook Camps, New York State Camp Directors Association.
Benefits
Room and board are provided in addition to your summer salary.