Sour economy has silver lining for Silver Lake

SHARON — The camp was uncharacteristically quiet last Thursday afternoon, July 2. The rain was beginning to let up, but the ballfield was still waterlogged. Campers and their counselors were holed up inside, except for the lucky groups down at the waterfront. As long as the lightning holds off, swim time will go on.

But the peace and quiet were deceptive, in what has actually been a notably busy year at the Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon.

“Registrations are up,†said Anne Hughes, co-director of  the center with her husband, Tim. “The bad economy has actually been good for us. We’re an affordable alternative to some of the more expensive camps or vacations.â€

For more than 50 years, Silver Lake has welcomed campers. Traditionally,  most come from Connecticut, but Hughes said there has been an influx of campers from New York and Massachusetts in recent years.

The camp is nestled in the woods on the shore of Mudge Pond (or Silver Lake, as it is known on this side of the water, opposite the town beach). Youngsters in grades four to 12 come for an old-fashioned summer camp experience that includes games, singing, campfires, swimming and living “in community.†The camp is the outdoor ministry of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ. In addition to summer camp, the center also hosts retreats during the winter season for all types of groups.

“Our retreat season is booming, I think because others are closing or are too expensive,†Hughes said.

Turning things around

Anne and Tim Hughes became co-directors of Silver Lake in 2003, taking over an institution that had historically struggled with its finances.

“We’re not running a deficit budget any more,†Anne Hughes said. “We haven’t been for two years. We’re very proud of that.â€

One of the changes they implemented was to cut the summer session from eight weeks to seven.

“The eighth week was poorly attended because people were going back to school,†Hughes said. “Now, with all the snow days, the schools are backing right up to camp. This week is our lowest week, with 86 campers.†She added that they would have to think about whether to open a week later in the coming summers to accomodate the expanding school schedules.

The ailing economy has been a boon to the camp on another front: finding summer employees and volunteers. Hughes said the camp had a record number of applications for summer staff, and that many of the counselors this summer are adults who have lost their regular jobs and figure they might as well go spend a week at camp.

But the camp is not immune to the economic climate. Despite the balanced budget and increase in registrations, Hughes said the camp’s funding from the Connecticut Conference was scaled back this year and the year-round staff members will take a one-week unpaid furlough after the summer.

Another area that has faced some cuts is food costs. Silver Lake has a reputation for good food — not just good camp food — and takes pains to keep that reputation.

“We’ve had to simplify the menu, but I don’t think people have noticed too much,†Hughes said.

She also said the summer staff is being cross-trained, so that all employees will spend some time working in the kitchen. Finding people to work in the kitchen is usually the hardest part of hiring staff, she noted, and she hopes this move will make it easier to keep the kitchen running in coming summers.

Fundraising in tough times

The Connecticut Conference launched a capital campaign for Silver Lake in 2006 to update many of the facility’s aging buildings, some of which are more than half a century old. Even with the downturn in the economy, changes are being made at the camp. A health and welcome center has been added, bathrooms in many of the buildings have been renovated and this summer there is a new commons building.

“We know that, operationally, we are viable through our fees and funding sources,†Hughes said. “But this is an old camp and requires significant funds to upgrade the water and sewer systems.â€

As part of the capital campaign, Hughes is working closely with two volunteers, Bill and Mary Ruth, to set up a database of camp alumni and send out an appeal for an annual fund.

“We’re here to establish relationships that have been ignored,†said Mary Ruth, who worked on the Silver Lake staff in 1965. She and her husband now volunteer for the United Church of Christ on a national level, through the Partners in Service program. They have come to Silver Lake for eight months to set up the basics of a development program for the camp.

“We’re free, basicallly,†Ruth said. “They give us room and board and we work a 40-hour week.â€

Ruth has been busy collecting names and contact information for former staffers and campers. She sends out e-mail updates and recently printed a newsletter. The camp’s first appeal letter for its new annual fund will go out in September. Ruth said her goal was to leave the camp with a database and some fundraising materials.

“We put in the hours and do the job, then they can use it going forward,†she said.

Hughes stressed the importance of tapping into alumni support.

“Silver Lake needs to have its own annual fund and support from alumni,†she said. “We’re looking to increase our funding streams so we can be healthier operationally.â€

It’s not too late to go to camp

Though some weeks are full for certain ages, Hughes said Silver Lake is still taking registrations for this summer.

“We hope to get another 75 registrations,†she said. “We’re almost at 1,100, and we’d like to be at 1,500.â€

She also mentioned that scholarship money is available. A week at Silver Lake costs $385. Requests for financial aid are up this year and Hughes said they were currently helping about 40 families.

“It’s really heartbreaking,†Hughes said. “Some families are hit hard by sudden unemployment. Others have discussions about sending one child or the other.â€

Many of the UCC churches in Connecticut offer financial help for members who want to send their children to Silver Lake. Hughes said she encourages people to ask their church for help first. Despite that, the camp still gets many requests for aid.

“Some are embarrassed to go to their churches but not embarrassed to ask us,†she said. “We’re not the direct community.â€

Hughes said she’s also seen an increase in requests for help from grandparents raising their grandchildren, when the parents are incarcerated or going through a difficult divorce.

Whatever their background, Hughes welcomes all children to Silver Lake.

“We’re eager to nurture them and create leaders,†she said. “That’s what we’re doing here: creating leaders.â€

Download a summer brochure at silverlake.ctucc.org. For more information, call 860-364-5526.