The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
COMMUNITY PILLAR
Another summer in the books as Camp Lookout approaches 100 years of service
EATON, N.Y. » Nestled off a backroad leading to Bradley Brook Reservoir, Camp Lookout, a children’s camp defined by its sense of home, togetherness, and opportunity, first welcomed campers in 1922 and is now celebrating nearly 100 years of service and traditions.
The camp began not exactly as the simple kid’s haven it’s known for being, but for providing a healthy respite for children at the time facing rising cases of tuberculosis in the area, explained Camp Director Jimmy Burton. Treatment was not well developed, and experts believed the open air and the active lifestyle of a summer camp could keep case numbers down in the younger population. And so Camp Lookout was born.
The health camp turned into something much more after 1969 when the county tuberculosis association, who ran the camp, sought to disband it as the disease was no longer an issue. Camp Lookout’s board of directors at the time saw a need in the community beyond tuberculosis prevention and wanted to keep it running. And so the camp fell out of the county’s hands and became a private nonprofit.
Since then, the camp has become known as a community pillar, providing something special for each of its approximately 700 campers each season, a sevenweek operation. About 100 campers stay together from Sunday-friday, then a new group comes in for the following week. (Note: These occupancy numbers are for a normal summer and may currently vary as COVID-19 guidelines are followed).
On the lake, activities like kayaking, swimming, and even sinking-a-boat (on purpose, an activity known as swamping) introduce campers to water stamina and recreational safety. Hikers and bike riders can hit the trails on the camp’s 144 acres daily. Arts and crafts have their own designated zone with endless supplies and friends to inspire creation. These activities and more are provided at no cost to the campers or their families. Camp Lookout is run on private donations, grants, and sponsorships.
Grouped by age each week, the kids sleep together in 14 cabins (separated by gender) that hold much of the camp’s decadeslong history within its walls. The camp’s current location, acquired in the 1970s, is that of a former camp dating back to the 1930s. It’s tradition for campers to scribble their names and other messages on the wooden beams of the bunks, closets, and other structures inside. The
writing marks the legacy of the thousands of campers who have breathed life into this iconic getaway for generations.
Camp Lookout, also known as Madison County Children’s Camp, is there to give children the best, nocost summer experience possible, Burton explained. Around 700 campers are selected each year from surrounding schools, with each school able to send a limited number of students. School nurses and social workers nominate those who they feel would most benefit from a stay at the county camp for any number of reasons.
Taking advantage of the free summer youth feeding program through the state is important to many who come here. Roughly 70% of campers fall below the poverty line, Burton noted. In addition to this resource, activities, and experiences that would usually require time, money, or niche knowledge on behalf of families become easily accessible under the guidance of camp counselors and other staff.
But there are other important factors in a camper’s life to consider, too, when the staff welcomes them each week. Difficulties at home or simply needing a friend could be one of them. Other campers come for the added socialization and exercise while being around children their own age. Camp Lookout also works with the Madison County Department of Social Services to connect with children in foster care.
Whatever the reason for their attendance may be, all campers are treated like family, the staff agreed.
As the campers perform their daily tasks and flex different skills, the camp environment helps many of them blossom into their true potential. Some let their kindness shine, while others learn their true patience or ability to listen. Awards are given out to campers each week to recognize their esteem and cooperation.
Oftentimes, children adopt leadership roles that carry out into their adult years. A Counselor in Training program (CIT) for ages 14-16 teaches participants teamwork and other skills, allowing them to take on a supervisory role prior to becoming a full-fledged counselor. Leadership training classes as part of the CIT are provided by the Madison County Youth Burea.
Steve Sagor, Camp Lookout’s waterfront director for nearly 13 years, is a former camper who just couldn’t get enough. He recalled his journey through the camp, which started at age eight and continues now at age 35.
“This was one of my true opportunities to have a vacation,” he reflected of his younger years, growing up with little money. “We always had what we needed, not always what we wanted. was just a fun week for me always as a kid.”
After the camper cutoff age of 13, he continued into the CIT program, then got hired as a counselor “just as something to do,” he recalled.
“After the first year, I was like, oh man, this is what I wanna do, like, the rest of my life,” the lifelong camp member shared. To continue working with kids, Sagor is now a PE teacher. Many of the staff also have a similar career.
Burton says it’s a regular pattern to see the campers become the counselors and then some, which he loves to see. “They’re familiar with what we do.
They know the routine. They know what our goals are and what we’re trying to accomplish up here,” he said of the trend.
The bonds that are formed over campfires and comradery at Camp Lookout are strong enough to make a real difference in many young people’s lives, and beyond. For Sagor, coming to camp as a kid was his way out of trouble, the same trouble that he saw many of his peers at the time get sucked into. “This place definitely saved me from making some really bad life choices,” he reflected.
As the organization approaches a century of operations, it’s a chance to reflect on all it has accomplished thus far. A week in the woods with friends, camp stories, and memories to last a lifetime: Madison County Children’s Camp provides all of that and more.
“It’s like the best place on earth, to be honest,” Sagor said. “There’s nothing better.”
Support Madison County Children’s Camp
To commemorate the camp’s 100-year milestone, sponsored bricks from the community will be used to lay a walkway at the entrance to the main cabin. Later, as more bricks come in, they will be used for an additional walkway from the main cabin to the nurse’s cabin and potentially around the main cabin. Information on how to order a brick can be found on Camp Lookout’s website. Further inquiry can be directed to David Stevens at (315) 264-5764.
Direct donations to the camp can be sent online via its website, or by mail to Madison County Children’s Camp, P.O. Box 753, Oneida, NY 13421.