Camps Akita and Au Sable on List of America’s Best Summer Camps

TWO CAMPS IN THE LAKE UNION WERE NAMED TO NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE’S LIST OF THE BEST SUMMER CAMPS IN THE U.S. CAMP AKITA, OPERATED BY ILLINOIS CONFERENCE, AND CAMP AU SABLE, RUN BY MICHIGAN CONFERENCE, WERE AMONG THE 500 CAMPS SELECTED AS TOP SUMMER CAMPS IN 2023 BASED ON SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEWS AND A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF 15,000 PARENTS.

Newsweek partnered with Plant-AInsights Group to help parents navigate the daunting task of vetting and selecting among the 12,000 summer camps across the U.S. Illinois President John Grys says he is excited for the team, which includes former youth director Michael Campos, his assistant Stacey DePluzer, and camp director Roger Henderson.

“I am most proud of their balanced, heartfelt, mission-minded, child-friendly pursuit of the mission to bring Jesus into every facet of the camp. And they do so with such sustained passion and creativity. They are truly Jesus with shorts and sweat and love with those children and the families. I see their energy and relentless nature and they never stop. I can trust them because I trust the God they serve, and I trust their heart.”

Camp Au Sable’s director and manager, Ken Micheff, responded that he praises God for any good thing. Last summer, 264 campers indicated a desire to give their hearts to Jesus. “This is what we’re about—providing an opportunity for retreats and people giving their hearts to God. We want people to know that God loves you and what a journey that can be if you’re on that journey with Him.”

Three other Adventist camps made the list: MiVoden Camp and Retreat Center in Idaho, Lone Star Camp in Texas, and Sunset Lake Camp in Washington state. P