Lanakila

★★★★★Brett Crawford

This review is about Camp Lanakila as a wedding venue. I photographed a wedding at Camp Lanakila and it was one of the most charming and scenic locations I’ve worked at. The entire setting is rustic, wooded, and wonderfully peaceful — a perfect backdrop for a laid-back Vermont celebration. The couple and their parties got ready right on site in the camp’s cabins, which created such an intimate, relaxed start to the day. The ceremony took place by beautiful Lake Morey, and the views were absolutely stunning. There’s plenty of space throughout the property, which made cocktail hour great as guests could spread out. The reception was held in the camp’s barn with a live band, and the atmosphere was warm, fun, and filled with great energy. As a photographer, I loved the vibe. Camp Lanakila is a fantastic choice for couples who want a rustic, nature-filled wedding experience — I loved photographing here. —Brett Crawford Photography

★★★★★Cheryl Marshall-Petricoff

Our son spent five amazing summers at Camp Lanakila and those weeks were always the highlight of his entire year, for good reason. The setting is amazing and the diverse activities are top notch, and for us as parents, the quality and continuity of the staff is really the backbone of this spectacular camp. We were always impressed with the counselors, year after year. We know this is no small thing - and honestly you can tell the counselors love it there - it's not just a job - and that's why they come back year after year. The attention to the lessons of life and inclusion of all the boys set Lanakila apart. At the dock the sign says, "there are many ways to be a man" and they teach the boys about character and values. The shared love for and at Lanakila is palpable to even a visiting mom. In fact, the July visiting weekend was truthfully one of my own favorite annual traditions. A summers night, singing together outside the barn as the sun is setting on the lake, all seems right with the world. And that's because when you can feel the love and pride, all is right with the world for a moment. I tell everyone I can that this is a special place every boy should have the privilege to experience. It made a real difference in the life of our son. Lanakila isn't just a summer camp, it's an experience that never leaves your son - he carries it proudly inside himself well beyond the summer months.

★★★★★Audrey Calderwood

My 11 y.o. son fell in love with Lanakila after an on-site visit and tour with one of the directors and has since been for the past 4 summers. It is as he says "his home away from him." I never thought I'd send my kids to overnight camp but Lanakila won me over - the leadership of the camp is experienced, strong and made me trust the whole process; the counselors are top-notched, fun role models; and the camp's focus on "many ways to be a man" is wonderful. My son loves the daily choice of activities, camping and hiking trips, sports leagues and other special moments of camp (e.g. birthday night, Amden league, July 4th fireworks and bonfire, etc). If you are thinking about overnight camp and are undecided about where to go, I highly recommend talking to one of the directors about Lanakila. It has been an amazing experience for my son and our whole family!

★★★★★Fraser Boyd

Lanakila is an outstanding place. The profound change it has made to my own life as a counselor and volunteer for many years is huge, so I can only imagine - though testimonies are many and lyrical here on this page alone - how huge an impact even one summer can have on the life of a camper. So much of the community that is Lanakila makes me think of a line from one of the books published by its Director Emeritus, Barnes Boffey: 'it's the person I am when I'm in the place(s) I love'. At Lanakila, we encourage campers and counselor to 'put down their armour' - the armour that they unwittingly 'wear' in the outside world, where appearances have to be kept up, or group mantras adhered to. We value creativity, honesty, and victories over one's self. A great many campers and counselors find and create their best selves at Lanakila. While we encourage independence to make choices about things to achieve, activities to enjoy, ways to respond to difficulty, and being 'the person you want to be', we have such a great camper:staff ratio (about 2:1) that there's always someone to talk to about how those choices turned out. The success counselling model we use underpins this and children's ability to evaluate their own actions and feelings increases dramatically at - and after - camp. Campers are also well looked after, too, in the sense that food is lovingly prepared and always eaten family-style in the dining room; equipment is up to date without being gimmicky; distractions of cellphones and other tech are off the scene; and our spirituality is nurtured through an emphasis on the importance of music, art, the beautiful outdoors, and both our Sunday gatherings and Council Fires with stories and experiences shared and learned from. At Lanakila, we 'help create fine people'. I can assuredly say that Lanakila has had a profound impact on helping me to become a better person - and the many hundreds of campers and counselors who have enjoyed their summers over the past 96 years.

★★★★★jenn grossman photography

Camp Lanakila is an amazing community! Very rarely do you find an organization that is so fully committed to making intentional choices for every aspect of their program. The amount of thought and care that goes into everything from the food that is served, to the options on the activity schedule, to the music that is sung and especially to the success counseling method that helps kids work through whatever it is they are working through, is absolutely astounding. The campers spend the summer with what I would not hesitate to call the most qualified and caring men and women who are mentors, teachers, role models and first and foremost friends. Lanakila campers have the time of their lives at camp and form lifelong friendships (as can be seen by the 98% return rate of the counseling staff who also mostly grew up going to Lanakila). Campers are challenged through every aspect of the program to do things they know they love, but also to try new things; they learn how to fail and how to get back up and try again. As an adult (and a woman) I feel so lucky that I started working for this wonderful organization (the other camps of The Aloha Foundation are also equally fantastic!!) and I would give my eye tooth to be in Fairlee every summer!