Week Three began on Sunday, July 23rd, with children coming from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, and Canada.  

For many, the highlight of the week is the dance or Waldameer. However, for this group of campers, religion was their favorite aspect of the week. At the pool, one camper said “my favorite part of camp is being able to go to church and pray. I like everything about camp, but religion is the best.” Thus, having group religion with His Grace Bishop Irinej on Friday brought a joyful experience for the campers. Although it rained for movie night, that did not stop the fun; campers grabbed their blankets and popcorn, and rejoiced in a singalong to the movie Coco! On Friday night, campers enjoyed a dip in the pool and a dance party!

Camp continues to run successfully under the leadership of Teta Millie, Teta Dee Dee, and Teta Marija. We are eternally grateful for their devotion and love for camp. We also would like to thank all of the kitchen volunteers who kept us well-fed throughout the week.

In preparation for Week Four, we would like to thank all of the hard-working people who have dedicated time to Shadeland this season. A special thanks to head counselor Stana Topich leading counselors: Mia Čirkić, Nina Topich, Jelena Winowich, Gia Vlajkovic, Mariana Bajich, Ruby Attar, Anastasija Kosic, Natalie Dean, Kaja Musicki, Mira Kunzin, Jovana Petrovic, Michael Topich, Sava Topich, Luka Djurich, Nikola Rabljenovic, Stev Barach, Stevo Musicki, Luka Parojcic, Stefan Bultatovic, and Maksim Damjanovic. We also would like to thank our lifeguards: Jeli Dragovich, Miko Novakovic, and Liya Sebastian. Thank you to our Spiritual director Father Vedran Grabic for your guidance and leadership. Thank you to the volunteer priests, including: Fr. Rodney Torbic, Fr. Stefan Djoric, Fr. Sasha Nedic, Fr. Srebrenko Vidakovic, Fr. Branislav Golic, Fr. Dragoslav Kosic, Fr. Vladislav Golic, Fr. Nektarije (Tesanovic), and guest priest from Canada, Fr. Vladimir Vranic. Thank you to our volunteer nurses for taking care of our children every week: Miranda Lazich, Julie Winovich, Maryann Stojanovic, Michelle Vignovic, Grace Dean , and Seja Vizirikas. The following head cooks have kept us well-fed each week: Alexis Janiga, Julie Djurich, Maca Topich, and Janice Dean. Going into Fourth Week, we would like to give a special shoutout to our directors for kolo and tambura, Mia Čirkić and Stana Topich, alongside assistants Luka Djurch and Dusi Karas.

We have one more week left of the 2023 camp season! We will be ending the Shadeland season with our Shadeland Most Holy Mother of God Monastery Estate Slava and the End of Camp Season celebration on Saturday, August 5th. Please join us for Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AM and the Picnic following! There will be a performance with singing, dancing, and musical entertainment to follow.