News

2026 was another amazing summer at VBYC.  We owe most of it to the amazing staff and counselors who worked and volunteered here together.  And of course it would not have been the same without the campers we do it all for!  As summers go, we had some ups and downs – we did not […]

Have some warm cider by the warm campfire! October 17, 2026 2:00-5:00

VBYC’s Annual Meeting is September 9, 2026 7:00 PM @ VBYC All are welcome. We have 3 open seats. Anyone interested in serving on the Board of Directors is welcome to apply and attend the meeting. The board is elected by the supporters of Van Buren Youth Camp. Their role is to serve as the […]

Camp Fest Tickets are now on sale! Read more

Who are you and how are you related to camp? I am Angela Vallier (Van Wyck), and was Waterfront Director in 1994 and 1995 and then for the arts camp one summer later. I was introduced through Matt Justice. We worked together as lifeguards at the Parkwood YMCA in East Lansing. Some other camp people […]

A Message From Miss Margaret’s Family “When our amazing Mom – Margaret (Thar) Foster passed away January 16, 2025 our family knew without hesitation that a Memorial at VBYC would be fitting since Mom was a huge supporter and loved this camp! We were able to use the funds received (& matched by her brothers) […]

The 75th Anniversary Reunion was unforgettable. From first hugs on Thursday to Sunday’s Final Flag Ceremony, more than 200 visitors returned to Camp. Every decade of our history was represented, with folks traveling from as far away as Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Photo by Nancy Mosher   New Friends and Old Much of the […]

VBYC’s Annual Meeting is September 10, 2025 7:00 PM @ VBYC All are welcome.

Join us on Saturday, April 26 and Saturday, May 9 as we open camp and prepare the facilities and grounds for the summer to come. There are a variety of projects to work on for all ages and abilities. We begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. Our day includes donuts & coffee, a […]

Dear Camp Family, Happy 75th birthday to Van Buren Youth Camp in 2025. It’s so exciting to think of the thousands of campers that have experienced VBYC through the years while looking forward to thousands more who are yet to meet Cleo and become a member of the VBYC family. The plans are starting, ideas […]

  Join us from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 for Cider by the Campfire!  All are welcome for a free afternoon of fun with the VBYC Counselors as we celebrate the end of our 2024 season. We’ll have cider, snacks, and the beauty of camp to share! Please RSVP here to let […]

Download PDF of this newsletter Lorraine’s Comments From This Fall I have a love/hate relationship with fall. Finally it is quiet enough to hear the birds, but the birds are leaving for the year, species by species. For the first time since spring leaves have appeared, I can see the birds, but that means the […]

What: American Red Cross Lifeguarding Certification (blended online and in-person). When: Friday, May 24 – Sunday, May 26. Detailed schedule below. Where: Van Buren Youth Camp Price: $350 (Includes food and overnight lodging.) The purpose of the American Red Cross Lifeguarding course is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to: Prevent, recognize […]

Join us on Saturday, April 20 and Saturday, May 11 as we open camp and prepare the facilities and grounds for the summer to come. There are a variety of projects to work on for all ages and abilities. We begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. Our day includes donuts & coffee, […]

Download PDF of this newsletter Updates From our Director Greetings from Great Bear Lake! What an amazing summer we had at VBYC. Not only did we experience record camper enrollment, we also had the largest staff we’ve ever had. We hired eight international friends to work with us this summer. Sila & Mehment from Turkey, […]

Hi Camp Friends! Our Explorer session, our last session of summer 2023, is now on a wait list. If you apply, you will be sent directly to the wait list and we will let you know if there is an opening.  Thank you!

Final Flag Campfire General

Greetings Friends, I bet you were wondering where is our annual letter updating you as to what’s happening at VBYC and asking for your support. Well, we didn’t lose your address. We experienced a situation in which “if it could go wrong, it went wrong”, and so now you are receiving an updated letter and […]

  We invite individuals, organizations, and groups to join us for our spring 2023 volunteer days! Join us on Saturday, April 22 and Saturday, May 13 as we open camp and prepare the facilities and grounds for the summer to come. We begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. Our day includes donuts […]

Director’s Corner Hello Camp friends – What a summer! We saw record numbers at VBYC this season. 41% of our campers were new to Camp and as a result we made a lot of new friends. If the number of inquiries we are receiving about signing up for next year are an indication of good […]

Dear Friends of VBYC, From Polar Bears to campfire skits, each day at Van Buren Youth Camp is filled with leadership, companionship, and fun! Our staff, volunteers, and people in our community just like you create a summer of transformation for kids in our community. It would be so easy to drive down the road […]

Director’s Corner Hello Camp friends – We are busy getting ready for the 73rd operating season at VBYC. We’ve been interviewing staff, including two friends who’ve been trying to work for us since 2020 and couldn’t because of Covid. Berfin Yilmaz from Turkey and Abigail (Abi) Howe from the UK will be joining our staff […]

The Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of Van Buren Youth Camp is scheduled for Wednesday, September 8th, 7:00pm, at Van Buren Youth Camp.  VBYC is located at 12370 45th Street, Bloomingdale, Michigan, 49026. At this meeting, annual business including updates on happenings at VBYC, approval of last year’s annual meeting  minutes, and other […]

Covid-19 has drastically changed plans for all of us this summer and that includes VBYC.

While VBYC adapted and is offering a few weeks of day camps and some family camping options, the revenue from that won’t come close to what camp would receive from our usual slate of summer overnight camps.

Our goal is to remove all the leaves – that would be a total of $31,375 for camp!

We have started to fill out an archive of weekly all-camp photos and staff photos.

Van Buren Youth Camp is hosting the Annual Meeting of the Board Wednesday, September 9th, 7:00pm at Washburn Lodge.

$35 + delivery $10.  Buy now 24″ x 18″ 500 pieces Comes in a box with the image on it

This is a first for VBYC, we have a fox on staff! And we don’t just mean that Kiernan (left) is a good lookin’ guy. We mean Czechky the fox (right). He comes from Prauge but learned to speak in Berlin, so he has a German accent. He will be teaching German and joy this […]

Working with the kids to plan leadership always inspires me to try harder to be the best me that I can. Whenever I stop to consider who would make good speakers, I think about my circle of friends and acquaintances and realize again how lucky I am to have lived the life I live.   […]

Each spring beginning in early April, the Board and volunteers join together in a series of Saturday Workdays at VBYC. Between 9:00 and 4:00 we get Camp ready for the season. There’s always something to do, from painting, minor repairs, upgrades, cleaning, and general maintenance. We bring a lunch dish to share and have fun […]

Ebony Stewart One speaker in particular, Ebony Stewart, is a well known spoken word poet who engages teenage audiences in sessions all over the country. We are very excited to have her at our leadership camp this summer, but need the help of our tight-knit camp community to raise the funds to bring her to […]

Amazon will donate .05% on each of your eligible purchases. To sign up, just sign in to your Amazon account with this link. It is an easy way to give more to Van Buren Youth Camp. Thank you!!