Seniors Spend Week of Relaxation at Star Lake Camp

Seniors who are looking to retreat this summer to a quiet destination where they can swim, boat and relax need not look further than Bloomingdale.

Tucked away in a corner off of Macopin Road, offers 400 acres of green grass, wooded forest, natural lakes and a lodge that houses conferences and senior guests in the summer.

The entire camp site was built in 1923, but is now home to a children's camp, where inner city children are brought for weeks at a time to enjoy fresh air and recreational opportunities, as well as the lodge for conferences and senior retreats. For the past 30 years, the lodge has been providing Senior Camp Vacations to any interested senior citizens from the local area and beyond.

Senior Camp Vacations are affordable, week-long vacations where seniors are able to stay in one of the lodge's guest rooms and enjoy many of the activities and amenities the lodge and camp have to offer, according to Director of Special Services Keren Tuck.

Tuck said The Salvation Army wanted to provide a place where seniors could go to relax at an affordable cost.

"There's so many things that go on in this stage of life and that's so important to The Salvation Army, that the seniors are not overlooked," Tuck said.

The seniors sign up for specific sessions, which run from June 27 through September 16, and decide whether they would like to have a room to themselves or share a room with a friend or another individual for a lower rate. Depending on the length of stay, a single-occupancy room can be up to $475 per person and a double-occupancy room can be up to $355 per person for an entire eight-day stay.

Three meals per day are also included with the Senior Camp Vacations, as well as snacks and entertainment. Several programs, including crafts, fitness programs, bible study and more, are optional to the seniors and available during most sessions.

But if they are not interested in programs, Tuck said sometimes just being able to enjoy the natural surroundings of the camp brings happiness to the seniors.

"People who come here often say, 'I've worked so hard my whole life and I never thought I could afford to go some place like this,'" Tuck said.

Typically between 80 and 100 seniors stay at the camp per session, predominantly from New York City. Many seniors drive themselves or have family members drive them to the camp, as transportation is not provided to and from the camp.

Seniors are the guests of the camp, but volunteers play a large role in making their stays sucessful, Tuck said. The lodge is always looking for volunteers for one or more sessions to help with teaching crafts, playing piano, driving the tram, helping guests bring suitcases to their rooms, teaching courses on computers, financial planning and fitness and more.

There are still some sessions available for those interested in staying at the lodge this summer. Sessions are available in five days and four nights or eight days and seven nights. Upcoming sessions are July 11-18; August 1-8; August 15-22; August 22-26; and September 12-16.

To make a reservation or to see if a session of your choice is already full, call 973-838-7000. The lodge is a smoke- and alcohol-free building and non-refundable deposit payments of $40 per person are required to confirm reservations. Those interested in volunteering at the camp can contact Keren Tuck at the same phone number.