What We Do

Since Riverbend functions in its highest capacity during summer, so do we. Many of our projects function to create events for the summer staff to enjoy. In years past, Riverbend would host mud football, lake day, and a trip to Putt-Putt; however, in the world we live in now, these are not as feasible as they once were, so the Alumni has stepped in to help! These events and projects grow and morph from year to year, but currently include:

Prayer Partners Initiative

We pair up summer staff with alumni who send letters, care packages, and much needed prayer to them as a means of encouraging and edifying those who are working and doing the same jobs we did years ago…

Cardboard Boat Race

Remember the Luau? Well this is better! We invite specific alumni out and form teams with them and summer staff, give them some cardboard and duct tape and say, “GO!” The resulting creations are then raced from one end of the pool to the other, last boat sailing wins!

Alumni Annual Retreat

Every year we gather together at the end of the summer so remember, commiserate, and commemorate our time and resources to Riverbend and each other. This retreat features worship and preaching sessions, group meals, games, a work project, the annual Alumni Business meeting (where officers are elected), Record Setting Night, and lots of free time to hang out and catch up!

End of Summer Banquet

This is a very close, joint project between the Riverbend Staff and the Executive board to put on a ceremony that puts a big positive exclamation at the end of the summer.

Recruiting for Summer Staff

Why not? It’s so fun and easy! Recruit at your youth group, college group, BSM, or anywhere else 15-25 year old gather and give them the chance to have even better experiences than you did at The Bend! You can find more information about recruiting by going to here.

Alumni Clean Day

Remember clean day? The adrenaline of trying to be the first team to finish, or set a new camp record for how many cabins your team can clean is back! Now you can go back to the Bend and show the new recruits how cleaning is done!

The Alumni do all of these things and more, and I am very proud of what we have accomplished so far, everyone that has been active in the association, whether on or off the board, has made the alumni what it is. However, I have a vision for the future that has a much broader scope. I believe the alumni could build The Staff Lodge. A new accommodation for Riverbend summer staff to live in, one that is specifically designed with their needs in mind. I also see the alumni being the main recruiting force for Riverbend’s summer staff. Riverbend recruits 80-100 summer staff every year, and statistics have shown that those recruits are much easier to get if they know someone who has worked there before. Which means that the alumni are perfectly positioned to assist Riverbend in their recruiting efforts. The Association is also looking to have more community building events, like ice cream socials, bowling nights, and cookouts!

I believe that all of these things and much more are possible, in time. What we need to do now is continue to grow our community, by recruiting summer staffers from recent summers and summers long ago. Each time a new member is recruited our community gains value. The more value we have, the closer we get to accomplishing the projects mentioned above. Our goal as we progress towards these aspirations is to:

Bless each other by establishing stronger communities,
Bless Riverbend by assisting with events and summer staff recruiting, &
Bless the current summer staff by making their work a little easier with prayer, support, and gifts.

Trevor Graeber, Alumni Association President

What We Do

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