Alumni

Nicolas Granda – Former Counselor

Noe Lindemuth

Billi Jo Whitehill – Former Head Cook

My Name is Billi Jo Whitehill, I live in Jericho and work at Browns River Middle School.  This is my third year as head cook, and the best part is getting to spend time with the campers and interns.  I try to encourage healthy food choices, and show the kids some of the great local produce that is available during our bountiful summer.  I like to hike, bike, read, and spend time with my family and friends.

Eliza Dorney – Former Assistant Director & Intern Coach

Hi, my name is Eliza, and I’ve been at OCCC for most of the last six years!  I started as an intern, then became a counselor, and worked as Program Assistant two years ago.  This year, I am the Assistant Director and Intern Coach.  I love talking with the interns every day as we collaborate to solve problems, learn, and grow– and I also love interacting with the campers along the way!  The enthusiastic, encouraging and inclusive spirit of OCCC is a wonder to behold and even better to be a part of.  I come to work every day excited to see the creativity and compassion our campers, interns and staff bring, and excited to work together to build a stronger and healthier community.

Clayton Rabideau- Former Counselor

Hi, My name is Clayton Rabideau and this is my first year at OCCC. I have a background in Genetics and I will be starting my PhD in October. I’m very excited to be working with the OCCC. I work with the administrative staff at the camp to analyze how the programs have a positive impact on the campers! ​

Zachary Burton – Junior Counselor LAC

My name is Zachary Burton, and I’m going to be a sophomore at Mount Mansfield Union High School in the fall. This was my first year working at OCCC and with the LAC campers. This was an amazing experience for me because I got to meet some great people, including campers and staff, and I was given opportunities to grow as a leader. I especially appreciated the experiences to learn team building skills and proper role-modeling techniques. Camp has taught me to open up more and to be more accepting of other social groups. It gave me a better appreciation for those with different social abilities and personalities than myself.

I have had so much fun working and interacting with both the campers and counselors in my group this summer. Being at OCCC was a truly eye-opening and humbling experience. I hope to return next summer so I can continue to grow!

Charlie Young – Former Counselor

Prior to being a Jr Counselor with OCCC I was a camper. I will be a freshman at MMU this fall. I play lacrosse and hockey, snowboard and play disc golf.  I enjoy hiking and kayaking and going to concerts. I am learning to play guitar and enjoy singing.

Colleen Wyatt – Former Counselor

My name’s Colleen Wyatt and this will be my third year at Our Community Cares Camp. I will be a junior at MMU next year, where I’m part of the softball and Nordic ski teams. I also coach kids soccer with JUYs in the fall, and participate in Tae Kwon Do year round. I love playing sports and games with kids, making crafts and cooking with kids. I’m excited to meet new campers and help them have a great summer!

Marcia White – Former LAC Counselor

This is my fourth year at OCCC and my sixth year as a camp counselor. I am a student at Burlington College where I study Transpersonal Psychology. In the past I have worked at day camps and sleep-away camps alike. The camp experience is woven into my being and creating a fun atmosphere is very important to me. I am an arts and crafts enthusiast and I love to sing and be silly above all things!

Avery Cooper – Former Science and Math Program Specialist

I have been working at OCCC as a counselor for 5 years now, starting as an intern my first year. I love working at OCCC, and have come back every year because of the strong sense of community we build during the 4 weeks of camp. Outside of camp, I am a student and musician studying mathematics and jazz saxophone.

Maya Dube

My name is Maya Dube, this will be my sixth year at camp. I volunteered when I was eighteen and loved it, and been coming back ever since. I am from Huntington, VT. I am 23 years old, and This June I graduated from the Community College of Vermont with an associate in Liberal Studies. I hope to continue my education to become either an occupational therapist or a speech and language pathologist with children. I enjoy drawing and painting abstractly, and within the last year have developed a passion for wood working. I also love to hike and read. I enjoy working at OCCC with the kids and seen them truly happy and having fun. I love the challenge of working with children and seeing them grow throughout camp. Except for my first year at camp, I have been a counselor with the Upper Middlers, which are 3th and 4th graders and have really enjoyed working with that age group. 

Mira Coffey

My name is Mira Coffey and I’m a rising sophomore studying elementary education at Goucher College! I’m going to be the photographer at OCCC this summer and I’m going to attempt to capture all the fun that goes on here! I’m also around to be an extra set of hands, so holler if you need anything. I’ve spent 8 years of my life as a camper at an overnight camp called Camp JORI and the past 2 years as a counselor. This experience helped me realize how much of an impact I can have on children thus inspiring me to pursue a career as a teacher. I love to read (my favorite authors are Stephan King and Neil Gaiman), take pictures, talk, and travel. I’m looking forward to being closer to home this summer and I’m so excited to be part of the OCCC community! 

Skye Douglas-Hughes

My name is Skye Douglas-Hughes and this year will be my third year at the Our Community Cares Camp. I volunteered when I was 14 years old cause I felt I wanted to be a part of the community and immediately bonded with the campers. I am 17 and I’m going to be a senior at MMU this fall. Outside of the camp I play soccer, ski, and am on the track and field team. This next year at OCCC, I am looking forward to seeing the past campers and counselors I worked with in the years before and am excited to learn even more leadership skills.

Ella Goetze- Former LAC Intern

Hi! My name is Ella Goetze and I am an intern with the Leadership Adventure Camp.  This is my first year working with this program, and I am looking forward to getting to know the campers and having a lot of fun in the process!  I will be a senior at MMU this fall, and some of my interests including soccer, alpine ski racing, hiking, cooking, and learning to play musical instruments (including clarinet, violin, ukulele and piano).  I feel really lucky to be involved in this new community, and I can’t wait to have fun at camp!

Reilly Butler- Former Counselor

Hi, my name is Reilly Butler and this summer will be my second year as a counselor at Our Community Cares Camp.  I just finished my sophomore year at University of Vermont where I am studying Elementary Education with a minor in special education.  Some of my hobbies include hiking, spending the day at the beach, baking, and traveling. I love the sense of community OCCC has created, I am looking forward to meeting all the campers and hope to have a great summer!

Max Erickson – Former Counselor

My name is Max Eriksson and this is my fourth year of working at OCCC.  I will be a senior at MMU next fall.  I was an intern my first year. All four of my years I have worked with the Juniors who are the youngest group, and I love it.  Some of my favorite things about working at OCCC is getting to know the kids throughout the weeks of camp.  My favorite day of the week is Wednesday because I love going on field trips at camp.  Some of my interests outside of school are sports such as soccer, baseball, skiing and snowboarding.  I also like art even though I am not very good at it.  I look forward to seeing everyone at another great summer at OCCC.​

Tracy Burbank – Former Assistant Cook

I’m married, have 2 kids, work in the kitchen at Browns River Middle School.  This is my 3rd year in the OCCC kitchen.  I live in Jericho.

Cameron Thomas- Former LAC Counselor

My name is Cameron, I’ve been involved in the camp since 2010. I’ve seen it grow and improve in the following years into the great camp that it is today. I’m currently a counselor in the LAC, when im not at camp I’m a student at UVM majoring in Anthropology. I feel that camp is a great way to give back to the community that I live in and make the lives of the campers better by giving them a place to have fun and get great food during the summer. I’m currently a justice of the Peace for Richmond and you can find me at many town events volunteering.

Elizabeth Morris – Former Assistant to the Executive Director

My name is Elizabeth Morris. I have been associated with Our Community Cares Camp for six years, starting at 15 years old as an intern, then as a counselor, now as an assistant to the Executive Director.

OCCC is a community that helps our campers to succeed through a stimulating, supportive environment and nutritional supplementation. After only four weeks the camp creates a sense of family. When the camp is over, I routinely run into campers at the park, farmer’s market and other town events. The camp impacts everyone who is involved; campers, interns, and counselors alike.

I just finished my junior year as
a Journalism and Economics double major at Ithaca College in New York. I spend
my free time running, reading, and baking.

Katherine Romanov- Former Intern/ Administrative Assistant

​Hi! My name is Katherine Romanov and I am an intern/ administrative assistant for OCCC. I am currently a junior at University of Vermont studying Sociology and Nutrition. After only working at OCCC for 15 weeks I have learned a great deal about OCCC. OCCC has a strong sense of community and the summer camp provides a nurturing and caring, while fun and exciting environment for children during the Summer. I have learned throughout my internship that OCCC is truly a special place. I spend my free time outdoors and with friends and family. I am excited for another year of an amazing summer program and have it be the best summer yet!

Mikayla Collins – Former Junior Counselor

I’m Mikayla Collins. I live in Richmond. I was in OCCC a couple times while I was in Elementary/Middle school. I enjoyed it very much and I hope the kids this year have as much fun as I did. I hope to improve OCCC and am willing to do that in any way possible. I hope to bring a smile to the kids’ faces as well. I would really like to incorporate their hobbies and interests with the activities we do at camp. Also, I love traveling, shopping, playing piano, skiing, biking, history, and I like going to concerts and listening to music!

Hayden Fuller – Former Kitchen Intern

I’m Hayden, and will be a 10th grader at MMU this fall.
This is my third year at OCCC.  Cooking has always been my passion, and I
also enjoy meeting new people at camp.  Outside of camp, one of my
favorite things to do is running.

Andrew Bruce – Former Junior Counselor

Hello, My Name is Andrew. I have been at this camp for a while and I have been a camper for two years. Now I have the honor to see the behind the scenes action that goes on after and before camp and it’s just overall fun. Speaking of fun, I like to do things outside and with friends and family like camping or river rafting. My favorite sports are Basketball and Baseball because they are fun to watch and very fun to play. Somethings to know, my favorite color is Red and also Orange and my favorite animal is the anaconda because snakes are cool, also I really love to fly kites but I’m not very good at it.

Gabby Boyson – Former Junior Counselor

Hi, my name is Gabby and I am a junior counselor at OCCC. I will be a junior at MMU this fall, where I am a part of the dance team. I really enjoy working with kids of all ages, and am super excited to be here at camp this year and have a great summer!

Dan Lazarus – Former Leadership Adventure Camp Director

My name is Daniel Lazarus. I have a B.S in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont and my passion lies in outdoor and exploratory education. I have lead backpacking trips in the remote mountains of Kosovo and currently work at an after school program at the Flynn Elementary School. My goal for camp this summer is to have every child feel like they succeeded. I want each child to get better at something, to find new passion, and to step outside of their comfort zone.

Lynn Butler-Dube – Former Counselor

Lynn Butler-Dube has been a senior counselor for 3 summers (2010-2013). She loved the variety of creative expression activities at camp and enjoyed assisting the students in challenging themselves socially and personally. She loved the end of camp talent show and how everyone was able to shine with a wide variety of talents. The campers were very encouraging and supportive of each other. Lynn also enjoyed the food offered for breakfast and lunch. She got some great healthy food ideas to make at home for her family.

Lynn is a registered and board certified art therapist, licensed alcohol and drug, and mental health counselor working at The Adams Center of Mind and Body, Inc. She also works at Brewster Piece Memorial School as an art therapist one day a week.

Ross Cooper – Former Counselor

I worked at OCCC for three years. The first year was as an intern, then the following two as a camp counselor. In these three years I experienced moments that will likely stay with me and the campers. I remember a heated game of four square. The rules were created as the game progressed. The newly created game ended up being far more complicated than its simple origins. The campers kept getting more and more creative with rules that I could barely understand. Excluding the occasional argument, the game was like no other and very fun. I’ll remember moments like this as I move on in my life. I am going to study engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder this fall and am very excited. As of now, I am working as a line cook at Parkside Kitchen an enjoying learning the art of cooking.

Kathleen Davies – Former Counselor

Since OCCC, I have graduated from nursing school, passed my nursing boards and am now working as a RN full time at Richmond Family Medicine. I love being part of the community I grew up in, just as I was when I worked at OCCC. Since OCCC, I also have bought a house in Essex Junction and adopted a rescue dog! Recently, I traveled to Peru on a medical and dental mission trip. I miss OCCC and being part of such a wonderful program. One thing I loved about OCCC was how everyone came together and worked as a team to help create a magical and fun summer for the OCCC campers. It was great to see all the smiling faces everyday – staff, campers, cooking staff, parents – everyone was smiling and happy to be part of such a great program! I loved campfire/group circle time and find myself singing “There was a great big moose” when I’m out hiking in the woods!

Eric Marshall- Former Counselor

I worked two summers at OCCC. I think my favorite memory from camp was playing guitar with the campers and learning songs to play together at the morning pow wow. This past spring I graduated UVM with a degree in Environmental Science and I am currently working at Jericho Settler’s Farm. When i’m not at work I’m usually hiking, at the beach, or playing music with my friends.

Christine Trombley- Former Counselor

Since being an OCCC counselor, I have graduated from Saint Michael’s College! You can now find me at the Sheraton Hotel where I am the Executive Human Resources and Finance Assistant. I also volunteer at the hospital in the medical intensive care unit, and I am a “wish-granter” with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Recently, I joined the board of VABIR (Vermont Association of Business, Industry and Rehabilitation) and the Vermont Wish Project (through Make-A-Wish). On weekends, I enjoy spending time at the beach, being on the bike path, and seeing family & friends. Some of the best memories I have of OCCC involve the many talented musicians that are part of the staff, ice cream treats outside, and seeing all the beautiful ways the campers would express themselves through art. I miss camp!

Fisher Wagg- Former Counselor

Since camp I’ve been working at Staples as an Easytech Certified Technician. When I’m not doing that I’m designing video games for my portfolio before I go to school for game design in a yet undecided location. I’m recording my second album in Jericho which will be releasing in October. When that’s done, I’ll probably also be producing a local access cable show about colors and sounds and storytelling. I hope to eventually start my own game studio and make computer games and weird music.

Elise Wyatt – Former Counselor

I worked at OCCC for five summers after completing a year volunteering as an intern six years ago, and I can honestly say that my experience at OCCC shaped the person I am today.  Since my time at OCCC, I have continued my higher education at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with concentrations in positive psychology and child advocacy.  I work as a research assistant for the Colleges and will be living on campus this summer to analyze a study I helped conduct this spring.  In August I will be departing for a semester-long study abroad program in Copenhagen, Denmark during which I will be focusing on learning about positive psychology in the happiest country in the world!

I am so proud of how much OCCC has grown and expanded since I began working with the camp.  The community love and care that the camp has maintained since its creation is what makes me so excited to come back and visit OCCC.  I grew through middle school, high school, and college throughout my time with the camp and I am honored to have helped train the upcoming group of counselors.  I am confident that the future of OCCC is more than promising in their capable hands. 

Karyl Kent – Former Assistant Cook

I have been the Food Service Manager at Richmond Elementary School for 6 years. Prior to my work in the school, I had worked as a chef in restaurants and catering.

Together with my husband Bernie and my son Charlie, I love to go camping and kayaking. I have two grown daughters, Bridget and Hannah and a granddaughter Piper.

Paige Goudreau – Former Counselor

Hello! My name is Paige Goudreau and I have been working at Our Community Cares Camp.  I was an intern my first two summers and last summer I became a counselor. My hobbies include reading, watching, creating, and editing videos, listening to music, running, and talking to my friends. I am a graduate of MMU high school just finished up my first year at Saint Michael’s College. It was the best experience I could have ever asked for. All three years at OCCC I have worked with the ‘Juniors’ of the camp, a wonderful, kind and bright group of children who are ages four to six. I love working at OCCC because the camp has a friendly and inviting atmosphere. All campers are welcomed with open arms. The entire faculty of OCCC works extremely hard to accommodate each individual and create the most fun environment possible. There are so many memorable things at OCCC from the trips to the Huntington Audubon, to the games of badminton, to the delicious and nutritious meals I have shared with campers. Working at OCCC has been the highlight of my summer for the past four years.

Ari Cooper – Former Counselor

I have worked at OCCC for five years. Being a counselor is a great summer job getting to mess around with kids and getting paid for it. Sometimes they can be a handful, although that only lets you appreciate all the other spontaneous moments which remind you why you’re here. Whether it be straightening out the rules for four square or keeping everyone quiet during the morning gatherings, there are always simply genuine interactions with these kids. I always learn something new about myself through them and I hope I have taught them a few things myself. Right now I am going to college in Salem, Oregon, majoring in CS. Being a part of the club Ultimate Frisbee team I love throwing the disc around as well as pickup soccer or football games.  Around campus I enjoy hanging out and browsing articles on the internet, and watching TV with friends.

Chance Lister – Kitchen Crew

My name is Chance Lister. I started off the summer after my 5th grade year just helping out as an intern for the breakfast setup. The following three years after that I worked as an intern for full camp duration under the kitchen staff. I enjoy skiing in the winter, and mountain biking in the summer and fall. Any opportunity that I get to go outside I take. I am looking forward to my 6th year with the OCCC kitchen staff and for many more to come.