Jeff Schellenberg can attest to the magic effect that Camp Valaqua has on people. After 28 years of living and working on and near Valaqua land, it’s home.
“[When this job] came up we thought it would be a really fun thing to do for a year or two while we figure out what we were doing with our lives otherwise,” said Schellenberg, 62, who moved to Valaqua in 1996 with his late wife Ingrid Janssen. “We were both teachers. Then we just ended up loving it and staying and staying and staying.”
Schellenberg’s family ties to Camp Valaqua, a half-section of forest and river valley an hour outside of his hometown, Calgary, are longstanding. His parents and siblings were camp directors, he attended as a camper and counsellor and met and married Janssen there. After they moved on site, they decided to homeschool their four children in the beautiful setting.
“It became way less about sitting at a table and doing homework and much more about exploring the world around them,” Schellenberg said. “All kinds of experiences and learning that could happen there, we realized pretty early on.”
Camp Valaqua’s board co-chair, Kathryn Friesen, 45, worked with the couple when she was camp counsellor in 1997 and 1999. She recalled the deep impression Janssen made on her, as a young woman.
“I was really drawn to Ing,” said Friesen. “She was a really talented, strong woman who didn’t put a lot of credence into expectations placed on women…. She showed us that you can put your whole life into your children and at the same time embrace your intelligence and your physical strength.”
Friesen, who also met and married her partner at Valaqua, became lifelong friends with Schellenberg and Janssen. Over the years, she said they have played an integral role in making Valaqua a welcoming place.
“Jeff and Ing clearly loved Valaqua and wanted to make it a space where everyone else who was coming there could enjoy it, love it, cherish it and respect it as the beautiful spot that it is. That was really a draw for a lot of us who were working there.”
After eight years, Schellenberg and Janssen built a home on land adjacent to the camp. Ingrid became a homeschool facilitator in the community while Jeff took on more camp responsibilities.
Along with maintenance—everything from building repair, cleaning, painting, snow removal, mowing grass, cutting trees and gardening—Schellenberg has administered Valaqua’s rental program, which is active throughout the year. The appreciation non-church groups, like schools and Scouts, have for Valaqua has been a welcome surprise over the years.
“There’s a sense of … I don’t know what it is exactly that people get, that groundedness to something outside of the cities where they usually come from,” he said. “That’s been cool to see, too. [This place] means lots to different people.”
But the two months of the year Schellenberg has enjoyed the most are May and June, when camp counsellors help him get Valaqua ready for the summer.
Liesel Retzlaff, 22, worked as camp gardener this past summer in “Ingrid’s Garden.” The garden was first planted in 2015 in honour of Janssen who died of cancer as the first seeds were sown, Schellenberg said.
Growing the plants—raspberries, peas, lettuce—that eventually grace the plates of campers in the food hall, and helping Schellenberg paint, chainsaw and change tires around camp, has not only taught Retzlaff new skills, she says, but given her a sense of pride about camp.
“Jeff made a lot of us way more confident in the work that we were doing,” said Retzlaff. “No question was stupid. He would always spend time teaching us.”
Getting to know Schellenberg, who is quiet by nature, has been the goal of Valaqua counsellors in recent years.
“Jeff has always been the coolest guy on staff,” said camp director Jon Olfert, 45, recalling a recent summer when camp counsellors walked to Schellenberg’s house early in the morning for coffee, without giving him notice.
“Jeff, of course, invited them in and made coffees. That’s just who he is,” said Olfert. “They did it again last year, too, but I think they called ahead this time.”
This past year, Retzlaff and others baked Schellenberg a raspberry cheesecake—with berries from Ingrid’s garden—for his birthday.
“He said it was the best cake he ever had!” Retzlaff said.
In the nearly 20 years he has worked alongside Schellenberg, Olfert said Schellenberg and Janssen’s spirit of welcome deeply impacted him.
“They just made generations of camp staff and volunteers feel not only welcomed but wanted and appreciated in a really deep and meaningful way.”
Saying good-bye to Schellenberg as camp manager is tough, Olfert said.
“We’re going to miss Jeff an awful lot and there’s just kind of no way around that.”
Schellenberg has enjoyed maintaining the camp with the support of the wider church and is happy it continues to thrive.
“I’ve felt very privileged to be here and I’ve loved this part of my life. I just want to take a breath when I’m done and then figure out what’s next,” said Schellenberg. “I’m just excited about the possibilities.”
Even though he’s stepping away from his duties, he’ll continue to be close by.
“I’ve claimed rights to cross-country ski through Valaqua land as long as I live,” Schellenberg said.
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