Pretty Lake Summer Camp

Who We Are

Since 1916, Pretty Lake Vacation Camp has offered camp experiences to nearly 49,000 under-served children of Kalamazoo County at no cost. In addition, we provide everything that children need while they are at camp - all clothing, bedding and towels, personal hygiene items (toothbrushes, deodorant, etc), transportation to and from camp, meals, and all program activities - at no cost to the child or families. We provide all of this in order to remove any barrier that might prevent children from being able to afford or attend a traditional summer camp.

We have four programs:

Inpost Program: our largest and primary group of campers who are in 3rd - 5th grades.
Adventure Camp (formerly called Outpost): for youth in the 6th & 7th grades.
Leaders-in-Training (LIT): for campers in 8th & 9th grades who have experienced our Inpost or Adventure Camp programs and seek to increase their leadership skills.
Counselors-in-Training (CIT): 10th - 11th graders who desire to train with staff in preparation of becoming future counselors.

We are committed to having the BEST staff working at Pretty Lake Vacation Camp because our children deserve the BEST. We need people whose primary concern is to care for the children we serve. Working as a summer staff at any camp can be difficult, but it can also be the most rewarding job anyone has ever had. It is our expectation that all staff realize they are at camp to watch and be watched. In short, working at a camp is like no other job on earth. It requires patience, stamina, flexibility, and humor, while creating a community and memories that last a lifetime.

In keeping with best practices, Pretty Lake Vacation Camp is an alcohol and tobacco-free camp.