About Us

Location

Camp Valaqua is located 1 hour NW of Calgary near Water Valley Alberta, beautifully situated in the Foothills of the Rocky Mountains on the Little Red Deer River. 250 acres of spruce and poplar forest offer extensive hiking, mountain biking and nature study trails. Facilities include a modern lodge with washrooms and showers, 12 rustic cabins, recreation hall, climbing wall, ball diamond and nature centre.

Who We are: a mission statement

Camp Valaqua is a Christian ministry of the member Churches of Mennonite Church Alberta. It extends the ministries and congregational life of these churches by providing facilities and programs in a unique setting close to creation. Camp Valaqua also serves as a outreach to the larger community by inviting others to participate in the use of its facilities and Summer Camp Programs.

Camp Valaqua is dedicated to proclaiming the Good News that God is the Creator, we are God’s people, and the earth is placed in our hands as a gift and a trust. We strive to create a place were all children can come and feel safe and loved by our staff and by God.  We also acknowledge that children are very impressionable and we do not desire to abuse their vulnerability by making any child feel pressured or manipulated into making faith commitments at Camp Valaqua.

To summarize, our objective is to provide a safe and caring environment for campers to experience God in community, nature and themselves. Your children will try new things, gain self confidence and grow in all sorts of directions, all while having a great time!

Where We Come From: a long history

52 years!  That is how long Camp Valaqua has been providing great summer camp experiences for children and youth from across Alberta.  From humble beginnings in 1959 with tents for the campers and an outdoor kitchen with a tarp for a roof to our present day sturdy cabins and a modern lodge, Valaqua has changed a lot physically over the years.  If you look a little deeper however, you will find that Valaqua maintains the core values that it was founded upon.

Children come to Valaqua to experience God in creation and with our strong nature program, campskills lessons, and overnighters, our campers have lots of opportunities to get their hands dirty!  At Chapel and Campfire times our Chaplains share the teachings of Jesus in a way that connects with kids in their lives.  We learn how Jesus wanted us to treat out neighbors and our friends, how God wants us to love each other and ourselves and how we can help ennact positive change in our lives and our world.

Currently

Jon Olfert stands upon the shoulders of giants as he serves as the Director. Jon has been in the position for the past 6 years and is highly involved in the camping industry, having served on the board of Directors for the Alberta Camping Association for the last 4 years, and currently serves as President of the organization.  Jon brings a long history of camp experience, having served at Sleep-away, Outtrip and Day camps over the last 15 years.

Jeff and Ingrid Schellenberg have served as Camp Valqua`s managers for the last 15 years and do an amazing job of keeping the camp running smoothly and keeping our facilities beautiful.