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About Us
Where is Canoe Island?

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Canoe Island is a 47-acre private island in the center of the San Juans in Upright Channel between Shaw and Lopez islands. The ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor goes by the southern corner of the island.     

 

 

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Our Facility
colombierThe unique architecture and ambiance of Canoe Island French Camp make a comfortable setting for your stay.

Photos shown. Left: Le Colombier (The Watertower).

Below: The mosaic tile map of the San Juan Islands on the floor of Le Colombier.

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History and Philosophy

Canoe Island French Camp was founded in 1969 by the late Dr. and Mrs. Warren Austin when they could not find a French camp on the west coast for their daughter.  First established for just a few weeks each summer on Orcas Island, the French Camp moved to the Austin's beautiful new facility on the 47-acre Canoe Island located just off the southern shore of Shaw Island.  The Austins continued to play a vital role in the camp's mission, program, finances and publicity until their deaths in 1990s. 

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Why Learn French?
Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language   By Laura K. Lawless, About.com
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How You Can Help

Please consider helping us extend the camp experience to children who need financial assistance. Make your tax-deductible contribution of any amount payable to C.I.F.C. Donations marked "Scholarship donation" helps make partial scholarships available each summer to financially and academically deserving campers.  Donations are also sought for general operations and facility maintenance.

 

Download a donation form:

CIFC Donation Form (pdf)

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Meet Our Board of Directors
Board of Directors

A Board of Directors and an Alumni Committee are actively involved in overseeing and supporting the operation of Canoe Island French Camp to help insure program and facility quality and safety.

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Laura Sommers, President

President Laura Sommers has been associated with Canoe Island French Camp since her mother was the Camp Director in the 1980s.  She is owner of Espresso Supply in Seattle, and the parent of two campers, Olivia and Isaac.  

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Jared Roach, Vice-President

Jared Roach, MD, PhD, has a deep interest and commitment to fostering appreciation and preservation of the environment and culture of the San Juan Islands and spreading multiculturalism and internationalism. He was an exchange student in France during high school, where he earned his Baccalaureat C. He currently works in biomedical research in Seattle. He served a a counselor on Canoe Island in 1987. He joined the Canoe Island French Camp Board in 2004.

Contact:

Phone: 206.324.5271

Website: www.strategicgenomics.com

   
   
   
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Laura Grove, Secretary

Laura (Penberthy) Grove was a camper, CILT, and counselor at Canoe Island from 1978-1982, and she kept in touch with camp through Marjorie “Skipper” Wintersteen, the camp director at the time. At the 1994 Reunion, it was time to start an Alumni Association, so she volunteered to do it, and volunteered a group of her alumni friends to help her. She began her service on the Board in November 2005, and continues to work on keeping alumni in touch with Canoe Island and with each other. Laura holds a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science, and currently is the Donor Services Manager at the American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties. She would love to hear from alumni at

Contact:

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Tracie Luthi, Treasurer

Tracie is an enthusiastic supporter of the French language and culture.  She loves being in the south of France, where the countryside smells of lavender, and she can ride her bike to a farmer's market in a different small town each day.
 
The sustainability of the idyllic, nurturing, and super-fun environment of Canoe Island for current and future campers is her greatest priority as a Board member. 
 
As a parent of a current Canoe Island camper, she welcomes feedback from other parents at the email listed below.  She believes that more connections and interactions between campers, parents, alumni, staff and the board will enable CIFC programs to continually improve.

Contact:

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Board Members:  
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Micheline Bilodeau

I have been involved with Canoe Island since 2006, when I brought my class of 6th graders to camp. It was a love at first site. I was then graciously asked to join the board of directors. My focus as a board member is to insure the highest possible level of quality of the French program. I have been an educator for 20 years and hold a Bachelors degree in Recreation and also certification as a French teacher. Canoe Island is a perfect symbiosis of my two personal interests. 

Alan Marshall

Chris Oliva

Marie-Française Barnhart

Alexis Berry

Tamara Hall 

Kevin Tracy