Summer is coming! Meet Silver Lake’s Admin Team, the Assistant Directors and Head Cook!
Program Director: Karen Buschert
I am a Silver Lake alumni (summer 86) and have many fond memories of camp and of being outdoors in general. My experience at Silver Lake inspired me to pursue a career teaching people about nature through outdoor education, a long stint working for the Grand River Conservation Authority and several years on the west coast. Now I come full circle, back to the place where it all began for me! I am looking forward to running day camps and bringing the mission of Silver Lake to a wider audience, teaching kids and adults the importance of being in and experiencing our natural world.
Assistant Director Overnight Camps: Anya Fieguth
Hello friends of Silver Lake! My name is Anya, and I am super excited to be one of your Assistant Directors of Overnight Camps this summer. I have had the privilege of being a part of the camp community for many years, first as a camper, then a CILT, and recently 6 years on staff. I have always appreciated how camp connects us with the outdoors and with each other. I’m a big fan of many classic camp traditions, such as nightly campfires, all-camp games, and even morning dips! I also love other outdoor activities, such as backcountry canoeing and hiking. I’m looking forward to giving back to the camp community in this role, and I’m excited to be around as many new memories are made!
Assistant Director Overnight Camps: David MacGregor
Hi everyone! My name is David MacGregor and I’m so excited to be working as one of the Assistant Directors of Overnight Camps for summer 2025. I have worked at camp the past 6 summers and can’t wait to keep the streak going. In the past I have been very involved with Silver Lake’s day camps, both onsite and off. The day camp program is very near and dear to my heart, but I am also excited to take on a leadership role in the overnight context – what does camp look like after 4 pm?
I’m also deeply passionate about child development, specifically when tied to outdoor play and community building. I look forward to upholding these values within the camp space and being a part of the memory-making that Silver Lake is so known for.
Assistant Director Day Camps: Jadidiah Patrick Kranthi Kumar Pulla
Hi everyone! My name is Patrick, and I’m excited to be joining SLMC as the Assistant Director for Day Camps this summer. With over 15 years of experience in educational training and ministry, I’m passionate about creating engaging, meaningful experiences for both campers and staff. My background includes developing interactive learning modules, leading youth programs, family programs, all with a focus on fostering teamwork, personal growth, and community.
I’ve had the privilege of working with diverse teams and over 800 teachers, and I’m excited to bring that same energy, creativity, and commitment to our camp community. I look forward to working alongside the team to help create a safe, inclusive, and fun environment where everyone can grow in fellowship and faith.
I’m truly excited to be a part of this team and can’t wait for a summer filled with learning, growth, and positive experiences. If you have any questions or just want to chat, please feel free to reach out! Looking forward to meeting and working with all of you!
Head Cook: Erika Falk
What I love about cooking: It is an honour and a joy to feed people! The thing I love most about cooking is the process. The way you start with a list or a recipe, go through chopping and measuring, it’s a flow state for me. Everything else falls away and I feel content and present (most of the time). And the end result, if you’re lucky, is delicious and nourishing to the body and soul.
A favorite recipe, I couldn’t pick just one! Recently, with a baby and with it being wintertime, I’ve been into sheet pan dinners. I make a really nice, simple chickpea confit that has red onions and canned tomatoes. You can add chicken thighs or leave it plant based and it’s very grounding, herby zingy and great with bread or rice and salad. I love a soup or casserole, something that can have a lot of veggies in it as well as beans or lentils for fiber and protein. As well, dishes where each person builds their own plate are great for feeding folks with different preferences. Lookin at you, taco salad! I’m always baking something new too, whether it’s trying herbs and seeds in my sourdough bread or a variation on classic chocolate chip cookies. I made a batch this week with coconut oil and shredded coconut instead of the usual oats. So good.
Cooking at camp is so many things to so many people, so it’s a big responsibility and I take that seriously. Food is so central, so basic but also really emotional and nostalgic, even spiritual. What we eat is what we are made of! Food and love and sunlight, all of which we are getting lots of at SLMC. The meals I’ll cook this summer will connect back to my days as a camper, and on staff all those years with the classic dishes we expect like the cookout on the first night of camp. I also hope to bring to the table (heh) as much fresh fruit and veg as possible, options for all the dietary preferences/needs that are equivalent to the main for everyone else in taste and nutrition, and plenty of fun food experiences because it’s so much more than just fuel! I love when campers get involved in cooking, so I hope we will see baking projects and kitchen sessions this summer too. I can talk about cooking, and about camp, forever so I’ll leave it at that but I’m just really stoked to be back in the SLMC kitchen and be mixing up industrial sized meals for hungry campers, staff and volunteers.
Many of my favorite memories of SLMC are at the waterfront. As much as I love the heat and noise of the kitchen and dining hall, the water is a good break from that and I recall being out in a kayak by myself as a camper for the first time as such a core memory of self-efficacy. That’s such a gift we get from camp, to be empowered to do something hard, or new, with the support of the group which makes you feel so proud of yourself. Worship at the waterfront is always so meaningful to me, as we receive the gifts of the land and water and give back our voices raised in song.