Chicago North Shore Moms is pleased to bring you a very special Small Business Spotlight with Discovery Day Camp owners, directors and sisters, Laura Harres and Sara Blumberg (with a third sister, Lisa, joining the team!), whose smiles light up a room (or a field in this case) in an instant. Since purchasing the camp in 2016, Laura and Sara have worked tirelessly to create a magical, family-oriented space where kids thrive and unforgettable memories are made. Their effortless knack for creating community and camper personal growth shines through in every aspect of their camp, from exciting specialty programs like Rising Stars and Explorers, to decades-old traditions. Get to know Laura and Sara, how they juggle business and family life, all while inspiring the next generation of campers!
Sisters: Sara (left), Laura (center), Lisa (right)
Hi Laura and Sara! Please introduce yourselves. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?
Hi everyone! We look forward to reading about other local moms and female-owned businesses here each week so we are beyond thrilled to be a part of Chicago North Shore Moms! We (the three sisters Laura, Lisa and Sara) grew up in Deerfield and have stayed local. Sara and I both currently live in Highland Park with our families, and Lisa and her family still live in Deerfield, along with our parents.
The three of us worked in very different industries after college but Sara and Laura (and their hubbies) bought Discovery Day Camp together in 2016. Lisa officially joined the year-round team this past summer. Now we’re three sisters, working together on the daily, driving each other crazy only occasionally, and supporting each other through the rollercoaster of life… And having lots of camp fun while doing it!
Laura, Nate, and the kids
You all are so lucky to have kids around the same age!
Our crew runs deep! We’re very lucky to have kids all around the same age, which makes family get togethers very exciting. Sara has two kids – a son in 4th grade and a son in 1st grade. Laura has three kids – a son in 4th grade and boy-girl twins in 1st grade. Lisa has three kids – a son in 3rd grade, a son in 1st grade, and the baby of the crew (he’s 2.5 years old). They’re all very active so we spend quite a lot of time at basketball, baseball, soccer, flag football, and hockey games. When Laura’s little girl performed in her first Nutcracker this winter, the entire family (all 16 of us) went to watch our favorite reindeer/angel!
Sara, Michael, and the boys
What are one or two fun facts to know about you, Laura and Sara?
Sara is a social worker, bilingual in Spanish, and a musical theater enthusiast. Laura is an architect, an outdoor adventurer, and a skilled baker.
What are your favorite local places, spaces and eats to frequent?
You can often find us working remotely, caffeinating, and sharing hot cocoa and donuts with our kids at Tala in Highwood. Some other local favorites include having breakfast with our families at Walker Brothers or Hometown (HP/Lincolnshire/Lake Forest), picking out fresh baked pastries and bread at Hewn in Libertyville or That Little French Guy in Highland Park, shopping at ENAZ (HP/Lake Forest), and spending time around Mellody Farm in Vernon Hills. We also love to spend time exploring at the Chicago Botanic Garden when the weather is just a little bit warmer out.
We love a good rec! What are you reading and watching?
Laura: Currently watching The Reluctant Traveler on Apple TV (I love to travel) and so ready for White Lotus Season 3. Currently reading The Art Thief by Michael Finkel.
Sara: The Blumberg household always has some sporting event on, but when Sara chooses it’s The Diplomat right now. Counting down to Season 2 of Nobody Wants This. Just finished reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Your mantra?
Laura: Never stop learning and asking questions.
Sara: You be you! And… take the trip, buy the shoes, eat the cake!
Let’s get down to business. Please introduce Discovery Day Camp! When did you (Laura and Sara) become owners of the camp?
Time flies when you’re having fun! We are actually about to celebrate our 10th summer as the Owners/Directors of Discovery, though this will be the 41st summer of Discovery overall. We’re proud to be just the second owners of this family-owned and operated camp.
Sara and her husband, Michael, had always wanted to own a camp so when an opportunity was brought to them by an old friend and mentor in 2015, they immediately reached out to Laura and her husband, Nate, to see if they would be interested in joining forces together to “buy a zoo” as we like to say. Laura left her position as a Project Architect at an architecture firm in Chicago and Sara completed her 9th school year at the Highland Park Junior High where she was Bilingual School Social worker for this new adventure. We kicked off our first summer in 2016!
Please tell us about the programming and what makes Discovery so special, besides your bright and shining faces, of course!
What makes Discovery such a special place is the community that grows with it. Campers and staff join us year after year and many of our campers are now on staff! Additionally, many former campers and staff send their own children to camp! Last summer was a major milestone as we celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Discovery Day Camp. There’s a lot of shared memories and traditions that we’re proud to foster and continue on.
For 4 or 8 weeks of the summer, campers spend their days outside on our private property, enjoying all of the different areas at camp that make our program so special: daily swim lessons and free swim in our on-site heated outdoor pool, Specialist-led activities (Art, Dance, Athletics, Climbing Wall, Archery, Musical Theater, Team Building, and Nature), Thursday Cookouts, Friday Special Events, Field Trips, and the list goes on and on!
Laura (left), Lisa (center), Sara (right) and our own kids at camp!
What was the impetus behind buying the camp in 2016?
We both grew up working at day camps and can distinctly pinpoint the impact that working directly with children each day had on our growth as individuals. When our own children were born, we had an immediate desire to build a place where they could create their own magic- a place where everyone feels safe, comfortable, and positive. We’re just like every other camp parent who watches in awe as their child learns to swim and passes their deep-end test, or climbs to the top of the 30’ climbing wall, or jumps onto the stage to dance front and center in their Showcase. Except we get to experience it in-person daily with every camper – and live to catch these moments and share them with families through pictures and videos! No matter what is going on in the world around us, Discovery is a place where pure magic happens every day.
What about your role at the camp day-to-day?
In the summer, we spend our days alongside our staff – ready for action, outside with the campers, always a little bit sweaty, passionate about spirit days (we’ve got quite the tutu collection), and celebrating the big and little moments around camp. During the off-season, we divide and conquer since it takes all year to plan our program, recruit staff (we welcome ~85 staff each summer), welcome New Campers, and stay connected with our camp families and the broader local community. We’re a small business so we wear many many hats – marketing, accounting, legal, HR, building management – while surrounding ourselves with dedicated professionals in these fields that have grown with us over the last ten years.
Lisa is our Community Relations Director, so she works with our New Families, coordinates our events year-round, and works with all of our vendors including catering, field trips, and community partnerships.
Your Rising Stars and Explorers Specialty Programs have become popular so quickly, why should parents consider these programs?
Since campers typically stay with us at camp for many years, or often campers from other programs outgrow where they have previously been, we offer programs for campers ages 4-14! Our program grows with campers as they transition from our Pioneers Program (preschoolers), to our Junior Program (K-2nd), and into our Senior Program (3rd-6th). Campers are then eligible to apply to our Future Leaders program (7th & 8th graders) and eventually our S.I.T. (staff in training) program for 9th & 10th graders. All of our programs are 4-weeks or 8-weeks in length.
Our two Specialty Programs allow our campers to explore new interests and develop skills in different areas. Rising Stars is our 4-week performing arts Specialty Program for campers entering 4th-6th grades. Campers enjoy daily swimming and weekly field trips at camp, while experiencing all parts of a theater production from the rehearsal process to technical theater to a full stage performance under the direction of Skyline Children’s Theater. The Rising Stars perform a different show each session at the end of the 4 weeks. No experience is required, just an interest in creativity through music, dance, and theater.
Explorers is our 4-week outdoor adventure based Specialty Program for campers entering 5th or 6th grade. The group enjoys a robust outdoor adventure based field trip program with 4 overnights each session. Activities include camping, kayaking, orienteering, rock-climbing, sailing, ropes course, outdoor cooking, and many other team initiatives. The goal of the program is to challenge our campers to try new experiences outside of their comfort zone, embrace nature, and practice independent life skills.
These programs typically fill up early (in September!) so we welcome families to reach out to learn more now for next summer.
Do you offer bus service, financial aid, after care, etc….
We offer door-to-door bus transportation by First Student, with our own bus counselors riding the bus with the campers, as well as Extended Day AM & PM programming (7:30am-5:30pm). As a private, independent camp we work with families on an individual basis for financial plans.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about Discovery Day Camp?
We live every summer day to its fullest and would love to introduce your family to Discovery! We opened up enrollment in September but based on our staffing over Winter Break, we have made some new spots available as of January. Remaining spots are very limited so please do not wait to reach out if you’re looking to join us for Summer 2025!
How do we reach out for more information about Discovery Day Camp?
We love to chat! We’re here year-round so interested families can give us a call or Request Information online. We are also very responsive to emails.
Request Information Here
Camp Location: Vernon Hills (Indian Creek), IL 60061
Phone: (847) 367-2267
Website: www.campdiscovery.com
Social: @DiscoverydaycampIL (Insta) and Discovery Day Camp (Facebook)
Sara Stoller Blumber, Owner/Director: [email protected]
Laura Stoller Harres, Owner/Director: [email protected]
Lisa Stoller Anderson, Community Relations Director: [email protected]
