Lakes Letter-April 28, 2025
Reminders
- Public Board Meeting-May 6, 2025 at 8pm EST : zoom
- Past Board Meeting Minutes can be found in this folder.
- Accessibility Vehicle Permit– July 11, 2025 at 1pm EST
- Small Vehicle Permit– July 11, 2025 at 1pm EST
- Mutant Vehicle Permit-July 11, 2025 at 1pm EST
- Medically Necessity Vehicle Permit-July 11, 2025 at 1pm EST
- RV, Trucks, and Trailer Permit-July 11, 2025 at 1pm EST
- Mobility & Handjob Assistance– July 11, 2025 at 1pm EST
- If you received a ticket offer in the lottery buy it before the offer expires. Check your Volunteeripate account for source of truth for your ticket offer status.
- Volunteer shifts will continue to roll out in waves based on the needs of the org and the departments with Critical departments/shifts being offered first. The best way to know when your favorite department will be opening up shifts is to subscribe to them in volunteeripate.
2025 Art Grant Recipients
The Art Grants team wants to thank our community for your creativity, ambition, and patience as we navigate through all of the applications and requests received for 2025. Our eleven-person team of grant facilitators and team leads reviewed 66 grant applications submitted for consideration for 2025. Those 66 applications equaled $85,962 in funding requests.
After lots of reading, many team meetings, and lots of emails with applicants, we are proud to say that in 2025, we are able to fund 45 art grant projects totalling $44,853.
Some interesting art grant application facts:
- All of the states or provinces touching a Great Lake had an applicant submit an art grant.
- Out of the applications received, the following is the breakdown by state:
- Michigan 46.66%
- Illinois 24.44%
- Wisconsin 8.88%
- Canada 6.66%
- Ohio 2.22%
- Minnesota 2.22%
- New York 2.22%
- Maryland 2.22%
- Missouri 2.22%
- Nebraska 2.22%
- A handful of projects submitted to the art grant team were existing works of art and did not qualify for grant funding. (Our team funds the creation of NEW work for the event.) Those projects were forwarded to ArtHub’s other funding pool, Honorarium, for consideration, which specifically considers pre-existing work.
The Art Grant team always struggles to fund as many projects as possible. This year’s applicants went all out, and we are grateful for the work you put into your applications. If you did not receive an art grant for 2025, feel free to contact our team to ask questions or learn more about how your application might have been more successful. We are really proud of the 66 artists/teams that submitted thoughtful proposals and are sad that we could not fund everyone.
Congratulations to the 2025 Art Grant Awardees and the build teams listed on this page.
Important ESD Updates
ESD is making important updates not only to help volunteers qualify for shifts but also to provide better services to the Lakes of Fire community.
The What:
CIT Listeners:
- New Requirement: Strong background in mental health (certificate or direct client contact experience in areas like counseling, coaching, harm reduction, strong communication skills, Emerald/Green Dot Ranger training).
Mental Health Administrators (MHA):
- New Requirement: Licensure in the Mental Health Field (Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Therapist, etc.) with direct client contact experience.
- Position is a 24-hour on-call shift.
The How:
New Application Process for ESD Positions:
- Form applications are now required for all ESD positions. Medical Tent, Med Carts, Fire Carts, CIT volunteers can pick up approvals and submit credentials online
- Streamlines the approval process (no more emailing for approvals).
- Allows for easy uploading of credentials.
- Enables approval for positions based on submitted credentials and skills.
The Why:
To provide enhanced care and support delivery to the Lakes of Fire community.
Other ESD updates:
- Our Bike Medic program is live and open to Med 1 and Med 2 Volunteers
- The Emergency Dispatch program is also live this year.
- ESD shifts from Friday to Monday are now Live
- ESD shifts from Tuesday through Thursday will go Live May 18th.
- Online FIRE 101 is under construction. This will be an offering for the 2026 season and allow people to qualify for positions that require a Fire 1 designation.
If you have questions, please reach out to esd@lakesoffire.org
Accessibility at Lakes with the DMV & Mobility Department
We are proud of our efforts to make Lakes of Fire a relatively accessible burn and are focused on improving the experience for participants with mobility challenges. LoF offers:
- Mobility shuttles running 24/7 starting opening day
- Assistance with campsite set-up and teardown
- A list of volunteer opportunities for participants with mobility issues
- Increased awareness for the community to engage and support
- Increased access to handicap accessible port-o-potties
We ask burners to self-identify and contact us for mobility assistance once they have their ticket. Our volunteer team will be ready and available to assist you. If you have mobility issues for any reason whatsoever, we’re looking to help you. If you want to help your fellow community members, we invite you to volunteer with Team Mobility. We’d love to welcome you aboard!
Have questions about mobility and ADA support at Lakes of Fire? Contact us at mobility@lakesoffire.org.
Volunteer Sign Ups
Volunteer opportunities are starting to open up and will continue to roll out between now and the start of the event! Each department will be posting shifts on their own timeline—based on what works best for their team and the needs of the burn.
That means shift openings will vary, so be sure to:
- Keep an eye on the Shift Calendar to catch new opportunities as they appear.
- Sign up for Subscriptions to be notified about upcoming shift openings.
- Have a question about shifts? Wondering what shifts are available or if you’re the right fit? Reach out to Volunteers@lakesoffire.org or directly to the department you’re interested in—they’re happy to help!
Volunteering is one of the best ways to connect, contribute, and be part of what makes our event so special. Whether it’s your first time or your fifteenth, your energy and effort help create the community we all love. We can’t wait to see you out there!
Updates to Social Media
We’ve got a quick social media/community update to share. To help keep our social media spaces reasonable safe, accessible, and welcoming for everyone (including newcomers and the all-seeing bots), we’ll be tightening up our posting guidelines on Facebook.
Going forward, the following types of content will be removed:
- Posts referencing “spicy lettuce” or similar playful code.
- Discussions about red light activities at the event.
- Political content that directly targets specific leadership figures.
Why the change?
- Newcomers might not understand the nuance of our culture or context.
- Automated moderation tools can flag or restrict our page.
- Things taken out of context can be used to harm organizations like ours.
What’s next? We have set up a new Discord community where more open discussions can happen. It is open to anyone who has a vetted Volunteeripate account and instructions on how to join can be found at the bottom of this article. We will follow our online code of conduct rules, which can be found on this page.
We are not getting rid of any social media platforms yet, and we are not turning off discussions as a whole on Facebook. We are simply trying to do what we can in uncertain times to protect all of us.
Thanks for helping us keep the vibe alive while we shift with the times. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@lakesoffire.org
To get your individualized link for Discord, you must be signed into your Volunteeripate account, then you will follow the following steps.
- Navigate to your account details page
- Click the “Get Discord Link” button.
- Click the link and follow the instructions on the welcome screen. Use the @mod tag if you have any issues.
Rangering: It Is More Than Just Walking
Does walking in circles for six hours, enjoying the event while helping people and simultaneously racking up those sweet sweet volunteer hours sound like something you might enjoy? Then Rangers just might be the department for you!
Like every year, we do require all new and returning Rangers to complete at least one yearly training and are offering a whole slew of training options for your rangering convenience. If you can, we recommend one of our in-person trainings but also understand that’s a difficult ask for folks so this year, we’ve rolled out a fully virtual training option available through Volunteeripate.
Whether you take an in-person or one of our virtual options, you’ll still need to successfully complete a brief and simple assessment, just to make sure you understand some of the core fundamentals of ranger operations and how we like to approach situations here at Lakes of Fire.
And so, without further ado, the 2025 Ranger Training Schedule & training/assessment links are below. Hope to see you out in the dirt and as always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions to rangers@lakesoffire.org.
In-Person Trainings
- Detroit – Dirt Ranger
- 06 01 2025 12pm @ 16772 Shaftsbury Ave, Detroit MI 48240
- Chicago – Dirt Ranger
- 06 01 2025 12pm @ TBD
- Lucky Lake (Safety Weekend) – Dirt Ranger, Khaki, Emerald Ranger
- 05 17 2025
- Lucky Lake (Lakes of Fire) – Dirt Ranger
- 07 17 2025 11am @ Ranger HQ
Virtual Trainings
- Khaki (for experienced rangers looking to move ‘up’)
- 05 29 2025 7pm EST / 6pm CST
- Emerald (for experienced rangers)
- 05 04 2025 7pm EST / 6pm CST
- 06 12 2025 7pm EST / 6pm CST
Volunteeripate Online Training (includes videos & quiz)
Onsite Propane Delivery Announcement
We are excited to announce that Crystal Flash will be returning as our vendor for propane delivery at this year’s Lakes of Fire! They have been kind enough to waive the delivery fees for the whole event!
They will be delivering every morning throughout the event.
Propane Cost: $3.99 per gallon + regulation fee per delivery. (The regulation fee varies month to month; last year it was $14, currently it is at $12.80.
Minimum Tank Size for Refueling: 40 lbs
This year, we will have our own customer service representative:
- Franki Donze
- Email: FDonze@crystalflash.com
- Phone: 616-365-3287 (office) / 616-229-1124 (cell)
Franki will be coordinating all propane deliveries for the event, both for the org and all the assorted camps / artists.
Please be sure to contact her directly to avoid any added confusion. Franki can assist with creating a new account, and can also help reactivate any accounts that have been used in the past 18 months..
Calling all Artists: Art Hub Academy is Looking for You!
Did you get Henna, learn how to do leather working, check out how to best display your cool bug collection last year at the Nexus? Do you have a similar artistic skill that you want to share with the greater Lakes of Fire community?
Then the academy is looking for you and currently accepting applications to fill the schedule with new and returning artists to teach their art. Just fill out this form no later than May 24, 2025 at 11:59 pm.
Little Ones, Kiddos, Tweens, and Teens: Oh My
Coming to a burn with kids is a wonderful experience for you and your child. However, combining that with trying to find time and opportunities to volunteer can become complicated. We want to help make it a bit easier by identifying a few experiences ahead of time that are suited for young volunteers or parents/guardians with little ones who need to be with them.
Info_Bot Walk-A-Bot shifts: 2-hour shift specially designed for parents with little ones in strollers or wagons from 10am-noon on Thur, Fri, and Sat mornings. Four adult spots are available each day. Email info@lakesoffire.org if interested.
Greeters Shifts: Kidsville, Spark Scouts, and Greeters are partnering to provide two Friday afternoon shifts for kids. 1pm-3pm and 3pm-5pm contact greeters@lakesoffire.org or AngelRae
Several other departments have offered programs in the past. Please reach out to them for specifics.
Doorways In Time: We Have a Logo
Have you started making all the things yet? No, what are you waiting for? Oh, silly me, you were probably waiting on me to give you this year’s style guide.
Your wait is over. Here is the link to the 2025 style guide that includes this year’s winning logo design.
=LoF===)*(===LoF=
If you have read down this far then I thank you. Every month this newsletter is a labor of love to bring you the information that you need to help you have a safe and successful burn experience. The voice of the writer may change but the purpose is always the same: inform, promote, educate, and spread our mission as we continue to build this community together on purpose.
If you love the info you get from the newsletter but want a bit more snark you can join our Facebook page. Info_Bot is now on TikTok. If you hate to have all the details of the Lakes letter and just want the tldr then check us out. If you want just a feed of important posts check out our new Bluesky account.
The sands of time are slipping through the doorways of our mind and we should all be so lucky as to bask in the sunshine of the memories that slip in while the door is open.
xoxo,
Info_bot