YMCA Camp Collins

YMCA Camp CollinsGresham, Oregon December 7, 2012 http://ymcacw.org/locations/ymca-camp-collins/campcollins.html

We had heard a lot about Camp Collins. I think all the way back in Charleston, South Carolina at the South Eastern ACA conference was the first time we heard about the hobbit village and tree house cabins that they have. So obviously we were excited when we pulled into camp, even though it was pouring rain out. It is true they have some of the most unique cabins! Beautifully finished inside, the Rotary village has round doors moss and grass on the roof, it sets a tone of imagination and magic right off the bat. They also have a tree house village with porches that all connect off the back of the cabins. We walked around with Mel who is the leadership director at collins and Haelynne who is the summer program director. They both were excited about camp and it was fun to share stories. Haelynne has been at camp Collins for 5 years and has an overflowing amount of enthusiasum and passion for camp and the importance of free play. Jack and I were transfixed and excited by the vision she has for camp collins. I was excited to find another young woman at the top of camp. They have an awesome climbing tower with inside climbing surfaces as well as a zero entry ropes course. Camp Collins was an energizing stop with some memorable people.

-Laura

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Camp Killoqua

Camp Killoqua Everett, Washington December 5, 2012 http://www.campfireusasnohomish.org/killoqua.htm

Camp Kiloqua prides itself in being steeped in tradition and having classic camp programs yet their tradition offers some really unique and creative programing solutions. One of the cool traditons we immediately fell in love with was Uncle Wigglebottom. On camp there is a little shed that serves as Uncle Wigglebottom's house the campers who don’t get mail from their guardians or the outside world that often are known to receive mail from Uncle Wigglebottom. He has a mailbox outside his house that campers can write return letters to. Counselors then pick up the mail and write back to the campers. What a cool system! Uncle Wigglebottom, by the way, is a rabbit. right near Uncle Wigglebottom's house is Fairy land. Surrounded by some of the littlest campers cabins is a stage and an enchanted looking forest. The campers look for fairy dust and build fairy houses daily in this part of camp. This part of camp holds an extra magical feel, and is an easy place to encourage imagination. Camp Kiloqua also runs a grief camp each summer that is available for kids who have lost a loved one. Along with gaining confidence and a sense of belonging these kids have a chance to grief in a positive way with the support and advice of others. They have an artist come in who specializes in therapy and the kids take part in making a project that often is added to camp. One section of their woods is filled with carvings, pathways and arches that embody a sense of peace. One summer’s piece is a stag made out of melted down aluminum bikes and other scrap metal. After writing a message on the metal to their loved one the kids poured the molten metal into molds of a white stag. The coolest part was that the stag was in 5 or 6 pieces and you had to stand in exactly the right spot in the woods to see it. Back on main camp the cabins are also unique. Each village has a unique cabin structure and as camper move up they look forward to the new cabins and a more rustic experience. Check out the pictures of the octagonal cabins on stilts so that they are up in the trees!

-Laura

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YMCA Camp Orkila

YMCA Camp Orkila Eastsound, WA

December 3, 2012

http://www.seattleymca.org/locations/orkila/Pages/Home.aspx

Camp Orkila is on an island! We met Lynda and Beth and they kindly took the whole day to tour us around Orkila’s incredible facilities. Jack and I could not stop snapping photo’s, between being surrounded by huge majestic evergreens and looking out over the Puget Sound, this camp feels like paradise. The beach front is lined with open air cabins, and the waves come right up to the porches during high tide. They have a marine science center that my brother (a marine science major and avid fisherman) would drool over. Inside they have a tank of small, just hatched, baby salmon that will some day graduate to the big outdoor tank that is visible through plexiglass windows that make you feel like your in an aquarium instead of a summer camp. They also have a challenge tower unlike any we have seen on the trip so far. You can climb up the outside of the tower or inside there are multiple surfaces to climb before you get to the top where you can zip to another platform off in the distance. To top it off they also own a small island that campers can take kayak trips during the summer. With so much to do I can’t imagine when campers get a chance to sleep!

-Laura

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Camp Korey

Camp Korey at Carnation FarmsCarnation, Washington November 30, 2012 http://campkorey.org/

As we rolled up to Camp Korey we were not sure if we were at the right place. Huge White building and Red roofs cover the hillside. We met Trylla an AmeriCorps volunteer who is in charge of volunteer and staff recruitment. This camp is a Serious Fun camp, we have heard so much about this organization which was started by Paul Newman and originally called Hole In the Wall Gang Camps. These camps are specifically for kids with special heath conditions and focuses on giving these kids back the childhood that was changed by their illness. There are 13 Serious fun camps across the United States and a few more abroad. As Trylla showed us around camp we were excited to learn the history of this particular place. Once the Carnation family farm the grounds are covered in english style gardens and big majestic buildings. They were bought by Nestlé and used as the Nestlé training headquarters before the Carnation family bought the place back in order to have in the family. They rent the property to camp Korey for a dollar! This kind of generosity is echoed throughout the whole camp and staff. They give every kid that comes to camp a hand made quilt and pillow case that they then bring back year after year. The Health center specifically looks nothing like a doctor’s office or hospital, ensuring these kids a break from the sterile health facilities they frequent outside of camp. We were happy to take part in the cleaning and organizing of their incredible costume room. Completely donated, the room must foster and encourage wild imaginations for hundreds of campers each summer.

-Laura

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YMCA Camp Colman

YMCA Camp ColmanLongbranch, Washington November 29, 2012 http://www.seattleymca.org/Locations/Colman/Pages/Home.aspx

Camp Colman is a place for rock stars run by a rock star, when you learn the director Megan Finnie’s story you are amazed by her positivity and her tenacity. Holding the jobs of Summer Program Director, Conference Director, and Outdoor Education Director, she has a nothing is impossible attitude. After un- expectantly and abruptly taking on more responsibility the day before staff training last summer she has learned a lot about being a director and what it takes to run a summer camp. After touring us around camp we went paddle boarding with Megan and Lisa (another camp Colman employee from the summer). Jack and I have never been on a paddle board before and after rolling up our pants and taking on there lagoon Megan and Lisa made us feel right at home on our boards. Camp Colman's beauty can not be argued and I would argue that is just where the fun starts. With such a young and passionate director I can only imagine what the future brings for such an awesome place.

-Laura

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YMCA Camp Seymour

YMCA Camp SeymourGig Harbor, Washington November 29, 2012 http://www.campseymour.org/

Walking onto Camp Seymour we immediately felt like we we in another world, something in the realm of hobbits, or Leprechauns. Especially after being in Colorado where there are loads of rocks and shrub sized trees, to be bombarded with the tall evergreen and the mossy wet landscape of this camp right off the Puget sound was shocking and refreshing. We met Scotty Jackson in the office and he jumped up to take us on a tour. We saw their awesome waterfront and the huge war canoes that they ship campers off on overnight treks up and down the coast, the cool touch tanks with starfish and sea creatures. They have a solid prop shed, all the costumes and props needed for a good campfire right next to one of their campfire spots that over looks the inlet. The most unique thing though was their Living Machine. A wastewater treatment plant that ultimately uses camp’s waste water to water their ballfield. The water runs though a series of plant filters in an automated green house and a few more fancy science steps before watering the grass. Also in the giant green house is a Scotty Jackson and camper home made hydroponic vegetable garden fully integrated to get nutrients from a coy and tilapia fish pond. The water and nutrients from the fish water fuels tomato, pepper and lettuce plants. Plus a compost system so that most of dinning hall waste can get properly recycled onsite. What an awesome science project for a summer camp!

-Laura

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