YMCA of the Ozarks

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YMCA of the Ozarks

Potosi, Missouri

Feburary 27, 2013

http://www.ymcaoftheozarks.org

YMCA of the Ozarks is a camp and conference center located on over a thousand acres of land and over a hundred years old. They specialize in family reunions, family camp vacations, and of course traditional summer camp. We met with Nicole who is the head of guest relations. She previously worked at Camp Wood in Kansas, is how we got connected with her and YMCA of the Ozarks. We were beyond overwhelmed as Nicole drove us around their large and luxurious property. Camp Lakewood which is the summer camp onsite looks like it has lots of fun amenities, for example rope swings and water slides. The cabins are beautiful, both the original cabins now used for pioneer camp, and the new cabins that comparatively seem like summer camp mansions. We also had the pleasure of running into Nelson the Executive Director. He has a interesting story and an inspiring resume, having visited over 80 YMCA camps and directed multiple summer camps across the country, Jack and I were star struck and excited to have met him and had a chance to see the massive complex that is YMCA of the Ozarks. 

-Laura

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Camp Wood YMCA

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Camp Wood YMCAElmdale, Kansas

February 25, 2013

http://www.campwood.org

Our entrance into Camp Wood was the most exciting yet. After driving through a blizzard we finally saw the Camp Wood sign, and then slipped back down the hill and got stuck on the side of the road. Jack got out and tried to push for a while with no avail. So we put on our gloves and hats and hiked up to the office to introduce ourselves and explain the situation we (Jack) had gotten us into. The staff jumped up to meet us and bounded to our rescue. This was indicative of our whole visit and the kindness they must show to so many campers. Camp Wood is located in the Tallgrass Prairie of Kansas. They are one of the few residential camps in the state but have more than enough love and passion to go around. Ryne the Senior Program director gave us a tour of the facilities. He is a particularly passionate young camp professional that has a strong handle on the camp world and many new ideas. We were excited to see the misters that surround the gaga pit to cool off the campers in the heat of the summer, even though it was hard to imagine heat as we walked around in the blistering cold. They also have a Mud slide that is comprised of a culvert pipe and a water hose, we got the chance to ride it on the slick snow and boy was it fast! Back in the office we got a chance to spend some quality time with Ken the Executive director, Laura the Summer Program Director and Ummar the Group and Program Coordinator, while we all stuffed and labeled some envelopes. We spent two nights snowed in at camp, but what a lucky place to be! We ate home cooked dinner with Ryne, Laura and Ummar both nights in Ryne’s home next to the wood burning stove and curled up with the dogs. They were so incredibly warm and open, we felt like we were leaving a new home when we pulled out of camp this morning hoping not to get stuck in a snow bank while leaving. 

-Laura 

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Ferncliff Camp

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Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center Little Rock, Arkansas

February 21, 2013

http://www.ferncliff.org

Its hard to fathom a camp that has more to give than Ferncliff. We were warmly greeted by Rev. David Gill. He has a lot to share and a compassionate patient way of listening. The first thing that caught our attention was the way in which they built their cabins. After the architect comes up with the initial plan they bring in the Youth Advisory Construction Committee, this group of campers sits down with the plans and makes amendments. Some silly imaginative things were suggested like Dr. Pepper in the water fountains, as well as real changes to the plan, for example, carving out a space for your legs so that they don’t rest on the wood once you sit down. (See picture) Ferncliff is dedicated to the environment and are in the process of building a giant straw bail construction building to house their environmental programing. Across the field from the construction sight is a large red warehouse. This is the Disaster Awareness Center, here they create school kits, hygiene kits, and other packages that are then sent to sites of hurricanes, tornados, floods, and other natural disasters. This building really houses the crux of Ferncliff, to extend the unconditional love of the camp environment to the outside world. I feel I could talk forever about the fun programing things they have at camp as well, like the Hammock village, or the tree houses with fireman pole exits, or the mud pit, but the point is that fun is everywhere at camp and so is the overwhelming amount of love. There is a beautiful labyrinth near the old stone chapel, David stopped here to tell us how each stone in the center of the labyrinth is from the kids that went through a violent school shooting. First as a local hug to the kids in Arkansas the hug that is Ferncliff has grown to include victims of Columbine, refugees from waring countries, kids that come to camp for a week to heal and be loved.. Everyone needs camp and as we left Ferncliff with hugs from David, we are, more than ever on our way to pay it forward. 

-Laura

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Camp Fern

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Camp FernMarshall, Texas

February 18th, 2013

http://www.campfern.com

Camp Fern is steeped in tradition. Everything at Camp Fern speaks to the history and the sedimentary culture that has been established through generations of campers. Founded in the 1930’s, Camp Fern started as a way for one families daughter to overcome homesickness and make some friends during the summer while the family vacationed at their lake house. The Camp grew from just a few kids in the neighborhood to a multi-generation summer camp that serves around 500 campers a summer. The most intriguing part of the Camp is the two tribes that are carved so deeply into the program and the culture. Each gender has separate blue and red tribes. They are sorted into their perspective tribe once they arrive for their first session of camp. From then on they prescribe to that tribe for life. The summers activities are tightly focused on winning, competition rules from war canoe races to pinch pot craftsmanship. Two Camper leaders are nominated from each tribe, the Chief and the Firemaker. The 4 week gender divided sessions sound insanely fun, yet character building, leadership skills, and the ability to fail and learn from failure surrounded by the support of your tribe, are the real reasons why this summer camp is important.

-Laura

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Camp Champions

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Camp ChampionsMarble Falls, Texas

February 7, 2013

http://www.campchampions.com

Driving into Champions we knew we were driving into a whole new kind of camping. A private camp with a life changing youth development mission Champions is an impressive operation.  Like all of the camps we visit Champions knows that they are the best, but something unique about Champions was that Steve Baskin the owner is on a mission to prove the importance of camping to the world. As seen on TedX Steve talks about how camping is the perfect environment for the development of social skills and leadership qualities. Camps have marketed themselves as fun and only fun but what camps give to kids is way more important and crucial to their success than that and it is how to market these facts to parents that obsesses Steve. After having the educational opportunity to meet with Steve, we walked around with Erec, the Boy’s Camp Director. Erec is so knowledgeable about camp and about youth development. He also shared with us some of the traditions that make Camp Champions sacred to so many campers. That night Erec also invited us to the Teepee’s for a bonfire. This space is reserved for boy’s ceremonies at camp and we felt privileged and excited to have a window into what so many campers experience each summer.

-Laura

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YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow

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YMCA Camp Flaming ArrowHunt, Texas

Febuary 5, 2013

http://www.ymcasatx.org/campflamingarrow

Bif, Annaliese, Bill, Becky, Stephanie, and Mary Ashley, we got a chance to meet and hang out with the whole crew at YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow. Bif is an incredibly insightful and passionate Camp Director, this past summer was his first summer at Camp Flaming Arrow. We could tell his philosophy on how to change culture came from someone who has been to many camps and seen culture shifts from many angles. He had an awesome quote, “ Old Camps are like old girlfriends, your current camp doesn’t want to hear about them.” Jack and I cracked up and nodded along with the obvious truth of that statement. Bif has a refreshing way of managing staff as well, we enjoyed walking around, viewing the cabins and the places where the magic takes place, but talking to Bif gave us so much more insight into where the real magic lies during the summer. The relationships that are formed at camp are the real magic. Relationships that are necessary all the way up the chain of command. Both Bif and Bill (the Executive Director) have offices filled with couches and chairs in an effort to make the space a place for gathering, talking and sharing. We felt so loved and apart of the family at Camp Flaming Arrow. We helped pull apart and move some bunks, went out to lunch and dinner with the whole crew and got to go on a trail ride with their horses! As if that wasn’t enough Bif invited us over for a porch talk. Porch talks he says are an integral part of camp culture, an open opportunity for counselors to make the most out of camp. We took the opportunity to practice our talk for national in front of our new friends. Bif and Annaliese’s feedback and confidence in us will surely help to hold us up next week at the National ACA conference in Dallas!

-Laura

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