A Mother's Perspective

It's again the time of year when parents are considering sending their son to his first sleepaway camp. It is often difficult, however, for moms and dads to say goodbye for two, four or even eight weeks.

A couple of years ago, one of our camp moms, Deb Mallin, asked if she could write an article for camp. It turns out she wrote an incredible story about sending her first son to camp for the first time from a mother's perspective.

If you are considering sending your son to camp this summer for the first time, please take a few moments to read "Off They Go" by Deb. I know you'll enjoy it.

Houston Nostalgia

I returned last weekend from a wonderful trip to Houston and got to thinking a bit about the remarkable friendships that I have formed throughout my years at camp. Certainly my visits to cities around the country this winter share many of same qualities as this trip to Houston had.

On Thursday, I had lunch with a Houston alumnus who began camp in 1981 with me at ten years old. It's been over 25 years, this being the second time we had seen each other since 1983. Duncan Underwood and I reminisced a bit and talked about where our lives have lead us. His success professionally is obvious and inspiring to be around. Despite having been such a long time between meetings, I am amazed by the sincerity of friendship we shared. Perhaps that is the nature of the kind of relationships that form at camp. Shared experiences around a campfire, struggles and successes on canoe trips, and achievements in activities around camp truly form deep and enduring friendships. My friendships with much of this Houston crew (Jonathan Avery, Chris Knapp, the Cox family, and Pato Cano) only reinforce how shared camp memories among generations of alumni create wonderful friendships. Thanks to all of my Houston friends for a memorable trip.

Chippewa is Exclusively Yours

All of the Milwaukee folks may have seen the article about Camp Chippewa in the February 2008 issue of Exclusively Yours magazine, the local society magazine. It's a great article about Chippewa past, present and future, and includes interviews with local families like the Salaymehs and the Wigdales.

You can find the article here. It's a big file so it may take a moment or two to load. If you have trouble, head to our Archived News page and you can find it there.

Klay Monster!!!

The talent of Chippewa campers runs deep. Check out one of Alex Haft's claymation movies. Nice work, Haftinator!

Camping in Nashville

The camping universe has descended on Nashville as camp directors from the four corners of the universe get together to share ideas and to learn about educaton trends and child and staff development. Yes, we even discuss strategies to partner with parents.

Each year I come to this conference, it's exciting to find such a large group of folks who share a love for camping and for working with children.

So any new ideas from the conference? Plenty. Among them, look for video podcasts coming soon to the Chippewa website! It will be a great way to keep each of you more involved with all things Chippewa.

Progress As Promised

Knutson Hall is quickly returning to its original new form. Dawson Byler and crew have been working in temperatures well below zero to bring Knutson Hall back up and ready for the summer. As you can see, it's going well and it's moving along quickly. Simply exciting!

PS- Ignore those dates! Lonnie's camera isn't set up quite right.

The Buzz in February

It has been a very busy couple of weeks as I have hit the first four Open Houses of the season. Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago and Phoenix are in the books. Joined by counselors like Sam Devine (Thiessen) and Sam Noel, it's been a fun time looking forward to the coming summer with all of the campers. Plus, the new Chippewa Highlights DVD is getting rave reviews from everyone.

Houston, you're next! Hope to see you all there on the 20th!