MORNING DIP BELWOOD, KI-WA-Y & WABANAKI. K-W YMCA Camp Staff Alumni News

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1 BELWOOD, KI-WA-Y & WABANAKI K-W YMCA Camp Staff Alumni News Hello Alumni, The camp grapevine is working again! We are very excited to reconnect with so many of our Alumni friends since our last edition of Morning Dip. Welcome back to camp! Please keep us up to date with any changes in your contact information. We are presently trying to contact all Alumni currently in our database to verify the camp they worked at and what years they were on staff. If you can, drop Sherri, the Alumni Co-ordinator, a quick with this information. Sherri can be reached at campalumni@kwymca.org. Also, please forward this address to other camp folk you ve worked with at Belwood, Ki-Wa-Y and Wabanaki who are not yet receiving our updates. We know there are a lot of them dating back to the 1930s, and we would love to re-connect with as many as possible. Thanks for these past and present photos, boys...um...men! We received these photos, datedfrom the late 1960 s to present, from Dave Koppeser. Dave, along with five camp friends, Steve Kirkland, Bob Edwards, Robbie Schlee, Howard Kirke and Gary Schlee have gathered for two mini reunions, the first in 2002 and then again in According to Dave, a highlight of their latest reunion was sitting around with a couple of guitars belting out old songs from their camp time including, Eve of Destruction. It is great to see and hear how friendships that began at camp have continued into lifelong relationships...keep the good times rolling! Alumni, if you have some past and present photos of yourself with other alumni and would like to share them in Morning Dip we would be happy to receive and share them. Dave and buds, look what we found in our 1968 archives at the Outdoor Services office! DECEMBER 2008

2 What s New in the Camp Office With winter upon us, and the Wabanaki and Belwood sites closed for the season, the manager and the camp directors are busy planning for the summer of 2009, with staff applications pouring into the Outdoor Services office. If you know of a young person interested in applying for a staff position next summer please suggest they contact us by submitting a resume and cover letter to our camp administrative camp@kwymca.org. The annual pre C.I.T. meeting was held at Camp Ki-Wa-Y on Thursday, November 6, Parents and 80 potential C.I.T.s, who were L.I.Ts last summer are asked to join us for this meeting during which we provide more information about the upcoming C.I.T. summer. Camp placements will be drawn by lottery in the Outdoor Services office in December. The C.I.T.s will spend 9 weeks at one of our three camps next summer. The 2009 Summer Camp brochure will be available prior to the Christmas holidays. As with past years, camp registration will commence on January 2 of the New Year. 24 hour on-line registration has been well established for the last few years and we find that 85% of camp registration comes to us that way. The process is certainly a lot more convenient and efficient for parents than the old days of standing in line at the Waterloo YMCA! A Message from the Manager of YMCA Outdoor Services Callum McKee I am happy to report that with Sherri on the job, we have been enjoying a steady increase of alumni members joining our Camp Staff Alumni Group. It is always fun in the office to hear who has reconnected with us. Past staff s stories of where they are today and what they ve been up to since leaving summer camp are continuing to WOW us. The one thing that everyone has in common is the excitement they share when they reminisce about past camp summers. Alumni are often sharing with us a camp story or memory which concludes with a smile, a chuckle or a I can t believe I did that! Looking out the window at the Outdoor Centre and given the amount of snow, its is hard to believe it s mid December, but regardless of the weather, we are already into the throes of planning for next summer, the summer of 2009 (quick, do the math...how long has it been since you worked at camp?) It is crazy how years turn into decades...are we really that old? As we move forward into another year, I would like to wish you and your family a very happy and safe holiday season! Look up...look way, way up! Well, there is just no more getting lost trying to find the Camp Ki-Wa-Y/Outdoor Centre site! Just look up...look way, way up and you will see a gigantic 100ft wind turbine! We are so excited to share these pictures of the construction process. The final stages of connecting the electronic components of the wind turbine are being completed and soon we will see the 25ft. blades moving simultaneously in their mesmerizing pattern. This project has been made possible because of a generous donation from John Pollock. John, thank you so much for being such a big fan and supporter of our efforts to continue to bring innovative and sustainable technology to the YMCA Outdoor Centre. We are thrilled to be sharing this new wind turbine with our visitors, and the local community. In addition to being an eye catching and spectacular sight, the wind turbine will be generating electrical power for the Ki-Wa-Y/Outdoor Centre site, some of which will be sent back to the grid. Wind Turbine Page 2

3 BEAT THE BLUES FAMILY CAMP February 6-8th, 2009 Bring the gang! Time to get out of the house and have some February fun! For the 7th year, we are running our winter family camp, Beat the Blues at Camp Ki-Wa-Y. With so many winter activities such as skating, tobogganing, snow shoeing, campfires, crafts and more, your family will be busy from the moment they arrive! Please bring your own skates; all other equipment, meals and accommodation is included. Three all-season, very comfortable accommodation areas - the Burrows, Black Walnut Ridge, and Straw Bale Cabins are available on a first registered, first served basis. Call the Outdoor Services Office at to reserve your family s attendance or for more information. Camp Stories Do you have a camp story to share? In every issue of Morning Dip, we will be putting a question out to you. If you answer the question, I was there, I remember when...please share your stories of the day! Please campalumni@kwymca.org Last issue we asked you to tell us a story about the fast and slow boating times on Paradise Lake. In our archives, we discovered a document labeled Rules and Regulations from the Lake Paradise Cottage Owners Association which helped clarify what has likely become a foggy memory for some and an interesting bit of history for others. The slow boating times on the lake were set between 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. daylight saving time. Fast boating was banned after dark but could be done around the set schedule with many cottagers enjoying water skiing and surf riding (I think that is called tubing today). Fast boats pulling water skiers were required to be driven counter-clockwise around the lake and a special notation was made that water skiers should not buzz docks and should refrain from splashing people on the docks and shore. Although Camp Ki-Wa-Y did not have fast boats, they likely were on the receiving end of being buzzed! This newsletter question: What was the cost of a two week session at Camp Ki-Wa-Y in 1953? (a) $20 (b) $30 (c) $40 (d) $30 plus $10 for food DECEMBER 2008 Page 3

4 Summer 2008 Campers and Staff from, far and wide With about 170 seasonal camp staff, the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA residential summer camps hosted 4000 campers. Although many of our campers and staff came locally from the K-W, GTA, Barrie and Collingwood area, there were many who travelled nationally from Western Canada as well as internationally to attend Belwood, Ki-Wa-Y and Wabanaki. This year, our camp family was comprised of campers and staff from far away places such as United Arab Emirates, Spain, United Kingdom, Switzerland, U.S. and Mexico. Obviously, it is becoming more common that travelling over the pond or a few hours flight is not an obstacle to keep some seasoned campers and staff from returning to our camps. And speaking of flights, a float plane is still on Callum s and the camp directors wish list! Hehehe..as if..could you imagine the insurance and maintenance costs...yikes! Sorry Callum, your pilot training course has been cut again this year! We are also very happy to report that we were able to provide 135 weeks of summer camp to children who otherwise would not be able to attend because of economic reasons. This experience was made possible with help from the United Way and our YMCA Strong Kids Campaign. Thank you to everyone who financially contributed to this opportunity of a lifetime for so many children and youth! We look forward to many returning campers, staff and friends for the summer of With the new year soon approaching, the camp countdown will begin.as of January 1, days/sleeps till summer camp! What our Parents and Campers Have Told Us Our parent/camper 08 surveys have provided us with exciting results... Overall satisfaction with camp this summer...88% Likely to return to camp next year...89% Would recommend this camp to a friend...97% Activities most enjoyed in 08 for boys and girls attending our camps are listed below Belwood boys...sailing/archery/kayaking Belwood girls...kayaking/sailing/swimming Ki-Wa-Y boys...kayaking/archery/windsurfing Ki-Wa-Y girls...water trampoline/windsurfing/zip line Wabanaki boys...out-trip/four-square/sailing Wabanaki girls...out-trip/sailing/water trampoline DECEMBER 2008 Page 5

5 In Memory of John McHugh (May 24, 1955 September 24, 2008) We feel very fortunate to have had John McHugh remain so connected to our camps over his lifetime. John began his camp career at age 15 as a camp staff member, and then continued as a camp director, and a full-time YMCA employee. After leaving the Y, he continued to be actively involved as a dedicated volunteer over the last 35 years. Everyone who knew John was aware how important his family was to him, and our hearts are with wife Nancy and their three children Emily, Molly and Calvin. John will be sadly missed by all his camp friends but his footprints will always be present throughout the fields, forests and paths of our camps. Thank you to the many alumni, family and friends of John McHugh who donated a tribute gift to The Camp Fund in his memory. Past, Present & Future As we move into the future, we recognize the importance of preserving our past. We are actively seeking camp memorabilia from our camp staff alumni members. If you have any camp items or photos, we would love to borrow them so that we can photograph and share them in an electronic catalogue format with all our alumni, and/or display them at our alumni days. Please feel free to send any photos, or photos of items or historic data to our alumni web address: campalumni@kwymca.org If you prefer, we can arrange to pick up and scan old photos and items and return them to you. If you are still in touch with camp friends who you think would like to be added to our alumni group, please have them reconnect with us. Day is done. Gone the sun. From the lake, from the hills, from the sky. All is well, safely rest, God is nigh Page 5

6 Michelle & Greg at Ki-Wa-Y s Alumni Day 2008 Best wishes are extended to yet another camp marriage! Michelle and Greg met at Ki-Wa-Y in 2001 and tied the knot this year on September 12, In lieu of wedding favors for their guests, Michelle and Greg gave a generous donation to the Camp Fund. Thank you for sharing your love of camp with so many future generations. All the Best! Congratulations Michelle & Greg! K-W YMCA ALUMNI WORKDAYS AT BELWOOD & KI-WA-Y SPRING 2009 Although the spring of 2009 may seem to be a long time away, we wanted to let you know the dates for our upcoming alumni work days in hopes that you and your family will be able to make arrangements to join us! Camp Ki-Wa-Y May 23, 2009 Camp Belwood June 6, 2009 NEW L.I.T. SITE AT CAMP WABANAKI GRAND OPENING SPRING 2009 Stayed tuned...we will be announcing in the near future the date of the grand opening of the new L.I.T. site at the cabin on the island. It will be a great opportunity for alumni to visit and reconnect with Wabanaki so call your camp friends and add this to your bucket list! Seasons Greetings K-W YMCA STAFF ALUMNI FAMILY WEEKEND AT WABANAKI 2009 from the YMCA Outdoor Centre We re on the Web! Join us for a Family Fun Weekend! June 12-14, 2009 This June, bring the family and join us for an exciting weekend adventure! Each family stays in their own cabin, and all meals and snacks are provided, just follow the sound of the camp bell Program includes: Kids Camp supervised activities for children Open Waterfront Swimming, boating, fishing, sailing, mountain biking, archery, crafts, campfires and so much more. Adult $99.00, Youth (6-17yrs) $69, Child (2-5yrs) $39.00 To book please call or campalumni@kwymca.org Page 6