I accepted a project from camp this weekend. They have boxes of slides. Thousands of slides. Slides in slide protectors and placed in binders. Loose slides. Slides in slide boxes. Literally thousands of slides. To some this would be tedious and boring, but I am loving it.
There are slides from the mid 1990s all the way back to the 1950s. There may be older ones, I've just started.
It is so fascinating to see what were common pictures -- pictures much the same as the ones we take today. But the buildings are newer, and the trees are different. It is fun to see the clothes and activities.
Each photo makes me want to do more research. I want to find out more about the history. I have a big project and I am planning on making it bigger. What exactly is the timeline of camp? When did the changes occur? Who was involved? What were the rituals and legends and when and why did they fall out of favor?
But the big take away from looking at these photos? Keep it simple. These photos were before photoshop and are beautiful in their simplicity. I can trust that they are what was happening and not manufactured. There is interest in the honest truth. We all need to take more of those. They will mean more in years to come.
Showing posts with label Camp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Camp. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2018
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume F (final)
Loosely based on the book Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosenthal.
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume F part 2
Fingernails: I have always wanted fingernails. Not the long, scary, Hollywood nails, just nails long enough to tap impatiently on the table. Alas, it doesn't seem to be meant for me. I used to bite, now I pick and peel them. I can try really hard to leave them alone. I can grow them out a little and add oil and push back the cuticles and add super strong polish, but inevitably there will be a chip, or the nail will weaken, and then I pick and peel, and it's gone. The longest I've had nails had been 2 months.
Oh, and I haven't really been able to handle colored polish. Colored polish is just a shiny beacon that screams, "Here I am! Don't you want to peel this color off and take the top layer of nail with it?' And my answer always seems to be, "Apparently, yes I do."
Flowers: I am not a flower kind of girl. The amount of money spent to send flowers to me could buy at least one hard back book or several paperbacks. Books last forever. Flowers are food for the cats to throw up. The water turns slimy. Flowers die in a short amount of time, but are background noise long before then. I'm just not a fan.
Outside flowers, however, are a goal. I just have no idea how to create a pretty flower garden to surround our deck. Lilacs are my favorite and we have 3 bushes. I would like to figure out what other flowers could go around the front porch or how to make our huge yard pretty. I guess I need to watch more HGTV? (see home improvement shows)
Friends: I am an introvert. I do not like to go out and meet new people. I am not the kind of person who walks into the room with a, "Here I am!" persona. I am the kind who walks quietly into a room and hopes someone approaches me. Therefore I don't have a lot of friends. I never have.
In High School I had a few close friends, but our paths drifted apart when the guys they were dating were doing things I didn't approve of. I started hanging out with my then boyfriend (now husband), and his friends, more and more. His friends became my friends.
In college I worked too much to have close friends. Acquaintances, sure, but not "friends."
Camp friends are forever friends. Living with a group of people 24 hours a day for 10 weeks, creates some tight bonds. We will be available for each other until the day we die.
As a stay at home mom, I became more isolated. I had a few mommy friends, but for the most part, I was on my own.
Once I started working at school, I gained some people. They were there for me when my husband lost his job. They were there for me when my husband moved two hours away and the boys and I stayed here. And they were there for me when both my parents died. Some have moved away, and soon I will move away as well, but even though we don't, and won't, see each other every day, we will be friends.
Thank goodness for text messaging!
Encyclopedia of Me: Volume F part 2
Fingernails: I have always wanted fingernails. Not the long, scary, Hollywood nails, just nails long enough to tap impatiently on the table. Alas, it doesn't seem to be meant for me. I used to bite, now I pick and peel them. I can try really hard to leave them alone. I can grow them out a little and add oil and push back the cuticles and add super strong polish, but inevitably there will be a chip, or the nail will weaken, and then I pick and peel, and it's gone. The longest I've had nails had been 2 months.
Oh, and I haven't really been able to handle colored polish. Colored polish is just a shiny beacon that screams, "Here I am! Don't you want to peel this color off and take the top layer of nail with it?' And my answer always seems to be, "Apparently, yes I do."
Flowers: I am not a flower kind of girl. The amount of money spent to send flowers to me could buy at least one hard back book or several paperbacks. Books last forever. Flowers are food for the cats to throw up. The water turns slimy. Flowers die in a short amount of time, but are background noise long before then. I'm just not a fan.
Outside flowers, however, are a goal. I just have no idea how to create a pretty flower garden to surround our deck. Lilacs are my favorite and we have 3 bushes. I would like to figure out what other flowers could go around the front porch or how to make our huge yard pretty. I guess I need to watch more HGTV? (see home improvement shows)
Friends: I am an introvert. I do not like to go out and meet new people. I am not the kind of person who walks into the room with a, "Here I am!" persona. I am the kind who walks quietly into a room and hopes someone approaches me. Therefore I don't have a lot of friends. I never have.
In High School I had a few close friends, but our paths drifted apart when the guys they were dating were doing things I didn't approve of. I started hanging out with my then boyfriend (now husband), and his friends, more and more. His friends became my friends.
In college I worked too much to have close friends. Acquaintances, sure, but not "friends."
Camp friends are forever friends. Living with a group of people 24 hours a day for 10 weeks, creates some tight bonds. We will be available for each other until the day we die.
As a stay at home mom, I became more isolated. I had a few mommy friends, but for the most part, I was on my own.
Once I started working at school, I gained some people. They were there for me when my husband lost his job. They were there for me when my husband moved two hours away and the boys and I stayed here. And they were there for me when both my parents died. Some have moved away, and soon I will move away as well, but even though we don't, and won't, see each other every day, we will be friends.
Thank goodness for text messaging!
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Encyclopedia of Me: C
Encyclopedia of Me based on Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosenthall. My version.
Volume C:
Camera: I have loved taking pictures since I was 10 and had my first camera. My last camera was a digital that I was satisfied with, until I realized what kind of pictures I could get with a better camera. Then I began to covet the cameras I saw with others.
Several years ago, as a Mother's Day gift, Mark surprised me with a treasure hunt. Each clue led to a lens or battery or strap. The last clue led to my Cannon Rebel T3i -- the camera I had researched and really wanted, but knew we could not afford. His response was, "I wanted you to have it, while you still had something to take pictures of."
This camera has let me take pictures of whole family Christmases, Mother's Days, and random moments of my kids at play. Because of this camera I got our son's graduation and will get our other son's graduation in June. I got the look of surprise on my in- laws faces when we surprised them for their 50th wedding anniversary. And this camera took the last photo of my parents together and coherent. It truly is a gift.
Cats: I am more of a cat person. They aren't as needy as dogs. They can be left alone. They are more self sufficient.
And we never owned a cat growing up. We had dogs, and my dad hated them and were mean to them. So, I have to say cats are the animal for me.
Change: I used to be a Child Care and Camp Director. I know how to make plans. I also know plans get screwed up. Weather moves activities indoors. Someone else schedules an activity in one of your rooms. An employee doesn't show up. Change happens. But, just because I can handle change, doesn't mean I like it.
Coffee: My parents drank coffee all the time. Mom had hers black, Dad took his with sugar and cream. We were told we couldn't have coffee until we were twelve. "It will stunt your growth." So, of course we'd sneak drinks -- from Dad's (black coffee is nasty.)
When I actually turned 12, I wanted nothing to do with coffee. All of it actually tastes nasty.
At camp, during college, coffee got me through. I am not a fan of institutional breakfasts, no matter the skill of the cook. So, instead of pancakes or waffles that had been kept warm in the warmer, I had coffee -- just like Dad used to drink. It was a "camp only" survival tactic.
I have "coffee" every morning now. But, the coffee I have is International Foods Suisse Mocha. It is more hot chocolate with a hint of coffee. I've tried Mocha Lattes from coffee places and they are too coffee-y. Real coffee drinkers may disagree, but for me Suisse Mocha is the coffee I drink.
Cold: I used to think I was allergic to cold. La Porte is in Northwestern Indiana and gets a lot of snow. I would play outside and break out in hives.
When I would get cold, I would break out in hives.
Mom decided I was allergic to cold and would put me in a tub of hot water and the spots would go away, which only further proved her theory.
The surprise turned out to be I almost never broke out in hives when we lived in Alaska. This started me thinking.
I got hives when we lived at the apartments on the river in Lafayette when we were at Purdue. Why not Alaska?
Then we lived in Delaware, the hives came back. Delaware has a low water table.
Long story short, I decided my allergy is to mold. The house I grew up in had a dirt floor basement and no door leading down to it. I think all that time my "allergy to cold" was just a reaction to potential mold in the basement. Considering I use my asthma inhaler when mold counts are high now, and I haven't had hives in forever, seems to indicate I am right.
Good thing too, since Northeastern Indiana is still Indiana.
Colored Hair: I tried Sun In once as a teenager. It turned my brown hair a weird orangish color.
Living in Joliet, cutting my hair was too expensive, let alone coloring it.
But when we moved here, I decided I needed it. Mentally needed the change. Here it was actually affordable. I started adding blond highlights. It changed my opinion of my self and my outlook. I started doing it every couple of months.
I've since gotten braver. Now I am playing with color. I'm not ready to go with mermaid colors or anything, but in the end, it's only hair. I can always change it back.
Volume C:
Camera: I have loved taking pictures since I was 10 and had my first camera. My last camera was a digital that I was satisfied with, until I realized what kind of pictures I could get with a better camera. Then I began to covet the cameras I saw with others.
Several years ago, as a Mother's Day gift, Mark surprised me with a treasure hunt. Each clue led to a lens or battery or strap. The last clue led to my Cannon Rebel T3i -- the camera I had researched and really wanted, but knew we could not afford. His response was, "I wanted you to have it, while you still had something to take pictures of."
This camera has let me take pictures of whole family Christmases, Mother's Days, and random moments of my kids at play. Because of this camera I got our son's graduation and will get our other son's graduation in June. I got the look of surprise on my in- laws faces when we surprised them for their 50th wedding anniversary. And this camera took the last photo of my parents together and coherent. It truly is a gift.
Cats: I am more of a cat person. They aren't as needy as dogs. They can be left alone. They are more self sufficient.
And we never owned a cat growing up. We had dogs, and my dad hated them and were mean to them. So, I have to say cats are the animal for me.
Change: I used to be a Child Care and Camp Director. I know how to make plans. I also know plans get screwed up. Weather moves activities indoors. Someone else schedules an activity in one of your rooms. An employee doesn't show up. Change happens. But, just because I can handle change, doesn't mean I like it.
Coffee: My parents drank coffee all the time. Mom had hers black, Dad took his with sugar and cream. We were told we couldn't have coffee until we were twelve. "It will stunt your growth." So, of course we'd sneak drinks -- from Dad's (black coffee is nasty.)
When I actually turned 12, I wanted nothing to do with coffee. All of it actually tastes nasty.
At camp, during college, coffee got me through. I am not a fan of institutional breakfasts, no matter the skill of the cook. So, instead of pancakes or waffles that had been kept warm in the warmer, I had coffee -- just like Dad used to drink. It was a "camp only" survival tactic.
I have "coffee" every morning now. But, the coffee I have is International Foods Suisse Mocha. It is more hot chocolate with a hint of coffee. I've tried Mocha Lattes from coffee places and they are too coffee-y. Real coffee drinkers may disagree, but for me Suisse Mocha is the coffee I drink.
Cold: I used to think I was allergic to cold. La Porte is in Northwestern Indiana and gets a lot of snow. I would play outside and break out in hives.
When I would get cold, I would break out in hives.
Mom decided I was allergic to cold and would put me in a tub of hot water and the spots would go away, which only further proved her theory.
The surprise turned out to be I almost never broke out in hives when we lived in Alaska. This started me thinking.
I got hives when we lived at the apartments on the river in Lafayette when we were at Purdue. Why not Alaska?
Then we lived in Delaware, the hives came back. Delaware has a low water table.
Long story short, I decided my allergy is to mold. The house I grew up in had a dirt floor basement and no door leading down to it. I think all that time my "allergy to cold" was just a reaction to potential mold in the basement. Considering I use my asthma inhaler when mold counts are high now, and I haven't had hives in forever, seems to indicate I am right.
Good thing too, since Northeastern Indiana is still Indiana.
Colored Hair: I tried Sun In once as a teenager. It turned my brown hair a weird orangish color.
Living in Joliet, cutting my hair was too expensive, let alone coloring it.
But when we moved here, I decided I needed it. Mentally needed the change. Here it was actually affordable. I started adding blond highlights. It changed my opinion of my self and my outlook. I started doing it every couple of months.
I've since gotten braver. Now I am playing with color. I'm not ready to go with mermaid colors or anything, but in the end, it's only hair. I can always change it back.
Monday, April 2, 2018
Family Vacation
Vacations as a kid were a trip to Arkansas once a year, for a week...in August... to visit my dad's family. I always wished we could go somewhere else.
When Mark and I moved to Alaska for two years, we drove there and back again. Seeing so much of the country made me want to see more.
Once we had the boys, I was excited. Showing the boys all the things I wished I had seen, would not only give them what I never had, but give ME what I never had.
We followed Mark to Boston when he had a conference. We visited an aunt and uncle in New York and saw Niagra Falls and Fort Niagra. We followed the trail in Boston. We visited family in Pennsylvania. We stopped at the site where the plane went down in Shanksville. The boys were 7 and 9. They remember very little.
The next year we visited family in Pennsylvania again for Mark's grandmother's 80'th birthday. We stopped at the sight of the Johnstown flood in Johnstown, Pensylvannia. We stopped at the air and space museum in Ohio. The boys remember very little.
Then, we discovered the new camp director at Pinewood was someone we knew from our days there. His wife used to be a kindergarten teacher. They had two boys the same age as our boys. It was love at first meet. We got invited to come up all the time. What better place for boys to go? The 4 of them would run around and have the time of their lives.
Travelling the country became a distant thought. Especially since we paid for each of them to attend camp for two weeks. We couldn't afford to travel as well.
We are on Spring Break. Youngest leaves for college in the Fall. Oldest will have chosen his next college by this summer. Both will be counselors at Pinewood this summer. We decided to have one last mini vacation before life takes over. We went to Turkey Run today since, even though we live in Indiana, we have never taken the boys...because of camp.
It snowed about 2 inches last night. Would it still be a good plan?
We decided to go ahead and try it. It was wonderful!
There was snow on the ground when we got there, so not many people were on the trails. It was gorgeous!
We walked, and climbed boulders, and picked our way through creek beds. And laughed.
We had lunch at the lodge and went back out to try some other trails. This time the sun was shining and the the sky was vivid blue. Snow from the trees plopped to the ground as the sun melted it from branches. We followed one path that had fast running shallows. At one point oldest and I took off our shoes and socks, because it was just easier.
But dang, if it wasn't freezing.
Literally. There was ice in places.
But we figured freezing for a while, was better than wet feet all day.
We all climbed on slippery rock, and trooped through woods and climbed up and down, and up, and up, stairs. And we laughed.
I hope it isn't our last family vacation. But as stand alone time together that isn't a trip to the mall in Fort Wayne, it was a trip we will all remember.
When Mark and I moved to Alaska for two years, we drove there and back again. Seeing so much of the country made me want to see more.
Once we had the boys, I was excited. Showing the boys all the things I wished I had seen, would not only give them what I never had, but give ME what I never had.
We followed Mark to Boston when he had a conference. We visited an aunt and uncle in New York and saw Niagra Falls and Fort Niagra. We followed the trail in Boston. We visited family in Pennsylvania. We stopped at the site where the plane went down in Shanksville. The boys were 7 and 9. They remember very little.
The next year we visited family in Pennsylvania again for Mark's grandmother's 80'th birthday. We stopped at the sight of the Johnstown flood in Johnstown, Pensylvannia. We stopped at the air and space museum in Ohio. The boys remember very little.
Then, we discovered the new camp director at Pinewood was someone we knew from our days there. His wife used to be a kindergarten teacher. They had two boys the same age as our boys. It was love at first meet. We got invited to come up all the time. What better place for boys to go? The 4 of them would run around and have the time of their lives.
Travelling the country became a distant thought. Especially since we paid for each of them to attend camp for two weeks. We couldn't afford to travel as well.
We are on Spring Break. Youngest leaves for college in the Fall. Oldest will have chosen his next college by this summer. Both will be counselors at Pinewood this summer. We decided to have one last mini vacation before life takes over. We went to Turkey Run today since, even though we live in Indiana, we have never taken the boys...because of camp.
It snowed about 2 inches last night. Would it still be a good plan?
We decided to go ahead and try it. It was wonderful!
There was snow on the ground when we got there, so not many people were on the trails. It was gorgeous!
We walked, and climbed boulders, and picked our way through creek beds. And laughed.
We had lunch at the lodge and went back out to try some other trails. This time the sun was shining and the the sky was vivid blue. Snow from the trees plopped to the ground as the sun melted it from branches. We followed one path that had fast running shallows. At one point oldest and I took off our shoes and socks, because it was just easier.
But dang, if it wasn't freezing.
Literally. There was ice in places.
But we figured freezing for a while, was better than wet feet all day.
We all climbed on slippery rock, and trooped through woods and climbed up and down, and up, and up, stairs. And we laughed.
I hope it isn't our last family vacation. But as stand alone time together that isn't a trip to the mall in Fort Wayne, it was a trip we will all remember.
Friday, February 2, 2018
Summer Jobs
February theme is to alternate days. Gripes on odd days and grins on even days. Today is even, so today is positive.
Yesterday youngest had his first interview for a job. It was over the phone. He interviewed for the job of camp counselor at Camp.
He got it!
We kind of knew it would be a yes. It was a friendly environment, but what a wonderful way to enter the world of work.
My husband and I were counselors there in 1988 and 1989. The boys have been through the camper to CIT to Counselor track since 2009. Oldest will be working his third summer, and will likely be a Senior Counselor.
Working at Camp is seriously, literally, the best job on earth. You are outside in nature, away from electronics, and immersed in learning how to live with others. As staff, you learn how to organize your time, deal with conflicts, and teach kids how to as well. You learn new skills and most importantly you learn what you are capable of.
Working at camp changed the directory of my life and that of my husbands. Our oldest has decided to pursue a different educational path because of camp. I have a feeling it will have the same effect of our youngest.
I am nervous, sad, and terrified of the fact that our last summer as a family is behind us. Both boys will be gone for 8 weeks this summer. I will have an empty house. I will be spending my time packing and cleaning, but it will be me, alone, all day. But you know what?
Our boys will be well on their way to amazing futures because of a Y camp in Michigan.
And I couldn't be happier or more proud.
Yesterday youngest had his first interview for a job. It was over the phone. He interviewed for the job of camp counselor at Camp.
He got it!
We kind of knew it would be a yes. It was a friendly environment, but what a wonderful way to enter the world of work.
My husband and I were counselors there in 1988 and 1989. The boys have been through the camper to CIT to Counselor track since 2009. Oldest will be working his third summer, and will likely be a Senior Counselor.
Working at Camp is seriously, literally, the best job on earth. You are outside in nature, away from electronics, and immersed in learning how to live with others. As staff, you learn how to organize your time, deal with conflicts, and teach kids how to as well. You learn new skills and most importantly you learn what you are capable of.
Working at camp changed the directory of my life and that of my husbands. Our oldest has decided to pursue a different educational path because of camp. I have a feeling it will have the same effect of our youngest.
I am nervous, sad, and terrified of the fact that our last summer as a family is behind us. Both boys will be gone for 8 weeks this summer. I will have an empty house. I will be spending my time packing and cleaning, but it will be me, alone, all day. But you know what?
Our boys will be well on their way to amazing futures because of a Y camp in Michigan.
And I couldn't be happier or more proud.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
OLW 2018 Steps
Voice was my choice for 2017, and I think it will continue to be a part of my journey for a while. I want to continue to cultivate my voice and to speak out for what I believe is right. However, I wanted to choose a new word for this new year.
I usually meditate and try to let a word find me. If one doesn't arrive organically, I read through the list Alli Edwards puts on her web site. (She is the one who started OLW for me afterall.)
This year will have many life changes.
*Our youngest is graduating from High School in June.
*He is trying to decide between 3 colleges, but will be going to school in the fall.
*Our oldest has decided he doesn't want to be an engineer. So, he is taking a break from school this semester as he decides what he wants to be and where he wants to go to school. Unfortunately, the school he was at was for engineering, so he has to switch schools as well.
*June will mark 7 years that my husband and their father has lived 2 hours away. He comes home on weekends and has never missed a birthday or concert or special ceremony, but he has lived away from us. Once the youngest is done with school there will no longer be a need for that to be necessary. We will be selling this house and moving to where he is.
*Since we are moving, I will no longer be working at the school I have been at since our youngest started kindergarten. Leaving this job and finding a new one will be challenging, especially since don't think I can continue in education. I just can't condone how education works any more.
*28 years of marriage this year
*I turn 50 in the fall
What word would take all of this into account?
Embrace.... I am not in the frame of mind to embrace each of these major life changes
Accept...I do but I don't want to focus on the change with a word like accept
So those words and their ilk wouldn't work.
I thought of Brave and Bold and they may make a side appearance, but I'm not brave enough or bold enough to face all of this so confidently. So proactive hero type words are out.
Faith based words felt too passive.
I am a planner. I know where I am and I know where I want to be. I can see the other side of all this change. I can.
And I am good at knowing the steps it takes to achieve a plan.
But knowing and being patient enough to step on each step of the path are two different things.
Steps. Steps help to focus on the now and the next. I get bored with "next" and often end up miserable because "then" isn't next.
Plus the obvious -- I need to lose weight, so steps will get me there both literally and figuratively.
Lastly, the camp that helped form and change the trajectory of my life as well as that of my husband and is now working on doing the same for both our boys, has a song called One Step at a Time. The chorus goes: I'm climbing my mountain
Step by step
I'm climbing my mountain
Day by day
I'm climbing my mountain
All the way
I'm climbing my mountain
I'm gonna make it....
One step at a time
One step at a time
One step at a time
With Jesus by my side
....
I'm climbing my mountain
One step at a time.
So in 2018 my focus will be Steps.
I usually meditate and try to let a word find me. If one doesn't arrive organically, I read through the list Alli Edwards puts on her web site. (She is the one who started OLW for me afterall.)
This year will have many life changes.
*Our youngest is graduating from High School in June.
*He is trying to decide between 3 colleges, but will be going to school in the fall.
*Our oldest has decided he doesn't want to be an engineer. So, he is taking a break from school this semester as he decides what he wants to be and where he wants to go to school. Unfortunately, the school he was at was for engineering, so he has to switch schools as well.
*June will mark 7 years that my husband and their father has lived 2 hours away. He comes home on weekends and has never missed a birthday or concert or special ceremony, but he has lived away from us. Once the youngest is done with school there will no longer be a need for that to be necessary. We will be selling this house and moving to where he is.
*Since we are moving, I will no longer be working at the school I have been at since our youngest started kindergarten. Leaving this job and finding a new one will be challenging, especially since don't think I can continue in education. I just can't condone how education works any more.
*28 years of marriage this year
*I turn 50 in the fall
What word would take all of this into account?
Embrace.... I am not in the frame of mind to embrace each of these major life changes
Accept...I do but I don't want to focus on the change with a word like accept
So those words and their ilk wouldn't work.
I thought of Brave and Bold and they may make a side appearance, but I'm not brave enough or bold enough to face all of this so confidently. So proactive hero type words are out.
Faith based words felt too passive.
I am a planner. I know where I am and I know where I want to be. I can see the other side of all this change. I can.
And I am good at knowing the steps it takes to achieve a plan.
But knowing and being patient enough to step on each step of the path are two different things.
Steps. Steps help to focus on the now and the next. I get bored with "next" and often end up miserable because "then" isn't next.
Plus the obvious -- I need to lose weight, so steps will get me there both literally and figuratively.
Lastly, the camp that helped form and change the trajectory of my life as well as that of my husband and is now working on doing the same for both our boys, has a song called One Step at a Time. The chorus goes: I'm climbing my mountain
Step by step
I'm climbing my mountain
Day by day
I'm climbing my mountain
All the way
I'm climbing my mountain
I'm gonna make it....
One step at a time
One step at a time
One step at a time
With Jesus by my side
....
I'm climbing my mountain
One step at a time.
So in 2018 my focus will be Steps.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Thankful Days 5 and 6
I am combining yesterday and today because we were in a land with limited Wi-Fi.
We went to our residence camp in Michigan for their volunteer work weekend. The same people tend to come back year after year and it is so fun to see the kids go from being on "stick patrol" to helping with more substantial tasks like painting and moving picnic tables.
There is always a new family or two that come to see what camp is all about and many are so impressed they end up sending their kids back for the summer.
Volunteering is important. Getting involved in something bigger than you and that you can be passionate about is important. Schools require volunteering. Colleges look at volunteering. Many jobs encourage volunteering. But I feel that volunteering needs to be more than a box you check. If you find that thing you love to do and find the organization that can use that skill, it won't be a chore -- it will be a bucket you fill that will overflow into your own.
Work weekends at camp are just that for our family. And I think for the other families as well. We are teaching our kids to give of themselves and to give back to those who have helped to shape their lives. Why else would most of us drive 3 hours or more one way to work muscles we forgot we had and get sweaty and dirty as we work to make camp a little better?
Because of camp I am thankful for opportunities to give back, and
I am thankful to all of those-- past present, present, and future-- who are willing to give their time, talent, and personal treasure to help ymca Camp Pinewood continue to change lives.
We went to our residence camp in Michigan for their volunteer work weekend. The same people tend to come back year after year and it is so fun to see the kids go from being on "stick patrol" to helping with more substantial tasks like painting and moving picnic tables.
There is always a new family or two that come to see what camp is all about and many are so impressed they end up sending their kids back for the summer.
Volunteering is important. Getting involved in something bigger than you and that you can be passionate about is important. Schools require volunteering. Colleges look at volunteering. Many jobs encourage volunteering. But I feel that volunteering needs to be more than a box you check. If you find that thing you love to do and find the organization that can use that skill, it won't be a chore -- it will be a bucket you fill that will overflow into your own.
Work weekends at camp are just that for our family. And I think for the other families as well. We are teaching our kids to give of themselves and to give back to those who have helped to shape their lives. Why else would most of us drive 3 hours or more one way to work muscles we forgot we had and get sweaty and dirty as we work to make camp a little better?
Because of camp I am thankful for opportunities to give back, and
I am thankful to all of those-- past present, present, and future-- who are willing to give their time, talent, and personal treasure to help ymca Camp Pinewood continue to change lives.
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