Category: Uncategorized

Written by : Calla Craze and Will Dellinger

Today is all about honoring the hard-working Americans who shed blood, sweat, and tears to build our country and make it prosper. There are so many people out there who are under-appreciated in their work, but it truly takes all types to keep things running. To all you workers out there who hold society up with your physical and intellectual labor, we salute you!

It takes all types

In many ways, Camp is a microcosm of civilization. Just as it takes many forms of labor to keep the country going, it takes a diverse set of skills and workers to make camp run every summer. From maintenance to office work to cabin supervision, there’s always a ton to be taken care of every day. The contributions of our counselors and other staff to our community are not lost on us, and while we try to express our gratitude throughout the summer, we can never say it enough: Thank you for all you do!

Of course, every TP and Woodland counselor knows what it’s like to put in physical labor: each summer our staff puts in a ton of effort to get camp all set up for the arrival of our campers. There is what seems like a never ending list of tasks to keep our staff’s bodies moving for an entire week. We get to do crazy things like bring the boats down from the barn, heavy duty cleaning of EVERYTHING, and of course, even things like poster making. Ask our staff and they’ll tell you that this work is very satisfying, but by the time campers arrive we are definitely ready to switch gears and start exercising our brains as we become instructors, coaches, role models and leaders.

Work hard, Play hard!

Make no mistake— Being a camp counselor is hard work even if you aren’t up to your neck in the lake turning augers! It’s a lot of work to teach new skills to kids and keep the peace in a community of children and adults from all different parts of the world. However, it’s a kind of work that is rewarding by its very nature. So many of our staff come back year after year to watch their campers grow and to be a part of something bigger.

Working In and Out of Camp Season

There’s a lot of work that goes into making sure camp can happen every summer, especially from the Jordans and our wonderful office staff. This summer we took the opportunity to revamp the program and make general improvements to the property to make the best of our once-in-a-lifetime summer off of camp. As you’ve already heard, we put in a lot of hours to work on the business both in terms of the program and our facilities. A lot of these projects included good old fashioned manual labor!

One of our all time favorite rites of passage into the role of a counselor is the task of putting in the docks! Believe it or not, campers, those don’t actually stay in year round! The summer just didn’t feel right without seeing that beautiful pier reaching out towards the middle of the lake, so we took it upon ourselves to put them in anyway. Nothing like getting those huge wooden platforms set up in the water to remind us how much we appreciate everything our staff does every summer!

We all know this year has been a challenging one, but it has also given us the opportunity to grow and appreciate the people who help make the world go round in new ways. We appreciate you, staff, and look forward to working side by side with our favorite people again in summer 2021!

We have been grateful for the opportunity to interact with staff, counselors, campers and parents through the virtual medium over the past several months. Zoom chats, virtual game nights, virtual campfires and even virtual alumni camp tours provided a way for the camp connections we all crave to happen. It’s a way to support one another during a time when, perhaps, things seemed far less than normal.

We were amazed by the creativity and ingenuity that our camp community summoned in order to surpass cyber boundaries to bring a bit of camp into our lives when we all needed it. Campers created skits, performed challenges, and sang songs while zooming from different parts of the world. CIT’s stepped up to facilitate parts of campfires and game nights showing that they truly are learning spectacular leadership skills that transfer into areas of life we may have least expected.

Counselors created the “Dining Hall Bracket” on social media to decide what the most delicious meal is at camp. Lasagna won, but the competition was fierce!! Other fun events were camp bingo and some challenging camp trivia. Finally, who knew that we could actually try our hand at virtual Gold Rush?! Again, when camp people come together, creativity abounds. We found ways to share positive vibes with our camp family even if that meant doing so through cyber space.

We are thankful for the opportunity to stay in touch through Zoom, social media and even “snail mail,” However, what we are REALLY and TRULY looking forward to is seeing all of you in person next summer! There is nothing better than the sights and sounds of campers and counselors engaged in learning and having fun while doing it. The echoes of laughter amidst the quiet whisper of the white pines is an almost magical sound. There is so much amazing growth that happens during those six weeks of camp, and we can’t wait to share it with campers again next summer.

As many different versions of school are beginning in the next few weeks, we are hoping for positive experiences for our camp families. We will stay in touch throughout this year, and as always, we love to hear from you!! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and look for e-mails and monthly mailings from us as well. We are currently taking early enrollment for our camp families. Early enrollment tuition remains at the 2020 rate through Labor Day, September 7, 2020. Use discount code OLDFAM to receive 2020 tuition rates. Click here to register!!  If you’d like to share the “awesomeness” of your camp experience with other potential campers, we are extremely appreciative of any referrals.

We are looking ahead to many positive adventure-filled moments at Camp Woodland and Towering Pines where these children can grow as individuals and members of a community. The future looks bright…Here Comes the Sun ’21’!!

Some of you might recognize this photo being at the end of the Woodland “dew” post with our news to suspend programming for the summer of 2020. We decided that it is appropriate to begin this post with the same scene and a promise of better days ahead. As the weeks of July march on, we have seen the clouds dissipate and rays of sunshine start to peek their way through the pine trees and cast a warm glow on Sand Lake.

While the easy thing to do would have been to take a “vacation” from camp this summer, we decided to do the exact opposite. We brought our leadership team together for what we called “Summer Summit 2020”. With an end goal of 2 camps – 1 mission – no divide, we have worked towards bringing Woodland and Towering Pines together in a way that allows us to unify our message and plan for the success of the next 25, 50, 75 years and beyond. We have also agreed to disagree. Without straying from the mission, there may be programs and systems that look different or are carried out differently at each camp, but we are on the same page with why we are here and what is fundamental to both camps (community, growth, respect, responsibility, and safety).

We looked closely at the camper and staff experience, programming, our business and marketing plans, and alumni outreach as broad strokes. We got into the weeds a bit and had conversations about the CIT program, staff time off, length of activity periods, social media, and camper/staff recruiting/retention…just to name a few. We spent time training on Camp Brain (our new database) and gathering content for winter engagement with our camp community (holiday card photo – check!). We even had a pitch from two of our current staff on how Farm Zoo could take on a new look in future summers.

We rolled up our sleeves and dug into projects to make facility improvements. Several bathrooms have been updated, walls have been painted, cracks in the volleyball court filled, and the deck on the way to the beach has been given a new shine. We are grateful to Jeff, Evan, Jon and other camp friends who pushed through some pretty warm (bordering on HOT) days to make this happen.

All work and no play is NOT what camp is about. We had FUN together, too! We began our Summit with a game of Bunko so that we could ease into some topics on our list and begin conversations. We ate meals in the lodge at Woodland (thank you, Drinka!), enjoyed the TP and Woodland waterfronts just about every afternoon (JoAnne and Kim went for a spin on a paddle board in windy conditions and have decided that more “board” meetings are in order next summer!), took daily hikes/walks/runs in the woods or on County D, made s’mores, and gazed at the stars while hanging around the campfire at the site by Treetops.

This summer has been like no other. While we have spent this time at 8080 Camp RD and it looks like camp (the cabins and buildings are still here), sounds like camp (we ring the bell to keep us on schedule), and smells like camp (we may have had a skunk grace us near the barn), it doesn’t feel like camp. We miss every single camper and staff member who breathes life into the place of camp. We miss the people. We miss YOU. We can’t wait until we can be  together again. Here comes the sun in 2021!

There is a great tradition in the Northwoods of Wisconsin that has been going on for many, many years.  It’s called the annual “Red, White & BOOM Campfire.”  It was hard to fathom or envision how this tradition would continue with Camp Quarantine 2020 and camp not functioning as it normally does with the hustle and bustle of campers and counselors here.  Thankfully, there is another tremendous tradition that resonates among these tall white pine trees here at Towering Pines Camp for Boys and Camp Woodland for Girls.  What you ask might this be?  It’s called RESILIENCE!!

At camp when a challenge presents itself or something doesn’t quite work out as planned, a subtle intention begins to emerge.  At first it’s a thought bubble that can almost be seen ruminating above the heads of those involved, and then it becomes a full out light bulb that illuminates brightly and creates a stir.  Before you know it, we’ve grabbed hold, and we aren’t letting go until we bring the idea into fruition, and it’s a full out event!!  Hence the very first “Virtual Red, White & BOOM Campfire!!”

Camp is all about learning how to adapt, how to adjust, and how to grow during times of adversity.  That’s part of the what makes camp a spectacular place to spend our summers!!  Campers learn from watching counselors and leadership staff take life’s failures and adversities and turn these into “shining” moments and successes albeit maybe not how we originally envisioned these.  This skill is invaluable and transfers into almost every aspect of life.

This year’s Red, White & BOOM Campfire was no different in that it was a tiny vision that became an idea, that turned into a reality via Zoom chat on July 1, 2020.  Those of you in attendance were the very first to experience this amazing twist on what is normally a gathering here at Towering Pines on July 4th in celebration of Independence Day.  Not even Camp Quarantine can keep brothers and sisters, camp friends and family from gathering to celebrate together and to experience what we all long for .  .  .  this camp bond that keeps us going throughout the year.

Songs were sung, skits were performed and even challenges were completed!!  Will & Calla served as  our campfire M.C.’s.  They carried us through a wonderful hour of camp traditions at their finest in what was just a change of venue since this all happened somehow magically through cyberspace.  How incredible that despite being in different locations all over the U.S. and even in other countries, we managed to come together as a camp family and carry on a tradition that we all know and love!!  There was even a fireworks show that elicited many “Ooohhhs, Aaahhhs and WONDERFULS!!”

The world may be in a strange and uncertain place right now, but some things remain the same—our camp friends and family are always here!!  As we close each campfire hand in hand when we are physically together, so we held on tightly to one another in our hearts.

“Each campfire lights anew the flame of friendship true. The joys we’ve had in knowing you will last our whole lives through.” (Excerpt from Woodland closing campfire song)

“By Nokomis rippling waters where our campfire bright, keeps the flames of friendship burning in our hearts tonight.” (Excerpt from Towering Pines closing campfire song)

Our favorite time of year (during the winter) is almost here!!  February 1st (this Saturday) is National I Heart Camp Day! Help us spread the word on the importance of summer camp. Remember all those funny pictures we took of you with the “I heart Camp ” Poster? Well, this Saturday Camp Woodland campers, parents, staff, and alumni are encouraged to post their “I heart Camp” photo as their Facebook Profile. Don’t have Facebook?

Here are a few ideas to show the world (or just your friends) how much camp means to you!

• Instagram your photo! #Woodland4Girls #Iheartcamp
• Print it out and paste on your favorite school tablet
• Post it on your Pinterest Site
• Make it a screen saver on your computer

Click the link to retrieve your daughter’s photos: I heart Camp Woodland Photos Link

Need your son’s photo too? Click the link to your son’s (Towering Pines) photos: I heart TP Photos link

All you have to do is: 1- find your picture, 2- download it by clicking the download tab on the bottom right of the photo, 3-Post it this Saturday, Feburary 1!

Check out our archives of I Heart Camp Day. It is fun to see how we have grown!:

• 2019 – I Heart Camp Day
• 2018 – I Heart Camp Day 
• 2017 – I Heart Camp Day 
• 2016 – I Heart Camp Day
• 2015 – I Heart Camp Day
• 2014 – I Heart Camp Day

* We took these photos at the end of the summer. We apologize if your daughter could not be part of this project and hope to do the photos throughout the entire next summer! Make your own photo and post it!  We love to see your child’s creativity!