How Can I Help?

Summer camping season may be over at Anokijig, but that doesn't mean Camp still doesn't need your help.  The question is often asked of us- "How can I help?" and there are many ways.  Donations are always accepted and can always be designated for a specific purpose, like funding camperships or helping out the ranch program.

Volunteers are always needed year-round for groups and weekends at Anokijig, as well as special events that take place outside Anokijig, like the Rotary Founders' Club Casino Nite.  Did you know Anokijig now has their own page for volunteers on Facebook?   be sure to check it out and if you can lend a hand on a weekend or during a special event, we'd appreciate the help.

Another way to help is by saying "thank you" to those who have helped us.  Thanking someone for their generosity and support of Anokijig can be as simple as stopping by their Facebook page, liking it and leaving a note on their wall that lets them know how much you appreciate what they've done for Anokijig.  The left side of Anokijig's main Facebook page features businesses and organizations that have helped Anokijig in some very significant ways.  Liking them on Facebook & thanking them on their wall let's them know that their generosity impacts real people in a positive way.

This fall, we will be starting up our "Thank you Thursday" campaign again on our Facebook page and asking our supporters to thank those who have helped Anokijig.  It may sound simple and it only costs a minute of your time, but it is meaningful and it does make a difference.  While we're at it, we want to thank you for your support of Anokijig! See, that felt good, didn't it?

The Latest Addition to the Anokijig Fleet

Regular readers of the Anokijig Insider will remember the feature we did on Ken & Melody Cavan's donation of a Kubota UTV a few years ago.  We're happy to report these generous supporters have made another donation to the Anokijig fleet- a brand-new Honda Foreman Rubicon.  This is the fourth ATV/UTV Ken & Melody have donated to Anokijig over the years and we can't thank them enough for their generosity.

We tried to get a photo of all four vehicles in the same place, but these vehicles are in such high demand at Anokijig, that we felt fortunate to find two in the same place, at the same time.  Anyone who has ever walked up the hill behind Western Lodge has probably noticed a few of these vehicles parked next to the kitchen windows.  These aren't the most glamorous of donations and they certainly aren't kept in the most obvious of areas at Camp, but they are integral to the operations of Anokijig and we don't know what we would do without them.

Many of our donors have preferences in what they give or how they support Anokijig.  Our campership program, which provides camping opportunities for underprivileged kids is extremely popular, as is support of our program areas.  These types of gifts are often high-profile or at least easy for donors to make a connection to how they benefit kids.  An ATV is not such a donation, because our campers never use them and they aren't directly used in our program areas.  However, their uses around camp, from hauling luggage trailers on check-in days, to providing access to hard-to-reach areas of Anokijig simply make Camp function.

Anokijig wouldn't be what it is today without our donors and while we appreciate all our donors, we feel especially fortunate to have supporters like Ken & Melody Cavan, who understand the needs of Anokijig on a behind-the-scenes level and are willing to support the infrastructure that makes the Anokijig engine run so well!

Anokijig's Newest Skill: Drumming

Each year we try to add new and interesting skills at Anokijig. This year, drumming was added to the lineup, although that title is a bit misleading. Our head drumming (no pun intended) instructor, Sandy Stewart, has brought with her a host of percussion items, including a wide variety drums, as well as castanets, maracas, cowbells, claves, & güiros, to name a few.

The end result is an enchanting musical experience, that adds a very cool ambiance to all of Anokijig, as the sounds of the drums echo through the hills and valleys of Anokijig.

Karting for a Cause

 On Saturday, May 14, 2011, Camp Anokijig held the first Anokijig 100 Go-Kart Enduro fundraising event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.  While Anokijig has held many different fundraising events in the past, this one was a little bit different.  The biggest difference was that this event was the first major fundraiser organized without the assistance of Anokijig's staff.  This is significant, because Camp Anokijig hosted an Indian Guide group at Anokijig the same weekend this event took place.  It is very difficult to be in two places at once and there are enough demands on our full-time staff, just making sure Anokijig runs as it should.  While Anokijig needs to fundraise, we cannot afford to do so at the expense of the quality of our regular programs.  This event allowed our staff to do their regular jobs of providing an outstanding camping experience for our guests from the Indian Guides. 

As with many of Anokijig's activities, this event could not have happened without the dedicated support of our many wonderful volunteers.  These people are responsible for more than 40,000 hours worth of work at Anokijig each year and while the Anokijig staff focused their efforts on Anokijig's operations, it was our volunteers who stepped forward to organize and run this event and we thank them for all of their hard work.

Just as this event would not have been possible without our volunteers, it also would not have been possible without our many generous sponsors and donors.  Donors include Anonymous, Steve Cottingham, Al Petkus, & Tom Vickers.  Sponsors include Bode Financial Group Ltd, KS Energy Services, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc., Twin Disc and a special thank you to the Elkhart Inn for providing us with our wonderful dinner for the evening.  The support of all these wonderful donors and sponsors, as well as that of our participants made it possible for this event to raise more than $10,000, which we think is pretty good for a first-time effort.

The existence of this event may come as a surprise to many of our supporters and that was by design.  Since this was a new fundraising event, we didn't want it's success to come at the expense of our other existing events.  We also know even our strongest supporters can only give so much of their time, treasure and talent. While there were a few familiar Anokijig faces in this crowd, many of the participants were relative newcomers to all things Anokijig.  This event was a tremendous opportunity for us to introduce Anokijig to a new audience and help further spread the word about all the great things we are doing for children and families.

Finally, is there a specific focus for this fundraising effort?  Yes.  While many of our fundraising efforts help fund camperships for deserving children, this event had a different purpose.  When the Friends of Camp Anokijig acquired Anokijig in 2005, they did so with loans from a bank and a very generous foundation.  While it seemed like a monumental task at the time, getting the loans and buying Anokijig was the easy part.  The real challenge comes in paying the loans off and we're making good headway.  As we enter into our sixth summer camping season as an independent, non-profit camp, we have paid off approximately $1.5 million of the $5.5 million purchase price.

That is quite an accomplishment and we've depended on the generosity of some wonderful people to make the kind of progress we have.  When we first started fundraising to eliminate our debt, experts warned us "debt reduction" is not a popular fundraising cause and they were right.  In spite of that challenge, we have received some tremendous support from very generous people.  Up until now, we have not come up with a way to properly and permanently recognize the people, groups and organizations, who have kept Anokijig going strong, including donors, volunteers and staff.  We'd like to do something about that and we're hoping the proceeds from this event (and future go-kart events) will help us in that regard.  Is "permanent supporter recognition" as an unpopular fundraising cause, like "debt reduction?"  We hope that is not the case and so far it doesn't seem to be.

This rendering has been created to help stimulate ideas, conversation and support for how we might go about permanently recognizing our wonderful supporters.  In this concept, the steps leading up to Western Lodge from the main parking lots have been re-built.  The uneven steps have been replaced with even steps and arrowheads featuring the names of donors have been placed in random patterns amongst aggregate stone work.  In addition, a similarly-designed wheelchair-accessible ramp has also been added, to make it easier for those with special needs to access Western Lodge.  These two pathways to Western Lodge surround a five-foot tall stone Anokijig Arrowhead monument, featuring a raised CA interlocked logo on the front and the names of Anokijig's supporters engraved on the back.

Repairing and replacing the stairways leading up to Western Lodge is on our long wish list of things to do at Anokijig and this concept would allow us to improve Anokijig's physical condition, while also providing us with the permanent means to recognize supporters, which we currently lack.  Special care has been taken to ensure this concept is in keeping with Anokijig's rustic setting.  Interlocking paving bricks are a proven concept and perhaps more cost-effective, but they really wouldn't look right at Anokijig. 

As we mentioned before, this rendering is simply a beginning and the money raised at this karting event is only a start.  Our hope is that someone might look at this idea and build on it, modify it or enhance it in some way that will allow us to move forward toward our goal.  If this particular concept or the idea of a way for us to permanently recognize the supporters who have made Anokijig what it is today interests you, contact Mary Krahn and ask her how you can get involved.

One Less Camp and Fewer Opportunities for Children & Families

We were very saddened to hear of the closing of Camp Algonquin, which was run by the YMCA of McHenry County. Sad because we know how perilously close Anokijig came to meeting a similar fate, when the Racine YMCA decided to sell Anokijig in 2005. Sad because we know Camp Algonquin served an important role in it's community for thousands of children and families for more than 100 years. Sad because we know when camps close, new camps do not open somewhere else to replace them, rather, we are simply left with one less camp.

Algonquin's closing will likely signal the end of outdoor experiences for many of it's former campers, while Anokijig may see a new group of displaced Algonquin campers this summer, who are seeking out camping alternatives. That is certainly not the circumstances under which we would like to welcome new campers. We know the special feelings a summer camp can foster in the hearts and minds of those who attend it and we know Algonquin will be missed by all those who were fortunate enough to have camping experiences there.

2010 Anokijig Trivia Video & Arrowhead Newsletter

As the beauty of Anokijg Winter arrives we always like to look back at the past year and remember all of the things about Anokijig that we're thankful for.

To help you to do the same take a few moments to check out the 2010 Anokijg Arrowhead - our annual newsletter highlighting the past year and kicking off the next!

In addition we all know that each year Anokijig produces millions of memories, click HERE to check out this year's trivia video and see what you know about Anokijig; and of course enjoy some great Anokijig images. Enjoy the views and make your own plans to visit Anokijig soon!

Announcing the Anokijig Digital Photo Contest!

Thanks to the continued support of the Racine Founders Rotary Club, our digital photo program was in full-swing, allowing budding photographers to create literally thousands of amazing images. To honor these efforts, we are announcing our first all-camp photo contest. If you have a great Anokijig photo, send it to darinh@excel.net before February 15, 2011. The person with the best overall photo will win one free week of residence camp during Sessions 1, 2, 3 or 4 of 2011. Good luck!

Where Is The List of Items to Pack or Bring to Camp Anokijig?

The Anokijig Insider blog has been around for over two years now, although it seems like just yesterday that we started it. It's been a great tool for us to connect with many of our supporters and campers, but it's also been a valuable resource in identifying ways that we can improve our presence on the Internet.

We recently noticed that someone from St. Charles, Illinois did a Google search, to find the list of items that should accompany a camper on a trip to Anokijig. Their search sent them here, but we didn't have the information posted here, just a combination of keywords that pushed us to the top of the list. We do supply all this information to all campers with their registration information, but we know how things can get misplaced in a house full of kids.

That's why we also post the information on our main website. We know it's there, because we're the ones who put it there. However, we tried to search the website as we thought a person would, who is not that familiar with Anokijig or our site and we found that it might be a little tricky to locate this specific information on our main site.

We are adding that to a long list of changes that will be made to http://www.anokijig.com/ in the near future, but we won't be able to begin overhauling the website until the summer camping season has ended. Until that happens, we'll provide a direct link here, which should pop up on Google and other search engines in a relatively short amount of time.

So, if you are searching for the packing list for Camp Anokijig, just click on that link and it will provide that information for you, plus a whole lot more. We can't wait to see you!

Camp Still Needs Saving

"Hey Jim, why is that www.savecamp.com decal still on your truck, I thought camp was saved already?" That's a question I get quite often and the simple answer is that Anokijig isn't saved just yet. While Anokijig's future looks a lot better than it did five years ago, we still have a long way to go.

One of the problems we face is that it's difficult to keep banging on the drum and sustain an ongoing sense of urgency to retire the debt incurred back in 2005 to "save" Camp Anokijig. Many of the pledges made by our fantastic supporters have now been satisfied, while other well-meaning folks just haven't been able to come through on their commitments for a variety of reasons, including the downturn in the economy.

As time continues to pass, the bullet Anokijig dodged begins to look larger and larger. When camp was originally put up for sale, the economy had not yet hit the skids. Contractors, developers and architects were all still eyeing up every piece of lakefront property they could find, whether it was currently for sale or not. Camps like Singing Hills seemed to be falling like dominoes and I've often wondered what fate would have befallen Anokijig, had the Friends of Anokijig not secured the loans necessary to outbid those developers? The best I can come up with is that the hilly terrain would've made it unsuitable for a traditional development and it probably would've ended up as a golf course.

With the way the economy headed south shortly after our sale was finalized, a developer probably would've had just enough money to tear down all our key buildings and build three holes of a golf course and a model home or condo, before going belly-up. That would've left the property available for a camp again, but no infrastructure to support it. The logs of Western Lodge and our other beautiful cabins would've been sold off. Large tracts of our woodland areas would've been clearcut for fairways. The boathouse would've been dismantled to make room for a putting green overlooking the lake. All the fencing for the horses would've been yanked out and the land re-surveyed for a project that would've never been completed.

Even if Anokijig were put up for sale one or two years later than it was, the financial climate during that span changed so much, it's possible we wouldn't have been able to secure the loans necessary to purchase Camp.

It's scary to even think about those possibilities and while they may seem like they are a million miles away from us today, we're not out of the woods yet. While I'm happy to report that Camp Anokijig's future looks strong and robust, there is no telling what the future will bring. Will the economy rebound or will it take another downturn? Will the financial crisis that hit the home housing market soon hit the commericial real estate market and affect Anokijig's loans? The future can be difficult to predict, but I know as good as we all feel about Anokijig's future, we'll all feel a lot better once our debt is finally retired for good. Only then will Anokijig's destiny truly be in our own hands and not tied to the success or failure of financial institutions or parent organizations.

Our staff is certainly doing their best to eliminate our debt by finding additional revenue streams (new campers) and new donors. In fact, we've hired a fantastic woman named Mary Krahn, who has done a wonderful job of reaching out to folks in the area and helping them learn all about the fantastic benefits Anokijig provides for thousands of children and families each year. Even though Anokijig's history goes all the way back to Ray Vance in 1926, most of that history didn't involve Anokijig asking anyone for help. Doing so now is a relatively-new concept for a camp that has been operationally-profitable for more than two decades in a row, but we are making progress.

In the past few years, Anokijig has for the first time received grants and donations from many fantastic organizations and companies, who had no previous history of giving (many of them are listed on the right-hand side of this blog). Their generosity has helped fill the financial gap created by expiring or unfufilled pledges. We've also witnessed an increase in our group rentals and several of our summer camp weeks still sell out and have waiting lists.

The future looks very bright for Anokijig, but not without your continued support. If you are able to renew a pledge or make a tax-deductible donation, please do so- https://www.anokijig.com/pledge.htm Even if you cannot share treasure with us, we still value you your time and talent. If you can volunteer at Anokijig or one of our off-site events, let us know- http://www.anokijig.com/volunteer.htm

Lastly, if you haven't been to Anokijig in a while, please come back and visit us. We'd love to catch up with you, show you how much Anokijig has changed and how much has stayed just the way you remembered it, whether you're 30 years old or a camper from the 1930s.

Did You Know Camp Anokijig has a YouTube Channel?

Did you know Camp Anokijig has it's own YouTube channel?  Anokijig's YouTube channel has several of the great videos you may have seen on various sites, all in one place.  We'll also be adding videos throughout the year.  If you have a favorite Anokijig video on YouTube, let us know, so we can include it in our favorites.  To visit our YouTube channel, just follow this link

0-100 In Less Than 24 Hours!

Camp Anokijig's Facebook fan page hasn't even been up 24 hours and already we have more than 100 fans!  That's a pretty incredible number and we appreciate everyone's support.  If you haven't become a fan of Anokijig on Facebook yet, you can do so, by visiting this link- http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Camp-Anokijig/112799212069046

Help Anokijig Through Buying & Selling on Ebay

We've mentioned eBay's Missionfish program on the Anokijig Insider before, but we thought it was worth reminding everyone that this is a great program, which helps raise money for Anokijig.

If you are selling an item, you can donate a portion or all of the proceeds directly to Camp Anokijig. If you donate enough of the proceeds, eBay will waive some or all of the fees associated with the listing. If you are interested in buying items that will help benefit Anokijig, click on this link to see the items currently listed for sale- http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=9037

Camp Anokijig- Life Skills Factory

The environment at Anokijig offers these teens and young adults a unique experience that may be as close to parenting as many of them will get, until they decide to have their own children. Many young people may work as babysitters or in youth programs in their home towns, but very few get the opportunity to spend extended periods of time with younger children.

It's one thing to spend one evening with a child who misses their parents or even an entire workday. It's something entirely different when our staff are put in a position where they spend a week or even longer around a large group of younger children. When they are at Anokijig, our staff essentially lives with these children.

There is no timeclock here and for the time these campers are at Anokijig, our staff serves as the closest thing to parents that these children will have, on-call day and night. That gives them a unique perspective few of their peers are able to experience. They teach, lead, encourage, console, discipline, mediate, guide and mentor these kids. In turn, our campers teach our staff important life lessons in patience, dedication, persistence, honor, altruism, integrity, and a host of other parenting skills.

What does this mean in the long-run? Feedback from our former staff indicates they left Anokijig with a much greater appreciation for what it means to be a parent and be responsible for another human life. That's never a bad thing.

If you have a high school-aged son or daughter, that you think might be interested in volunteering at Anokijig and learning these valuable life skills, call Camp today at 920-893-0782.

A Wonderful Wedding Gift

Some of our long-time readers may remember a post we made almost a year ago, discussing the current state of some of Anokijig's boats and the need for some upgrades- The Anokijig Insider: A Need Indeed

We're happy to report that our call to action has been answered. Mike McGrath of Minocqua, Wisconsin heard of our need for a newer pontoon boat and he happened to have a boat he was considering selling. The boat is a beautiful, 24-foot Manitou Limited pontoon boat and it is just what Anokijig desperately needed.

Two of Mike's good friends were married this past summer and he knew of their affinity for Camp Anokijig. As a very generous wedding present, Mike offered to donate his pontoon boat to Anokijig, in honor of their union.

Even though the boat is 14 years old, the Manitou Pontoon Boat company makes a high-quality boat, as this one looks nearly-new and is in great shape! It features comfortable seating for up to 12 passengers and a 90-horsepower Honda four-stroke outboard motor. That's great news for camp, as this motor is far more efficient (and quieter) than the motor on our other pontoon boat.

What will become of our other pontoon boat? Our waterfront director, Don Hill, has spent countless hours over the last several winters, reparing and welding that other pontoon boat back together. It no longer has any fixed seating, but he thinks it could still make an excellent boat for our fishing program. In order to make this happen, we would need to upgrade the outboard motor that is currently on the boat. It is simply too costly to operate and seems to burn as much oil as gasoline.

Ideally, we would like to replace it with a smaller outboard in the range of 20-25 horsepower, since it would only be used for moving campers to all the prime fishing spots on Little Elkhart. If you know of someone who might be able to help us find such a motor, please have them call Camp Anokijig at 920-893-0782.

Thank you again Mike McGrath for your wonderful gift to Camp Anokijig! Check out this video of her maiden voyage-

Thank You Marquette University!

We often talk about the massive amount of volunteer support Anokijig receives each year (more than 50,000 hours per year). We don't do this to brag, although we are very proud of the generosity of our supporters. We do this to thank our supporters and remind people that we need their help to make this place successful.

When people ask us how a "private camp" like Anokijig can afford to charge half of what most private camps charge, the answer is simple- volunteers. Our legion of volunteers helps keep Anokijig affordable for summer campers, family campers and groups.

Today we welcomed a group of 32 volunteers from Marquette University, led by Dr. Toby Peters. Almost all of these volunteers were students and many of them will soon participate in another volunteer outreach program Marquette sponsors, which provides medical care to people in Honduras.

These volunteers jumped right into action at Anokijig, cutting burdock out of the pasture around Victory Hill, setting up a canopy for our upcoming Fallapalooza event and splitting wood down at the Supply Shed. The work was physically demanding, but these great volunteers were up to the task. The consensus from our staff is that they are welcome back to help out anytime.

Thank you Marquette University for all your hard work at Camp Anokijig! If you have a group that would like to come volunteer at Anokijig for a half or full day, please give our camp office a call at 920-893-0782

Labor Day Family Camping

Its Sunday afternoon and we're in the midst of another fantastic Labor Day Family Camping Weekend. Beach tunes are playing over the PA system and many of the 230+ family campers have found their way down to the waterfront area for the same beach party fun that our campers enjoy every week during summer camp. Little Elkhart is still as warm as a bathtub and volleyball games and face-painting are camper favorites.

These family weekends are a great (and affordable) opportunity for families to connect, reunite and unplug from their everyday lives. Best of all, we still have one family camping weekend to go this year and there's still time to sign up, although space is limited.

Camp Anokijig's Fall Colors camping weekend is October 9th to the 11th. Campers begin arriving Friday night and are treated to three delicious meals on Saturday and two more on Sunday. There are also plenty of special activities that are unique to Fall Colors weekend, like our annual pumpkin-carving contest. If you'd like more information on Fall Colors Family camping, call Camp Anokijig today at 920-893-0782.

We hope to see you at Anokijig soon!

Come See Laughter in the Woods!

It's getting to be that time of year again, when Camp Anokijig hosts their annual Laughter in the Woods dinner theater and auction. This year, we are welcoming Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren as our special guests, although we don't expect either one to attend. This year's event will take place on Saturday, September 19th, with the doors at Western Lodge swinging open promptly at 6 PM.

The McMann & Tate comedy group will once again be entertaining our guests with their hilarious antics and madcap skits and all guests will enjoy a delicious steak and seafood dinner. Tickets are $75 each and all proceeds will go to Camp Anokijig's Campership fund for Sheboygan County youth.

For more information or to book your reservations today, please call Camp Anokijig at 920-893-0782.

The Hidden Side of Anokijig

When campers come to Anokijig, they expect to have the time of their life and most do, but it's not as simple as people just showing up and the great times turning on like a light switch. There always seems to be a constant flurry of activity going on behind the scenes, making everything at Anokijig function as it should.

One of the biggest tasks that campers rarely see is the process involved in feeding our herd of more than 50 horses. It is a massive undertaking, which used to require a tremendous amount of time and manpower. While the growing, cutting and baling of hay is still a long process, the generosity of the Case IH corporation has made it far less labor-intensive.

Almost every piece of farm of farm equipment at Anokijig has been donated from Case IH and last year, they recognized the need we had to replace our aging mower and baler. It wasn't a gift that many donors would consider "glamorous" or "high-profile," but the new mower and baler are absolutely essential to the successful operation of our ranch program.

The average camper may not give a second thought to the sight of our tractor cutting fresh hay and effortlessly tossing it into the air, but to our staff, it's a thing of beauty. Once the hay is sufficiently dry, our facilities manager, Scott Stewart, will head back out with our new baler and produce the massive "round" bales in a fraction of the time it once took for us to put the hay in traditional "square" bales.

Although these round bales are much larger and heavier than square bales, moving them around takes fewer people, because heavy equipment is involved in the entire process. In the past, baling hay involved dozens of staff members throwing bales onto trailers, hauling them to a barn and stacking them.

Just as our farm equipment is not on the radar of most campers, neither are the fields from which we farm our hay. Anokijig farms about 80 acres of hay, but not all of those hayfields belong to us. The picture in this post was taken about a mile North of Anokijig, along Highway E and the land is owned by two very generous supporters of Camp Anokijig, Brock & Lynn Brownrigg.

The Brownriggs have been very generous to Anokijig over the years and have been regularly donating their hay crops to us. Their generosity and the generosity of many other donors, including Case IH help us keep Anokijig and our Ranch Program affordable for our campers and we greatly appreciate their support!

All Weeks Still Open, But Not For Long!

As Week 2 comes to a close, enrollment at Anokijig continues to rise. All remaining weeks still have openings, however, three of those weeks are nearing capacity.

As of Friday, Week Four's Whitewater Rafting Day Trip and Adventure Trip are both close to closing. Week Four's Mini Camp is also near capacity and Competitive Swim Camp is at capacity.

There are also only a few spots remaining for Ranch Camp in Week Five and Resident Camp in that week only has about 16 spots left.

For Week Six, the Paintball Day Trip is near capacity, Circle A Riders are at capacity, Mini Camp is full and Resident Camp only has about 20 spots remaining.

Week Seven still has some space left in all areas (except Stampers), but Week Eight has just five spots remaining for Resident Camp. If you'd like to get your child into Anokijig for the week beginning on August 2nd, you should register today. The Ranch Program is nearly full for that week and the Mini Camp is already at capacity.

As we mentioned previously, our Stamper program is completely sold out for the entire summer. It's shaping up to be another wonderful summer at Anokijig. We hope your children can be a part of it!

Protecting Campers

Camper safety is our top priority at Anokijig and that includes protecting our campers and staff from swine flu. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently ran a story about steps being taken to protect the public against the spread of H1N1 influenza. You can read the entire story here- http://www.jsonline.com/features/health/48563372.html

When the JS interviewed Jim Scherer, what they found was that Anokijig had long ago implemented standard practices to help prevent the spread of contagious diseases. We weren't prompted to do so by any specific outbreak, but because we understand that thousands of families put their children in our care every year and it is our responsibility to look after them like they are our own.

Some of our standard practices include mandatory physicals for all campers and staff prior to arriving at camp, encouraging campers to wash their hands before every meal and requiring that they wipe their hands with Germ-X, prior to going through our food lines.

We also make sure campers don't sleep "head to head" in cabins and tents and suggest that when they need to sneeze, that they cover their mouths with the inside of their elbows, instead of their hands. We have other additional measures in place and realize that even with all of those precautions, there's still a chance that someone could pass something to someone else. That's just the world we live in and unless someone locks themselves in a sterile room, there will always be some inherent risk of interacting with our fellow man.

We do our best to implement reasonable practices that may not eliminate all risks, but will significantly reduce them, while allowing kids to have the time of their lives!