Come See a Funny Way To Raise Money Tonight!

Hello from Anokijig.

Hopefully, your Thanksgiving went well. We just wanted to let you know that if you haven’t gotten your tickets for Camp Anokijig’s Annual John McGivern Comedy Benefit there are still great seats available. Tickets for the show and raffle will both be available tonight at the show. Doors set to open at 6:30pm show starts at 7:30pm. It’s a great way to end up this holiday weekend. If you already have tickets we look forward to seeing you there. If you don’t have tickets yet, please consider joining us. Details below:

Tickets are now on sale for:

"A Funny Way to Raise Money" - An Evening with John McGivern.

Proceeds will Benefit Camp Anokijig’s Scholarship Program to help send less fortunate kids to a week of summer camp in 2011. .

Fresh from receiving two Emmy Nominations, John is putting together a great show once again. Come and join us for the stories, humor, and escapades of John McGivern (this year you may even hear a song or two). John has won critical acclaim all over the country for his work in comedy, theater, and cinema. His Midwest humor has made him a hometown celebrity here in Wisconsin. He may even have an Emmy in hand by the time of the show.

This is John’s only show in this area for the season. Don’t miss your only chance to laugh until you cry at John’s hilarious stories.

Date: November 27, 2010

Time: 7:30pm

Where: Plymouth High School Auditorium

Premium Seats - $22

Lower Auditorium - $18

Upper Balcony - $12

PLUS: Thanks to a generous donation we are offering a raffle to win:

A Sheboygan Getaway Package!

One lucky raffle ticket will allow the holder to enjoy a night in a one-bedroom suite at the new Sheboygan GrandStay Suites Hotel

including Gourmet Express Breakfast, and a $100 gift card to experience the irresistible cuisine of the Margaux Bistro and Wine Bar!

A $250.00 Value!

Raffle Tickets for the Getaway Package:

1 Ticket for $2.00

3 Tickets for $5.00

For sale at the door.

Click Here for show poster.
Click Here for seating chart.

Join us for a great event to help send kids to camp in 2011.

Take Care,

Darin Holden

Program Director

Camp Anokijig

www.anokijig.com

"Anokijig Changes Lives"

Tube-A-Thon 2011!!!

Hey Camp Fans!

We would like to formally invite you to Tube-a-thon 2011! Our yearly weekend of winter fun and fundraising for a great cause. Snow tubing, snow football, a night at the water park, and much more while helping kids come to Camp. Read on for more details and look for the links to help get the tools you need to participate and raise the money you need to join us!

Why Should You Raise Money for Tube-a-thon?

Tube-a-thon is a great event! It’s great to see your Camp friends after not seeing them since last fall or even last summer. Tube-a-thon is a weekend filled with tubing, laughing, Blue Harbor Water Park, hanging out, snow football, and prizes. But who is it really intended for? Who benefits?

· Tube-a-thon raises money to help send less privileged kids to a week of camp.

· Our goal is to get as many kids as possible to Camp.

· Lack of the financial means to pay for Camp should not stop a kid from having all the great experiences you have had at Camp.

· All money raised goes directly to the Campership Fund

· The Campership Fund is used to help families send their children to Camp even if they can’t afford the whole fee or any of it.

· Last year, Camp Anokijig gave out 219 camperships. That’s 219 kids who otherwise would not have had to the opportunity to have that Camp experience.

· Don’t forget that even if you can’t physically make it to the event you can still raise pledges and support the effort.

· YOU are helping make a difference!

How Do I Raise The Money?

Not long ago, it was common to go door-to-door in your neighborhood and ask for donations. Times have changed and people are often more wary of people asking for money. You have to use some tools to your advantage.

· Ask people you know, like friends, teachers, neighbors, relatives, your parents friends, etc... Since you know them, they are much more likely to be receptive to your request.

· Arm yourself with information. To be a good salesperson, which is what you really are at this point, you must know your product.

o Be able to answer these questions

o What is Tube-a-thon?

o Why are you raising money for it? (see above)

o Who gets the money? (see above)

o How much are you trying to raise?

· Set a goal for yourself. Often everyone goes for the minimum. Instead of raising just enough to come for the weekend, why not try to raise enough for one kid to come to Camp? $540

· Challenge Yourself!

Tools to Help You Reach Your Goal

Follow the links to these additional documents to get you on your way.

· Tube-a-thon Flyer and Registration Form (Online form)

o Our basic information sheet about the event

· 2011 Pledge Sheet

o To tally up the money you raise

· Sample Letter #1

o This is a general fundraising letter to get you started. Just cut, paste, and personalize it, and be on your way.

· Easy Steps to Raise $300 in a Week

o Here’s a plan to keep you focused

· Who Do You Know Worksheet

o Help organize who you are going to ask to help

Last Thoughts

Be diligent. The only way you will attain your goal is by working at it.

· Be bold. If you believe in what you are doing it comes through in what you say.

· Be creative. Bake sales, putting a collection jar at your parents work, challenging another participant to a fundraising challenge, etc. Your imagination is the only thing limiting you.

· Challenge yourself. Make a goal and go for it. Ask for help. The Camp staff are here as resources. We will be glad to help you in your efforts or to bounce ideas off of. We want to see you succeed! Feel free to message, e-mail or call us. We hope to see you in January!!

Attention Bloggers! We Want You!

We'd like to get some fresh voices for the Anokijig Insider and you can help. No one knows Anokijig better than those who have been there and we'd like you to share your Anokijig stories and memories with us.

We're looking for a wide range of stories, including such topics as-

• What program area did you work in?
  
• What was your favorite skill?
  
• Who was your favorite counselor or staff member?
  
• How has Anokijig changed your life?
• Where is your favorite place at Anokijig?
• What was your best summer memory?
• What was your best family camping or other weekend memory?

Submit your stories (and pictures) to anokijigtube@gmail.com and we'll get them posted on the Anokijig Insider. Be sure to include your name, so we can give you credit!

Congratulations to the Racine YMCA!

Camp Anokijig congratulates the Racine YMCA on the announcement of the new facility that will be constructed in Mount Pleasant. Anokijig supporters will remember five years ago, when Camp Anokijig was sold to the Friends of Camp Anokijig, for $5.5 million dollars, with the intent at that time for the proceeds to retire the YMCA's $2 million of debt on their downtown facility, while providing funding for a new facility in Racine.

We understand the economy has been difficult these past few years and things don't always go as planned, but we're happy to see the Racine YMCA making progress on achieving their goals. We're also happy to report that we're on schedule to reduce the outstanding debt from our purchase of Anokijig to $4 million by January 1, 2011.

We hope the new YMCA facility brings renewed energy to that organization and their programs. The Racine YMCA has a rich history of helping the Racine community and providing much-needed programs and services. We hope one of the programs that sees a comeback in Racine is the Y-Guide program, which is known to many of our alumni as "Indian Guides." These groups have historically been our largest weekend groups at Anokijig and we'd love to welcome back participants from the Racine community.

Are You Ready for Some Laughter in the Woods?

Are you ready for some Laughter in the Woods? No, not that "Woods!" Camp Anokijig's annual Laughter in the Woods dinner/fundraiser takes place this weekend at beautiful Western Lodge. This event is always entertaining event is a great way to help send deserving kids to Anokijig and we hope you can join us. Good seats are still available, so give the Camp office a call and make your reservations today- 920-893-0782

Congratulations Zach Nash!

While we are very proud of all our Anokijig alumni, it's not an every day occurrence that the rest of the world takes notice of our alumni and feels compelled to share a story about the positive values we emphasize at Anokijig. Today happens to be one of those days. One of our alumni, Zack Nash, recently won his age group for the Milwaukee County Parks Tour Invitational, only to find out after the fact, that he accidentally carried one club too many in his bag during the tournament.

The rules are very clear on what must be done in these instances and even though he's only 14 years old and could have elected to simply not mention this oversight to anyone, Zach did the right thing, reported this violation and gave up his victory. While he may not have won that tournament, he scored a big win in life by doing the right thing and we're very proud of him. We know this story may not be salacious or controversial enough for Deadspin.com, but it is perfect for the Anokijig Insider. You can read the full story here- http://www.jsonline.com/sports/golf/101941838.html

Fantastic News!

We have some fantastic news to announce this morning, but first we need to give you a little background. Last weekend, the American Le Mans Series came to Road America for it's annual race. That is of significance to us, because one of our alumni, Dan Binks, is the Crew Chief for the Pratt&Miller Corvette teams that run in that series. Dan and his father, Phil, have both been tremendously generous to Anokijig over the years, not only in their own giving, but in opening the doors for us to meet other folks, who have helped Anokijig in many significant ways.

While there are many people who have played a part in creating Anokijig and transitioning it into an independent camp, the contributions of the Binks family cannot go unrecognized. In fact, it could easily be said that Anokijig would not be here today, were it not for the Binks family. Given their strong connection to Anokijig and our deep appreciation for their efforts, we always look forward to a visit from any of the Binks clan, as they roll through our neighborhood and last weekend was no exception.

Dan brought his family with him (as he often does) and we gave them the grand tour at Anokijig. We also spent some time with Dan at Road America, which is always an amazing experience. It is clear to us that Dan shares our passion for Anokijig and the programs and services we offer for children and families and he is always advocating on our behalf. A few months ago, he mentioned that one of his friends in the racing community might be interested in helping us and asked what our significant needs might be in the near future.

While the debt incurred to save Anokijig is shrinking, it still looms over us as a strong reminder of how close we came to losing this very special place. Dan understands as well as we do, that eliminating that debt once and for all is always our top priority. However, we also know "debt reduction" isn't the most-attractive option for potential donors, so we came up with a suggestion that was very much a concern of ours and definitely needed attention- Anokijig's green Suburban.

This 1997 Suburban has been a tremendous vehicle for us and has been with us for nearly ten years now. Even though it had over 100,000 miles on it when it was donated, it still served us very well and we've subsequently managed to put nearly 300,000 on the odometer! Like any vehicle with that kind of mileage, the Suburban is starting to show it's age. The 3/4-ton chassis has been a blessing for towing heavy loads, like the Allegheny (pictured) and our horse trailers and the four-wheel drive has carried us through many winters.

This truck has also been used to take Anokijig campers on countless adventure trips as far away as Canada, so reliability is even more of a concern in that regard. Our board and staff have been talking for quite some time about finding a replacement for it, but like any other significant expense, they try to prioritize and see if more economical alternatives exist.

It occurred to us that finding a replacement for this Suburban might be a great way for someone to help us in a significant and meaningful way. We began talking to our friends in the automotive world and gathered wholesale and retail prices on used, 3/4-ton Suburbans with four-wheel drive, since those were our two key concerns. Colors and other options were not a concern, but we needed something that could tow heavy loads and handle Wisconsin winters. We found a used Suburban locally at Van Horn Chevrolet and Teresa Van Horn was willing to offer us a significant discount on that vehicle, so it seemed like the perfect fit for our needs.

One of the PR folks at Pratt&Miller put together a mock-up of a similar Suburban with Anokijig logos on it, as well as the logos of the company Dan Binks' friend owns, similar to what we've done recently with other donated vehicles. Dan presented the idea of the Suburban to his friend, Greg Pickett, the owner of Muscle Milk, and Mr. Pickett agreed to help us, with one condition- if he was going to do this, the truck had to be brand-new!

Dan was absolutely floored by Mr. Pickett's generosity, as we all were. We surely cannot thank him enough and greatly appreciate his gift. We try not to overburden Anokijig supporters with tasks and requests, but we felt in this situation, it might be appropriate to mention something to all of you. One of the most-coveted awards in the American Le Mans Series is the "Most Popular Driver" award, which is voted on by the fans. Mr. Pickett happens to be one of the drivers eligible and if you feel so compelled, you can vote for him at this link- http://www.americanlemans.com/primary1.php?cat=poll
Thank you Dan Binks!
Thank you Greg Pickett!

Thank You Anokijig Campers!

Thank you Anokijig campers for another wonderful summer of camping on the shores of Little Elkhart Lake! We had a fantastic summer and we hope you did too. We also hope you'll come back and see us soon and remember, you don't need to wait until next summer. We have great family camping opportunities coming up this month. Until we see you again, please enjoy this video recap of our 2010 summer camping season-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbt5tVUjGdk

Greetings from Anokijig!

We’re deep into summer camp 2010 and everyone is having a great time with the first days of session 8. The weather is warm the lake is perfect, and yesterday was Western Day. We’ve already competed 7 wonderful weeks with thousands of campers getting the chance to experience the wonder that is Anokijig. With one more session yet to begin this upcoming Sunday, we wanted to let you know that if you know of a camper or are a camper that would still like to have a great experience at camp; session 9 has just a few openings left. This is your last chance to get in on the fun for 2010.

We’ve made it incredibly easy to get a spot for next week; choose your method:

· Easy online registration at https://www.anokijig.com/registration.aspx

· Download a printable form for fax at http://www.anokijig.com/2010%20Registration%20Form.pdf

· Or call our office direct at 1-800-741-6931 (920-893-0782) and we’ll gladly have a real live person ready to help you.

· All of the camp forms that you’ll need are available for download at http://www.anokijig.com/forms.htm

· All late fees are waived and as always we’ll do everything we can to make sure your registration process is as easy as possible.

For details on all of our programs offerings and happenings see www.anokijig.com

So pass the word, during Session 9 Anokijig has in store:

· Pirate day

· 50 horses to ride

· Tons of Sailboats and Windsurfs to sail

· Ukulele band

· Woodworking

· Crafts

· Trail crafts

· Fishing

· Nature

· Drama

· Dance

· Land games

· Field riots

· Archery

· Pellet gun

· Aquatics

· Campfires

· Talent show

· Day trips to Noahs Ark waterpark, paintball, rock climbing, and Fondy Sports Park.

· Beach Party

· The last camp dance of 2010!

· and much much more.

If you are one of the many that have already secured your place in session 9, we can’t wait to see you! Also remember if you recruit a new friend to come to camp you get a discount, recruit 5 new friends and your week is FREE.

If you’re not signed up, don’t miss your chance for another week of Outrageous fun, New friends, Old friends, and Incredible experiences at Camp Anokijig!

See you soon!

Take Care,

Darin Holden
Program Director

"Anokijig Changes Lives"

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!

Learning to Swim- One of Life's Most Important Skills!

There was a time in this country, that many major universities required that students demonstrate proficiency in swimming, prior to graduation. The thought behind this requirement was that universities were preparing young people with the skills needed to survive in the world.

These universities knew that virtually all of their graduates would find themselves in a situation at some point in their life, where they needed to know how to swim and they wanted them to be ready. Sadly, this requirement has been dropped at many schools and many people are now left to learn how to swim on their own. Some families love being in and around the water and children in those families generally learn at a very young age. However, there are many families that do not spend much time around the water and as a result, those children often lack basic swimming or water survival skills.

Swim tests are one of the first activities for all Anokijig campers. We surrouned a beautiful lake and many of our activities take place in it or near it, so we need to know what kind of swimmers our campers are. Some campers come to Anokijig having never learned how to swim, while other campers do know how to swim, but have a fear of any body of water that doesn't have chlorine in it. Our swim program helps all Anokijig campers develop a comfort level in lake water, with many of our campers learning how to swim.

We think this is still an important skill for all of our campers to learn and we're happy to be able to provide this service to children and families. We recently created a YouTube video that also talks about our swimming program, which you can watch here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98BB4UEVx1U