Camp Echo Alumni E-News December 18, 2008 Welcome to all our new subscribers! Our last email newsletter was dated November 24, 2008 If you don't want to receive these emails, reply and let us know, and we'll take you off the email distribution list. Contents -------- Adult Alumni Reunion: Pre-Reunion Gatherings! Summer 2009 Update Projects at Camp Naming Opportunity Aiken-Talley Society Wish List Alumni Notes - Jon Brenner and Terry Brenner - Monte Carpenter - Shane Dubow - Colleen Calderwood Houlahan - Mindie Kniss - Laurie Kallick Sans - Claire Zulkey - Mystery Child Alumni Notes in a Linked PDF http://www.ymcacampecho.org/newsletter/alumninotes1208.pdf - Bob Abell - Bartek Bartoszewicz - Brian Becharas - Emily Jean Bryant - Sandra Miller Byrne - Audrey Christensen Rowe and Casey Christensen - Eric Durant - Kate Green - Al Head - Stefanie Hoelldampf - Melissa Nehrling Holmgren - Calvin Gibson and Lee White - Marci Gray - Chuck Heisinger - Laurie LaComb White and Paul White - Robin Mason - Colin Kisor - Duncan McDougal - Emily Mencoff - Lee Collins Renk - Dave Robertson - Barb Nehrling - Sarah Christmas Pena - Vickie Laughlin Smith - Mike Walsh - Peter Wehrwein - Stacey Williams - Jack L. Wiese - Richard Wollenberger Alumni Website Song of the Month: TONGO Adult Alumni Reunion -------------------- Our reunion this year is on the Sunday after Christmas. Sunday, December 28, starting at 8:00 pm Prairie Moon Restaurant, 1502 Sherman Ave, Evanston Again this year, we're using this event to raise money for the "Send a Kid to Camp" fund, which provides scholarships for 12 campers each summer, as identified for us by the Ted Fund of Evanston. A $20 donation is suggested. We know of a few Pre-Reunion Gatherings of camp friends from their years at camp, at homes or local restaurants, on the day of the Alumni Reunion. The 70's, coordinated by Katie Trippi, Cathy Fischl, Mary Fisch, Paul Fischl, and John Fischl, at Prairie Moon. RSVP to Katie Early 90's, hosted by Sarah Lloyd-Still Laing, Dan Israelite, Adam Chiss, and Casey Lewis Varela, at the Open Studio Project. RSVP to Sarah Late 90's & 05 & 06, hosted by Brian Miller and Melissa Quinn at their home. RSVP to Brian Still looking for hosts for other eras. Email Katie Trippi! Even if you can't attend the reunion, you can donate with PayPal: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/donate.html Summer 2009 Update ------------------ Registration for summer 2009 started Monday December 1. Check out our website: http://www.ymcacampecho.org We have already filled over 400 spots at camp with returning campers, and 41 families have already registered for our four family camps. (While some of the most popular programs and sessions fill early, there are still over 800 spots open.) We encourage working alumni who can't give up an entire summer join us as staff members for Family Camps, Outdoor Education, or Work Weekends. Some summer staff positions are available session-by-session to alumni: Town Run, Health Officer, Senior Maintenance Staff, and Social Worker. Let us know if you are interested! Projects at Camp ---------------- We've made some exciting changes at Camp Echo, and more are in progress. Click here to see pictures of the recent projects made possible by our wonderful donors -- new round tables and chairs in the Dining Hall; a wrap-around Deck on the east side of the Dining Hall; upgraded Basketball a nd Tennis Courts with a Viewing Area by the lake; exciting games on the peninsula including GaGa; a new Low Ropes course distinct and different from the original Team Elements course; a new Bouldering Facility; and more! http://ymcacampecho.org/recentprojects.html Each project is carefully considered in light of our Master Plan, available online as a fairly large PDF (it might take a while to load on your screen) at: http://ymcacampecho.org/Echo_Master_Plan.pdf We are currently seeking a leadership gift for the replacement of Kybo North. We've also completed an engineering study that will guide us as we connect to the sewer system that services the homes across the lake; wastewater is then treated at the White Cloud Sherman Utilities. Since these upgrades to our infrastructure are essential prerequisites to adding new cabins and buildings, this step is crucial to our success. Please contact Katie Trippi or Rob Grierson if you can help. Naming Opportunity ----------------- We're naming our staff cabins ("Peaks") that up until now have been referred to by number. Several cabins are spoken for, and we're in discussions for the others. Contact Katie Trippi as soon as possible if your family is interested in making this type of significant contribution as a lasting legacy to Camp Echo, and we'll add you to the waiting list for this specific opportunity. Click here to see pictures of the cabins whose names have been finalized, which include Bill and Ryan Behrends, Burke's Bunkhouse, and Sisters: http://ymcacampecho.org/recentlynamed.html Aiken-Talley Society -------------------- The Aiken-Talley Society was created in 2006 by the McGaw YMCA Board of Directors to recognize growing number of visionary benefactors who have generously contributed to the long-term health of the McGaw YMCA by including the Association in their estate plans. The Society is named for Mayhew P. Aiken, the first president of the Evanston YMCA established in 1885, and the Rev. James Talley, the first Executive Secretary of the Emerson Street YMCA established in 1914 for the African American community in Evanston. The two YMCA's were merged in the 1960s at our present location. If you have already named Camp Echo or the McGaw YMCA in your estate plan, or if you are considering doing so, please contact the Camp Echo Development Director. We want to be sure that we honor you as a member of the Aiken-Talley Society. Wish List --------- Camp Echo welcomes donations of the following items: - Macintosh computers (G4/750 or better) - Power tools - Decks of cards - DVD movies (G or PG) - 35mm film cameras - Board games - Arts & Crafts supplies - Sailboats (Sunfish, or Barnett 1400) - Vehicles (roadworthy, air bags, ABS, under 100,000 miles) - Water skis or Wakeboards (in excellent shape) Alumni Notes ------------ As you may know from our mid-summer e-bulletin, Jon Brenner, trip leader in the 80s and 90s and Family Camper in the 2000s, is battling brain cancer. His wife Terry is maintaining an informative and uplifting journal chronicling their journey as a family on the CaringBridge website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jonbrenner -- Monte Carpenter, CIT and staff member in the 90s, and alumni CIT Director for a session in 2007 wrote in April, "I have arrived in Thule, Greenland. Currently, the land of the perpetual Sun (it's light out 24/7 at this time.) I am maintaining a blog [with fantastic pictures! - Ed.] about my adventures here, and I wanted to share the address: http://arcticcenturion.spaces.live.com/ The Internet is really expensive here, so I do not know how much I will post, but I will try to do so as much as possible. I hope everyone is doing well!" -- Shane Dubow, Boys Camp camper in 1978, Main Camp camper in 1981, and staff member for many summers in the 80s and 90s, wrote, "We're developing an environmental podcast over at the Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago, where I've been working. It's all about green living in the big city. Listen in, and join our mailing list! We're also accepting tax-deductible donations and offering sponsorships." http://www.lgpshow.org/ -- Colleen Calderwood Houlahan, Girls Camp Junior Counselor in 1958 and 1959 and Family Camp camper in the 70s and 2000s wrote, "Hives for Lives Honey is on the shelf at Whole Foods! As you may know, my granddaughters Molly and Carly Houlahan started the business four years ago by installing the hives, raising the bees, bottling, marketing, and selling the honey in honor of their grandfather Mike Houlahan. The honey is lightly filtered and not bottled at high temperatures like other honey. This leaves it as pure as it can be and with as much of the original nutrients and flavor as possible. It comes in a 12-ounce jar and sells for $10. All proceeds form the midwest sales will be given to cancer research as the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Minnesota -- local money from local honey! So far the girls have raised over $150,000 for cancer research. In the summer of 2007 Molly and Carly received our nation's highest volunteer award personally presented by President Bush." Check out the website: http://www.hivesforlives.com/ -- Mindie Kniss, Main Camp camper in the early 90s and staff member in the late 90s and early 2000s wrote, "I'm thrilled to have begun my new radio show on 7thWaveNetwork, 'Awaken Consciousness' starting September 23 and airing at 10am PST on Tuesdays." Here's a link to Mindie's host page; you'll hear 7thWaveNetwork live. Mindie will be taking a few months off, but you can listen to archived shows: http://www.modavox.com/voiceamericacms/WebModules/HostModaview.aspx?HostId=553&ChannelId=4&Flag=1 Mindie is also one of 50 contributing co-authors to the book "Wake Up Women: Be Happy, Healthy & Wealthy," which will be published soon: http://wuwbestseller.com/ -- Laurie Kallick Sans, Girls Camp camper 1957-59, sent us this: "Do you ever include pictures in the alumni newsletter? If so, maybe you can include this one and someone can identify these counselors. It's from 1958." Click here to view the picture: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/temporary/Mystery_Counselors.jpg -- Claire Zulkey, Main Camp Camper 1987-1994 and Assistant Counselor 1995 and 1996 wrote, "I submitted a couple of shots of mine from Camp Echo to the 'Camp Camp' people, and they made it into the book! They were chosen from among 80,000 pictures sent in over a three-year period. One is of just me but another was a cabin shot." CAMP CAMP: WHERE FANTASY ISLAND MEETS LORD OF THE FLIES Published June 2008, their companion website has a lot of fun stuff on it: http://campcampbook.blogspot.com/ -- We found this photo here in the Echo Office in a file box from the early 1990s. Calling all creative alumni! Most Creative Caption Contest! Submit your entry by January 10. http://www.ymcacampecho.org/temporary/Mystery_Child_sm.jpg -- We have too many alumni notes for one email! Click here for a PDF with more news: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/newsletter/alumninotes1208.pdf Alumni Website -------------- We now list over 9,000 former campers and staff members! We have emails for over 1,800. Look yourself up with "Index by Name" and look for your peers with "Lists by Year." Click here for the site: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/alumni.html Use "Submit My Info" to send us updates and changes. You can email any other member of the list whose name appears as an underlined hyperlink. Their email address is not revealed unless they choose to reply to your message. Song of the Month: TONGO ------------------------ Ton-go, Ton-go, Jim-nee-bye, bye-oh Jim-nee-bye, bye-oh Ton-go, Ton-go, Oom-ba-dee, kim-bye-oh Oom-ba-dee, kim-bye-oh Ooh-ah-lay, Ooh-ah-lay, Mah-le-ka-ah-lo-way, Mah-le-ka-ah-lo-way Here's the tune, on the web, in MP3 format: http://library.thinkquest.org/J001272F/folklife/music/tongo.htm Nurture The Spirit! -- Rob Grierson, Camp Echo Director