Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,
One of the many pearls of wisdom we share with our kids and staff in the form of a pre-meal “grace,” is “You can judge a man by the company he keeps.” We’re not sure who originally penned that, but the limitless resources on the Web say it was Euripides in the 400s BC. That notion has been rolling around in my head a little lately (probably due to an excess of available space) as we turn the corner on spring and start ramping up for summer. I was reminded recently about my earliest days of running camp when I was long on ambition, fueled by dreams, and quite short on experience. As plans were crafted on various new approaches to leadership, counseling, programming, etc., I recall a strong compulsion to seek out allies. Like any old institution, change comes hard in a traditional camp, and
discovering allies with whom I could share a common goal was always a major boost.
Camp may not be a completely representative sampling of the world, but in many ways can be a microcosm of the larger world. And just as I needed allies in camp, everyone benefits from allies as they navigate their school years, their university/college experience, and their adulthood and professional lives. And it goes both ways….we benefit when we secure allies, and we benefit when we provide an alliance to others. There’s almost no scenario involving human beings when alliances could be deemed as non essential. Consider tennis players or boxers or golfers….who engage in solo sports. They have supporters, coaches, etc. Those are allies. It’s just human nature…we all need allies.
Here we are, roughly 80 days from the start of camp (whaaaat???!!!!), and when we look at who we know is going to be part of our community this summer, we can see that we are flush with allies. Waiting for you this summer, we’ve got loads of friends…guys your age, maybe older, maybe younger who are ready to be your ally. And we’ve got AWESOME counselors, trip leaders, activity specialists, nurses, cooks and maintenance folks who are all – by definition – your allies. If we can judge a man by the company he keeps, you’re all pretty amazing people this summer. (And long past that too….of course.)
Back in the day, I had a few good allies to keep me energized and focused. Of course, Rick & Holly Jones were my first great allies, and it is incredible that they are both still a huge part of camp, some 32 years later. Also back then, we became close with JEFF LEIKEN, who was a Junior Counselor at camp. At that young age, Jeff’s passion for guiding kids into positive, healthy choices and approaches to life was abundantly clear, and we became strong allies together as he spent a total of 16 summers at camp. Today Jeff is a mentor to young people the world over, and he stays connected to camping by training camp directors and staff to be effective allies for kids. One of his main focusses is on teenagers and adolescents, and he has published a new book that we highly recommend to all parents with kids in or approaching that fun and challenging stage in life. HIs book is titled Adolescence is Not a Disease: Beyond Drinking, Drugs, and Dangerous Friends: The Journey to Adulthood, and it is available on Amazon. It is smart, it is a great read, and we believe parents will find it timely and very helpful.
 We are leaning into the home stretch, and we are excited about all of the great returning and first- year campers we will be able to share our summer with. Space is still available in most age groups for 2nd session, so if you’re still giving it some thought…c’mon! Join us!
Welcome back to “old-timer” AJENE COOKS of Chicago. And welcome aboard to the following first-year campers who are joining us: KOBE CERRA of Kildare, IL; MAC CLOW of Scottsdale, AZ; ELI WACKSMAN of Seattle, WA; ADAM BELKER of Chicago, IL; and MAXIMO CEPEDA of Puebla, Mexico! The nice weather is settling in and summer is coming soon!! |
YO PARENTS: We’re pretty impressed with how the paper work circus is shaping up. Congrats to all of you over-achieving parents who have submitted forms to us online and through your CampDoc page. It’s impressive, but if you’re not in that elite group, don’t worry about it! Remember, most forms aren’t due to us till October 15th. So throw those feet up, kick back, and then maybe start chipping away at it soon, okay?
Remember, your son’s financial account info is always online on your Keylog page. So you can email us if you want to know where things stand, but you can also just check it out yourself. In a few weeks we’ll send you a reminder email that your balance payment is due on May 15th.
There are a few new things on your Parent Keylog page for this month. The April Information document has an overview of several important things including communication during the summer, how we handle birthdays at camp, how meals work, etc. Please be sure to read the whole thing. It’ll take you less than 10 minutes.
A REMINDER ABOUT MEDICATIONS: Please remember that we require any REGULARLY SCHEDULED, PILL-FORM, PRESCRIPTION medication to be filled by the CampDoc pharmacy. There is a document on your Keylog page that has info and FAQs about their pharmacy and filling medication orders. If your son’s medication fits the criteria, please be sure to read that document.
Any other medications must be mailed to camp and arrive 2 weeks prior to your camper’s arrival. We will prepare and dispense them at no additional charge.
MEDICATIONS THAT ARRIVE AT CAMP LATE WILL INCUR ADDITIONAL CHARGES AS FOLLOWS:
– Medications that arrive after the 2 week mark prior to camper’s arrival: $25 per late arriving medication
– Medications that arrive the day of or anytime after camper’s arrival: $50 per late arriving medication. Of course, this would not apply to prescriptions written after those dates have already passed. Prepping all the medications our nurses are responsible for dispensing takes time, and this program allows us the time we need to do so carefully and avoid any errors.
Prescription meds must be in the original bottle with the label so we can dispense those meds according to doctor’s prescriptions. This includes liquids or sprays or 
pills taken as needed, not on a regular schedule. Non-prescription medications must be accompanied by specific dosage and dispensing instructions from a parent/ legal guardian. Instructions must include time for dispensing (breakfast, lunch, dinner, or bedtime).
And…finally, WE REQUIRE A WRITTEN DOCTOR’S ORDER TO DISPENSE ANY TYPE OF SLEEP AID TO CAMPERS. This includes Melatonin, Advil PM, etc. Camp is an active, healthy place free of blue light from electronic screens. Even kids who are highly sleep-challenged at home fall asleep quickly and naturally at camp.
YO OLD GUYS: We have mailed out Little Brother information to all of our Big Brother guys so far. All of our returning campers finishing 8th or 9th grade have Little Bros already. We will have some more new campers on the way, so some of you may be asked to be a Big Bro to another new camper. It is really important that you CALL (which is different from texting, emailing, Facebooking, etc) your little brother in the next week or so. Please reach out and make a new friend. It may feel a little awkward at first, but you have the bond of camp with each other, you’re just getting it started a little early. Parents, if your son is a Big Brother, please help him remember to make that call. If your son is a new camper, please let us know if you don’t hear from his big brother by the end of this month.
|
YO ALL CAMPERS: If you are a returning camper, we hope you will heed the call of the wild! What are we talking about? Boundary A few of our trips are available for pre-registration, including the Isle Royale 10 day Backpack trip (1st session), the Isle 6 day trip (2nd session), the Sand River (1st session), the Quetico (2nd session), and the Apostle Islands (either session). You can sign up for that online by logging on to our website, clicking the “Current Camp Folks” link at the top, then clicking the “Trips Info” link, and finally, the “advanced registration” link. Phew. That’ll get you out there!! If this is your first summer coming up, never you worry! You will have some AMAZING opportunities to get out on beautiful, remote trips, if you want. These longer trips that are available for pre-registration are for kids with lots of camping experience. Hey! That could be you in the not-too-distant future! |
Waters, Isle Royale, Sand River, Apostle Islands…wild places that most humans never get the chance to explore or even see. Here is your opportunity to experience some true wilderness. We have emailed everyone their trip histories and a list of what your next possible trips might be. Take a look at that, and also check out our Trips Progression chart on our website. If you’re eligible, or can become eligible to get out there this summer, we really encourage you to do so. YO STAFF: We know you may have exams and papers to think about as the school year winds down, and we sincerely hate to distract you from that. But we will. For a while there, the summer was creeping up slowly. But things are starting to happen faster and faster, and before ya know it, we will be back in the Northwoods again. So, we need you to start taking care of some paper work for us. Yay!
- If you have any certifications that are relative to camp, please be sure we have copies of those. If you are a returning staff member, and the copies we have from last year are still valid, you’re set. If there are any changes, we need a copy of the new card or certificate. If you have certifications that will expire before the end of the summer, please be sure to contact us and either sign up for one of the courses we are offering at camp (Lifeguard Training, Lifeguard Challenge, CPR
Challenge, etc), or tell us what course you will take before you arrive at camp. If you have already taken care of this and informed us, you don’t have to do so again. REMEMBER, WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO BECOME A CERTIFIED LIFEGUARD! The more, the merrier, and this certification, which lasts 2 years, is FREE!. Beat that deal! To see who we have signed up for certification courses at camp as of the publication of this issue, please click here. Thanks very much.
- Check your Staff Keylog Page!! There, you’ll find:
- Your “official” way to sign up for extra training like Boat Driver, LGT, and LGT or CPR re-certs.
- Your Travel-to-Camp plans. It’s definitely not too early to get that sorted out.
- Your Tax forms. Need new ones every year.
- W4 and WT4Packing Lists to use as a guideline
- Child Labor Permit form (a requirement for 1st Year JCs only)
- STAFF MANUAL COMING SOON! We are tweaking and updating our Staff Manual, and will upload a PDF version to your Staff Keylog page soon. We’ll notify you when it’s ready. Then you get to read, read, read!
- Please don’t forget to log into your CampDoc account and complete your Health Profile.
 Remember those allies we were talking about before? We have a few more to welcome back. Including these folks, and all the others we’ve told you about in the last several months, so far we have a total of 645 summers of Timberlane experience represented in our returning staff. 645!! That is nothing short of amazing, and that seals the deal….y’all are going to have the greatest summer ever! Wow!
So, welcome back to the following “old-timers” who will be with us again this summer:
Please say hello to the following first-year staff who will join us this summer. We’re so excited to work with them and see them in action!
|
 Thanks to everyone who sent in some news after my (desperate) appeal. Here’s what we  know: Spring break has been great for a bunch of guys. From Los Angeles, ILAN REISS spent his spring vacation in Ixtapa, Mexico. He’s currently playing on the Cardinals in the Bronco baseball league. From Nashville, JACOB VINER went parasailing and snorkeling in Turks and Caicos. GRAHAM & MAX ELLIOT went to Florida and took in some Mets spring training games. ZACHARY & RYAN HEARST also did some snorkeling in Honduras on their Caribbean cruise. They also sailed on a catamaran in Mexico, and rode horses in Belize. In Chicago, AJ STEWART visited Niagara Falls and then checked out the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on the drive home. JOEY SALIT and his mom and brother paid a visit to the Old Pueblo (Tucson), hit some sights, and had a yummy Mexican lunch with us Cohens. ANDREW KARMIN, ETHAN LETWAT, and ALEXANDER ZLOTNIK took in a Bulls game together recently. DANIEL SOLOT took a trip to Houston where he spent some time with AIDAN FELDMAN, and they checked out the rodeo. Aidan is playing 3rd base, outfield, and pitching for his spring baseball team. SIMON KANOVITZ has the lead role of Charlie in his school’s rendition of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” He’s also joining some theater workshops in Chicago, including Second City. St. Louisans IAN & MICHAEL LYNCH went to Todos Santos, Mexico with 64 of their family’s best friends. They surfed, boogie boarded, and listened to musicians who made the trip with them from St Louis, San Diego, and Park City. BEN & SAM SIWAK spent spring break in Aspen. Sam’s a skier, and Ben’s a rider. ETHAN & TYLER DEUTSCH hit the slopes of Vail for their spring break. WILL, HENRY, and NOAH COEN took in some of the Sweet 16 action when the show was in St. Louis. From Dallas, DREW CUSHING went to Big Bend National Park and canoed the Rio Grande and zip lined and hiked. In Rockville, MD, WILL SEXTER just finished his ski racing season and is now running track. NOAH SEXTER finished an undefeated basketball season, and is getting ready for baseball season. |
  BRIAN STRAIN took a road trip from Denver recently that brought him to Tucson for a few days. We played some golf, ate some great food, and had a fun time. Also from Denver, HITCH & CORRIE HITCHENS spent part of their spring break in Taos with CARTER & LIAM. ZACHARY ZLEPPER caught a might big fish on a boat that seems to be on an ocean somewhere (probably not St. Louis). He sure was pumped about that! While on his family’s England Adventure, AIDAN DOYAL happened upon none other than “old-timer” ROSS KING. After a fun ski trip to Colorado, it was back to work for DUSTY COHEN at two different restaurants in Madison. While at work recently, he recognized some customers, who happened to be “old-timer” DAVID GLAZER and family in from Denver to visit David’s sister and check out UW for the future. SAMMY COHEN spent part of her spring break on the beaches of Florida with her pals on the Northwestern Ultimate Frisbee team. On a quick pass through New Orleans she caught up with “old-timers” DAVID GAIDAMAK and SCOTT MAYER. Congrats to SCOTT WOLF who learned he will be attending DePaul University in Chicago next year to earn his Masters degree in Education and become a teacher!! How lucky are those future students gonna be? And congrats to ROSS KRULISKY who was accepted into a study abroad program that will have him in New Zealand for about 3 weeks before camp. One of our camp nurses, KAREN MCKELVEY, leads a very interesting life near Tucson during the “off-season.” She  lives in a small community called Cascabel, which is in a beautiful, rolling hills part of the desert. She currently lives in a pretty minimalist house that is small, but very efficient. In the fall, after camp, she will begin construction on her new little house, which will sit on 20 acres. The people living there mostly live on large plots of land with a lot of separation between them, but they come together often and help each other out. They have a community garden that they all work in and harvest from, and it is a style of life that is a little slower than what most live these days, very outdoor and adventure oriented, and also warm and welcoming. BILL MILLER and I had a chance to spend a day with Karen walking, off-roading (just so we could get to her house), and meeting her friends. They are a bunch of smart, highly educated, and very content people. What an unusual – and yet very appealing way to live. |
BRAVO TO THE APRIL BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Sean Patrick Fehrenbach – 4/2/2003, Michael Gordon – 4/4/2003, Jordan Plocker – 4/4/2005, Charlie Callen – 4/8/2004, Owen Monieson – 4/8/2003, Ethan Letwat – 4/10/2001, Brian Barlow – 4/11/1995, Aleja Rodriguez – 4/11/1992, Daniel Solot – 4/11/2003, Matt Mossler – 4/12/2000, Zachary Liss – 4/14/2005, Joey Bursten – 4/15/1997, Nick Von Kuensberg Sarre – 4/15/2001, Jared Burgdorf – 4/17/1992, Evan Bloom – 4/18/2004, Daniel Friedland – 4/18/2003, Josh Meyer – 4/18/2002, Keghan Connor – 4/19/1993, Juan Carlos De Gante Mora – 4/19/1992, Al Amin Anderson El – 4/21/2005, Aaron Berns – 4/21/2006, Brandon Gomel – 4/21/1999, Zach Kallmeyer – 4/21/2001, Alexander Weitzman – 4/21/2000, Matthew Paley – 4/22/2004, Evan Goreham – 4/23/1995, Noah Coen – 4/24/2007, Nikki Moscinski – 4/24/1996, Noah Sexter – 4/24/2006, Jack Becker – 4/25/2005, Adam Stewart – 4/25/2005, Levi Raskin – 4/26/2002, Hitch Hitchens – 4/27/1957, Simon Kanovitz – 4/27/2006, Bryan Berkowitz – 4/29/2001, Evan Waldman – 4/29/2006.
The May issue of “Timberlife!” will be the very last one we write in Tucson. After the first week of May, we will pack up and head north to camp! We are so darn excited….we hope you all are too!
Benches up,
