Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,
Happy New Year everyone!! We hope you have all enjoyed a nice holiday and are excited for a fun, productive, happy and healthy 2018. We can take a lot of lessons from experiences positive and negative that we lived through and absorbed last year. Isn’t that the beauty of the human experience? If we were to put a dozen people in a room together, we can expect to have 12 different viewpoints and opinions on any given topic, be that sports, food, music, politics, what have you. We can expect some, or even many of those opinions to be held very strongly. That’s a good thing, as having spirited debates is how we learn and make progress. However, in recent years, and to a great degree in this past year, many national figures have neglected to express their disagreements in an agreeable, civil way. Outrage is becoming the litmus test for passion. If you’re not angry and even incensed about an issue, your credibility is in question. This is problematic because we know that anger and emotion cloud judgement and hinder the ability to make good decisions. So, in our current environment, does it seem plausible we must have impaired judgement to be considered passionate and credible in our viewpoints? If that was only true of politicians, that would be one thing. Unfortunately, we have experienced this ourselves with people who are not in politics. Just in casual conversation with acquaintances, sometimes even friends, we’ve seen civility quickly and easily give way to anger and vitriol. Among adults. Not so good.
So will 2018 see improvement in this regard? No one can know for sure, but it is unlikely things will change quickly. But cheer up, people! We have good cause to be optimistic in the longer run and that cause is called CAMP. We see cause for optimism daily in our cabins and on our trips at camp. Each of our cabin groups and trip groups has a number of participants who have their opinions on how things should be done, what is good and what is not, etc. There is continuous and lively debate at camp about things like baseball, favorite foods, who’s turn is it to sweep the floor, Capture the Flag rules, music, and much more. And, these kids spend concentrated time together….camp is group living all day every day. Granted, our campers are not in a position to wield broad influence….yet. But to them, the issues they discuss are very important! And yet, with a little help from their counselors and admittedly with some occasional exceptions, they express themselves, they listen to others do the same, and then they do something that seems to be a relic of bygone days; they compromise. They walk a mile in the other guy’s moccasins. They make the effort to understand each other and come to a mutually acceptable solution.
These camp kids…YOUR kids…will grow up and take their place in leadership before we know it. Let’s celebrate and look forward to that! Here’s a New Year’s resolution to consider….may we resolve to follow the example set by our kids and try very hard to handle our disagreements in civil, constructive, and agreeable ways. If we can listen to each other just like our campers so often manage to do, we can right the ship, and pass along a more healthy and productive world to the next generation. Cheers!
SNOWY SCENES FROM CAMP!
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So…how ’bout Mother Nature?! Quite a show she’s put on in the past several weeks. Our southern California families sure had a scare as the fires around them raged and spread. We have heard from all of our camp folks there and everyone is safe, which is a great relief. While heating things up there, much of the rest of the country has been in a very deep freeze, including camp. Our caretaker, GREG FUS reported that the mercury has not risen above zero in more than a week, with at least another week of subzero expected. Fortunately, there’s been some snow, which bodes well for a good thaw and a healthy lake level…not that we have anything to worry about there. We love seeing the photos Greg takes this time of year, and hope you do too.
YO PARENTS: As we round the corner and head towards summer, there is quite a bit of information to help you prepare for camp. We have it all organized for you in your Parent Handbook, which you can always access from your Keylog Page. With the exception of time-sensitive information, such as flight schedules, everything you’ll need is organized and spelled out for you. It is a beefy document, so if you start on it soon, you and your son will be well prepared, and that benefits everyone. We will ALWAYS send you email reminders as important dates arrive when information is needed.
We’ve experienced a typical “lull” in enrollment around the holiday season, and we expect things will pick up again now that summer is a little more visible over the horizon. Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled last month: JORDAN FREUND and ELI OKUM of Los Angeles, CA; GIL RON of Chicago, IL; COBY TEICH of Highland Park, IL; JACK SCHWARCZ of Nashville, TN; RYAN COPELAND of Dallas, TX; and HENRY ANDERSON of Alexandria, VA.
Welcome aboard to the following first-year campers who will join us this summer. ZACH SILBERMAN of Glencoe, IL; MILES FRIEDMAN of Wilmette, IL; CHRISTIAN SHAEFFER of Mission Hills, KS; MILAN STAG of New Orleans, LA; and FINN & LUKE HOHENBERG of St. Louis, MO. We are going to have SO much fun together! |
Speaking of important dates, how about a preview?
Right Now! | Parents of campers flying to/from camp should register with our travel agent and get their flights camp arranged. The sooner you do that, the better your fare will likely be. Click here to register.. |
January 15th | Winter Deposit is due |
March 15th | Spring Deposit is due |
May 1st | Order your clothing and camp supplies from Everything Summer Camp so you can be sure to have it in time for camp. |
May 15th | Balance payment is due. You will receive notice in mid-April for this. Lots of paper work is due on this date too. This includes medical forms, camper info forms, etc. All of these forms are accessible from your Parent Keylog page. Don’t worry, we’ll send you easy directions and abundant reminders. |
June 18th | 1st Session Begins! It's about time!! |
July 14th | 1st Session Ends. Just like that. |
July 15th | 2nd Session Begins! There...that's better. |
August 10th | 2nd Session Ends. What can ya do? |
August 11th | Time to sign up for the amazing summer of 2019!! |
And, as you can see from the table above, this is a friendly reminder that the Winter Deposit of $1250 is due January 15th. Many of you have already sent that in, which we appreciate. You may pay by check mailed to our Tucson office, or you can use your credit card and pay online. Please note a 2.75% surcharge is added to credit card charges. Thanks!
You can order your camp clothing and equipment from Everything Summer Camp again this year. If you order too early, your camper could outgrow the cool stuff you buy before camp starts! However, if you order too late, like after May 1st, you run the risk that your order may not arrive in time for your camper to bring it to camp. We’ll remind you of this in March, and the Packing list is already available on your Parent Keylog Page (and in your Parent Handbook) if you’d like to have a look.
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Back in November we told you about the incredible lineup of CITs we have returning to camp this summer. They are SO excited to join the staff and have the chance to provide their campers with the same great experiences they enjoyed for many summers. Then last month we told you about our fantastic admin staff who are returning to camp, representing many decades of Timberlane experience. As we move forward, we will have lots more names of returning folks and some great new staff members to share with you. Let’s get started with that right now!
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ALEX AMINI had a nice holiday in LA, which included the addition of a new puppy to the family. EMERSON CORONEL and his family had to spend a few nights in a hotel while the wildfires threatened their neighborhood, but they’re back home now. Several of our LA kids had a few extra days off of school…would those be called Fire Days? MORGAN DECKER got to do some skiing in Breckenridge. Probably more vertical there than at home in Tulsa. HENRY ANDERSON traveled from Alexandria on down to Florida for vacation, and by chance he encountered JOE & AARON BERNS who were there from Chicago. Kansas City guys BEN & ZANE FREY spent part of their vacation in the Dominican Republic. It was Mexico for vacation time for Chicagoan COLE BERNSTEIN. In Tucson, DAVID BERK’S Lego Robotics team has made it all the way to the Arizona State Championships which will take place in Phoenix later this month. David and his family spent part of their vacation in Florida at Universal Studios and spent time with JEFF MELROSE.
As usual, JEFF MELROSE was host and tour guide for visitors to Disneyworld. That included a visit from DAVID HEIMAN. SAM “PICKLES” KAHN spent a little time in Mexico recouping for the upcoming winter of teaching middle schoolers in Oak Park. PRESTIN COOKE and SAMMY COHEN spent part of their vacation in Mexico. ARI LACKNER will be studying this semester in Vienna. SAM KAHN will be studying in Prague this semester. AARON GLAZER will be working with NBC Sports on their broadcast of the Winter Olympics. Congrats to DAVID HEIMAN who was accepted to Syracuse University for next fall. Wedding bells are ringing for “old-timer” HANNAH JONES who was recently engaged to IZZY KRAUSE.
Some not-so-fresh news that was inadvertently left out of last month’s issue includes ANDREW KARMIN who spent a few weeks in Spain in November on a school service trip. JAKE FEIGER spent time over Thanksgiving in Nepal beginning preliminary work to build an earthquake-resistant school for a rural community. EVAN GOREHAM got together with “old-timer” ROSS KRULISKY for an Ohio State football game back in November.
AROUND THE HAND WASHING STATIONby Scott WolfHey team!I hope everyone had wonderful holiday seasons with their family and friends! I’m writing this from the exclamation point on mine – a cross country road trip out west! I am literally in the passenger seat right now while my friend Nick drives…THAT’S how committed I am to getting this content out to you. Cruising through the mountains in Colorado and hiking in the forests of Utah the last couple days has been a truly remarkable experience (you Denver folks know what I’m talking about). It was my first time in this part of the country. I’m trying to come up with a deep meaning or profound message to pass along here, but all that keeps coming to mind is get outside. Travel. See parts of the country and the world you’ve never seen. Say yes to experiences. Simple, right? It’s at the foundation of everything we do at camp. But each time I follow through on those tenets it re-energizes me and redoubles my commitment to them. I’m running of the high of natural air right now, and it feels incredible.Anyone else have any inspiring, fun, or memorable winter break experiences? Let me know: scottlorenwolf@gmail.com Until next time, Scott |
BRAVO TO OUR JANUARY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Jared Orkin – 1/1/2002, Ed Rodriguez Fernandez – 1/1/1994, Nathaniel Walton – 1/4/2006, Will Sexter – 1/7/2004, Montisse Jamil – 1/8/2007, Viki Korn – 1/8/1955, Christian Shaeffer – 1/10/2006, Sam Salzer – 1/11/2006, Will Coen – 1/12/2000, Sam Frishman – 1/12/2001, Sam Frishman – 1/12/2001, Carlo Pizzuto Allende – 1/12/2003, Piero Pizzuto Allende – 1/14/2005, Henry Anderson – 1/15/2006, Buddy Askenazi – 1/16/2002, Coby Teich – 1/16/2005, Matt Silverman – 1/17/2007, Miles Settler – 1/22/2008, Charlie Smoller – 1/23/2000, Darion Starling – 1/24/2002, Justin Goldenberg – 1/25/2003, Da’ Vante Grace – 1/26/1998, Jorge Maldonado – 1/26/1986, Myles Brodsky – 1/29/2003, Christian Wallner – 1/29/2007, Jay Carroll – 1/30/2007, Sam Kahn – 1/30/1997, Eli Katz – 1/30/2003, Josh Katz – 1/30/2003.
We hope your New Year gets off to a fantastic start! We will write to you again next month.
Benches up,