It's May everyone!! Did ya notice? Well we sure did. Ya wanna know why? Because this is the very last issue of "Timberlife!" that we will write and post from Tucson! And ya wanna know why that's true?
BECAUSE WE ARE OUTTA HERE!!!!! Well, most of us are almost out of here. I leave Tucson on May 10th, and will arrive at camp no later than the 12th. I have the pleasure of loading up the car with all sorts of stuff, cramming the two dogs in there, picking up our fantastic Kitchen Manager, BILL MILLER at his house in Tucson, and pointing the car NORTH! Although I really cannot wait to get up to camp, I have to say that the 32 hour drive has lost some of its appeal after doing it round trip for about 15 years now. Fortunately, the car has satellite radio, so we can listen to ballgames when they're on. The dogs travel pretty well, and Bill's not a bad passenger to road trip with. So we'll make the most of it. Leslie and Dusty will arrive a few weeks after I do, and Sammy will be a week or so behind them. Soon after we get there, we'll have some staff trickling in, and before you know it, we are rolling!When we get to camp, we are gonna be busy! Bill will set to work doing some clean up in the kitchen, and this is one of those lucky years when he gets to paint some shelving in the bakery area. As you should already know, we are doing a HUGE improvement on our HUGE climbing tower this year. We are replacing an entire side of climbing with a cutting-edge surface that will have all sorts of features, including nearly 50' of crack climbing. BUT, before the company (coming all the way from Oregon) can install the new stuff, someone has to remove the old stuff. So the day after I arrive, I'll be harnessing up and pulling down the plywood sections on that side of the tower. Look out below! Then it will be time to set up the new baseball batting cage and get that all ready. Phew! So much to do, so little time.
One of the best parts of getting to camp in early May is watching how the North Woods transforms from late winter into spring. May is that transition month up there, and we'll see the trees change from bare limbs to buds to fresh and vibrant green leafy trees. As that happens, you just can't help but appreciate more and more how beautiful it is up there, and how lucky we are to spend our summers in that gorgeous natural environment. In case your winter months in more urban and suburban environs have faded your recollections about the unparalleled beauty of the North Woods (or if this will be your first summer up there)
, we've got some photos in this month's newsletter to give you a taste of what you're in for this summer! Enjoy.We are really pleased with how strong our enrollment has remained this year. And our geographic representation is also very impressive. This summer we'll be joined by kids from Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and also boys from Mexico. Amazing!! Welcome back to the following "old-timers" who re-enrolled this past month: DAVANTE GRACE from Schaumburg, IL; JACK POLSTON from Winnetka, IL; RYAN GARLAND from St. Louis, MO; and JAKE HOFFMAN from Dallas, TX.
Welcome aboard to the following campers who will join us for their first summer at camp: NATHAN FRIEDMAN and MATTY RAKESTRAW from Glencoe, IL; CLAY CASTRONOVO from St. Cloud, MN; COREY LENDWAY from Vadnais Heights, MN; and DEVIN SHAW and ZAC WARR from St. Louis, MO. We can't wait to have you all arrive at camp!
YO PARENTS: Well, the good news really is that it's May, and summer is almost upon us. Your kids are probably bouncing off the walls in their excitement to get to camp. Be assured that we're equally
off-the-wall in our own excitement. The bad news is, it's time to pay the bill. If you have not yet paid the balance on your son's camp account, please remember that it is due by May 15th. You can access your statement from your Parent Keylog Account. You can even print it out if you like by clicking on the link on the statement that says "Click here to to print this Statement." As a reminder, payment can be made by check, or if you prefer to pay by credit card, you can do so on Google Checkout by clicking the link on your statement that says "Click here to make a payment online using Google Checkout." REMEMBER, the online transaction is assessed a fee of 2.25%. If you are using AOL's web browser, or Mac's Safari browser, they sometimes don't play well with newer technology sites like ours. So if you're having problems with that, please try to use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox as your browser. And, as always, please feel free to call us if we can be of assistance.CAN'T REMEMBER YOUR KEYLOG PASSWORD? If you're like most people, you have tons of usernames and passwords for various purposes. In the event you cannot remember your password for your Keylog account, it's easy to get. Just click on the blue "Keylog" tab in the top-right corner of every page on our website. Then click the "Forgot your password?" link. Enter your email address and make your selection in the "I am a" field (Parent, Camper, Staff, etc), and you will receive an email right away with your password. So easy!
A few other reminders for parents:
- Many forms are also due on or before May 15th. You will receive an email from us this month listing which forms we have and have not yet received from you. We cannot stress enough how important this information is to our preparations. Even if your son is a 2nd session camper, those preparations happen now, before camp starts, so your cooperation is critical and very much appreciated.
- If you are going to mail any payments or forms to us, please stop using our Winter address after May 8th, and direct all mail to our Summer address.
- REMEMBER THE DEADLINE FOR FILLING PRESCRIPTIONS AT GROUPRX PHARMACY FOR 1ST SESSION IS MAY 20TH. 2nd session deadline is June 17th to get your prescriptions to them.
- If your son will take non-pill form medications this summer (which you do NOT fill at GroupRX), please be sure to send those up to camp to arrive at least 1 week before your son arrives. So the deadlines are June 13th for 1st session/8 week campers, and July 10th for 2nd session campers.
- ANOTHER DEADLINE: If you are going to buy logo’d items from the Cloz website, you should place your order in the next few days to assure receipt of your items before the start of camp
- We have uploaded our General Healthcare Info to your Parent Keylog page. This document (a.k.a. "Notes from the Nurse") is an explanation of some of our health care procedures, how we communicate with you if your son visits the Infirmary, etc.
- If your son is or may be planning to participate in one of our trips to Canada, HE WILL NEED HIS PASSPORT! We ask that you err on the side of caution and send his passport to us even if he is only
considering such a trip. We ask that you mail the passport to us when or shortly after your son is coming to camp. Please address it to Leslie's attention. We hold all passports in a safe place until the boys need them. The Trip Leaders hold the passports during the trips into Canada, and then after the trip, we mail the passports back home. So your son is never responsible for the safe-keeping of his passport.
- If you have been assigned a camp Little Brother, please remember that you are to CALL (not text, email, tweet) your little bro as soon as possible. Thanks very much.
- We have had a very good number of guys pre-registering for our big trips this summer. If you are eligible for one of these trips and you want to go, we recommend your pre-register to help assure you will have a space on the trip available to you. THIS IS FOR RETURNING CAMPERS ONLY. Trips eligible for pre-registration include:
- BWCA Canoeing (1st and 2nd Session)
- Isle Royale Backpacking - 9 Day trip (1st Session)
- Sand River Canoeing (1st Session)
- Apostle Islands Sea Kayaking (1st and 2nd Session)
- Quetico Provincial Park - The Canadian! - 10 Day trip (2nd Session)
- Isle Royale Backpacking - 6 Day trip (2nd Session)
- Lake Superior Provincial Park Backpacking - 8 Day trip (2nd Session)
YO STAFF: We've sent many of you some snail mail recently. All first-year staff have been mailed (or emailed to those from other countries) a copy of our First Year Staff Manual. We have also mailed out manuals to our Nurses, Rock Climbing Director, Waterfront Director, Waterski Directors, Timberbat Director, Trip Leaders, and Cooks. Phew! If you are a CIT, we have mailed you a great little book to help you start thinking about how to communicate well with kids. That's just a little platform that we'll build on throughout Staff Training, so read up, and everyone - please be sure to bring all the manuals and books we have sent you to camp. Thanks.
CERTIFICATIONS: We still have room in our American Red Cross Lifeguard Training school from June 1 - June 6th. If you are NOT a trip leader, and you are not a certified life-guard, please sign up! It will cost you nothing, and the certification is valid for 3 years. We pride ourselves on having a staff full of lifeguards (more than 40 each summer), and it is so vital to our program. So even if you're primary role at camp is not on the water, we want you to get this training. You can sign up from your Staff Keylog page. Click the "Extra Training" link.
If you are a first-year Junior Counselor (CIT last year), your LGT and CPR certs are valid through this summer. HOWEVER, your CPR will expire at the end of the summer, so your LGT will then be invalid. If you want to stay current all year long, you should sign up to take our CPR challenge class, which will renew your CPR for 2 years! CPR Challenge this year is all day on June 9th.
If your LGT will expire before the end of the summer, you must re-certify. You can do that at camp FOR FREE! That class is all-day on June 10th. The cert will then be good for 3 years.
You know we think this is important, right? Why else would we make this so easy for you and so affordable (FREE!). Please sign up today if you haven't already. To see our list of who we have signed up, please click here. Thanks.
Some other reminders for our staff:
- If you are a cabin counselor or activity specialist and you have not yet completed your Activity Expertise Survey, we need you to do that TODAY! This includes CITs.
- Do you know how you’re getting to camp? If you have not yet completed your Travel Plans form, please do so. You can access that from your Staff Keylog Page. We need that one REALLY SOON! Thanks.
We have had the most productive and enjoyable time lining up our staff for this summer. It's amazing, as you will see. Welcome back to the following "old-timers" who are with us again:RYAN COHEN – He’s baaaaaaaaack! Ryan is returning for his 16th summer at camp. If you're from the Chicago area, you may have seen Ryan this off-season as the video production company he works for creates montages for Bar Mitzvahs as well as films the actual event. Originally from Riverwoods, IL, Ryan studied at Indiana University in Bloomington and is trying his hardest to get through a busy month at work so he can come back to his favorite place in the world—camp! Ryan is 25 years old and will be a cabin counselor, help out with Ropes Course and other activities, and will again produce our reunion video.
MEGAN HAGER – Megan is 27 and is returning to us for her fourth summer at camp. This past year Megan lived in Flagstaff, AZ, working as a recruiter for First Things First External Evaluations, a state-wide child study used to improve early childhood development and the services that aid them. Megan has had many hats during her camp camp career, but this summer she is excited to work as the caretaker for the the Hitchens' children.
MICHELLE HASKELL – Michelle will be 20 years old this summer and is currently a sophomore at Saint Norbert College in Wisconsin, but originally comes from Mt. Prospect, IL. She is studying psychology and has aspirations to either become a teacher or a child psychologist. She comes to camp with experience in and a passion for skiing, gymnastics (specifically the trampoline and floor), and pottery. In the past she has worked with kids in various capacities, whether it be babysitting, providing swim lessons, or acting as a teacher’s aide at a local pre-school. This summer, Michelle will be joining us as our Pottery director.
SAM HEWITT – Sam is 22 years old and comes to us from Nelsonville, OH where he is studying Eco-Tourism/Adventure Travel at Hocking College (sounds like he has some awesome coursework!). He wants to get involved in experiential education and has tried his hand at this by working at a nearby adventure park and the school’s indoor climbing wall. Nature is really his thing—he has spent time camping in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area in West Virginia and near the Buffalo River in Arkansas. We’re excited to have Sam join us as one of Trip Leaders this summer.
SHEA RAFTUS – Shea is a 20 year old freshman studying Communications at Navaro College in Corsicana, TX. Shea is a sports fanatic and especially loves to play basketball. He has also gotten involved in sports journalism, writing several articles; in fact, he hopes to one day make a career out of this. We’re thrilled to have him as part of our kitchen staff for this summer.
MORGAN REYNOLDS – Originally from Midlothian, VA, Morgan is a sophomore at Old Dominion University studying Speech Pathology. She is 20 years old. Morgan played a lot of softball growing up and also enjoyed helping to take care of her two younger sisters. Speaking of softball, she also coaches a softball little league team and holds softball clinics for kids. She is extremely excited to meet everyone at Timberlane. Morgan will be joining us as part of our kitchen staff this summer.
HEATHER TILLMAN – Heather comes from Three Lakes, WI, which is right in our neck of the Northwoods. She is 38, and she has worked as an emergency room nurse for four years as well as a triage nurse and has various other certifications she has worked for over the years. She has three children and is proud to be a grandmother as well! When not working at the hospital, Heather loves to scrapbook, dance, read, and spend time with her husband and toy poodle, Lily. We’re thrilled to have her join VICKI SETZER as a nurse in the Infirmary this summer.
STEPHEN WAYNE – Stephen will be 22 years old this summer, and comes to us from Clinton, MD. He is currently studying accounting in his senior year at Bluffton University. While focused on school at the moment, Stephen also enjoys weight-training, basketball, and being with his friends. Stephen has worked at week-long camps in the past, working as the basketball director at one of them. Stephen will be joining us as 
part of our kitchen staff this summer.
In Orlando, FL, IAN SETZER has been a busy guy with lacrosse and boy scouts (starting work towards Eagle Scout), and he even had a nice trip to visit his grandmother in Nevada over spring break. Early Bar Mitzvah congrats to JACOB ELIAS, who will celebrate next month. JULES BLUM got to go on a trip to Costa Rica over spring break. Sounds fantastic! 
JOSH BOLING is looking forward to camp this summer. Last month he traveled to Nepal to help move kids into a new home that - incidentally - was built in part by GREG COOPER and "old-timer" DAN NEWMAN. Good works by Timberlane folks world-wide!! Way to go, guys.
BRAVO TO THE MAY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS! Starting next month, we'll get to sing to lots of our celebrities! Woooo Hoooooo! Adam Susman - 5/1/1999, Ben Tamsky - 5/1/1997, Chad Kamen - 5/2/1998, Adam Wasserman - 5/2/1998, Jules Blum- 5/3/1999, Jack Kaplan - 5/3/1996, Zac Warr - 5/3/1998, Bethyn Merrick-Nguyen- 5/5/1989, Vicki Setzer - 5/6/1956, Emilio Madrazo - 5/7/1998, Brandon Tucker- 5/11/1998, Blake Berkowitz - 5/12/1998, Adam Hoffman - 5/12/1999, Jacob Kline- 5/13/2002, Steven Cooke - 5/15/1991, Corrie Hitchens - 5/15/1971, Ben Kite -5/19/1999, Eliot Padzensky - 5/19/1996, Luke Sclamberg - 5/19/1999, Ben Schachter - 5/20/1999, Dan Shelanski - 5/20/1999, Jake Hoffman - 5/22/1999, Ryan Elias - 5/24/1993, Michelle Haskell - 5/24/1991, Stephen Wayne - 5/24/1989, Jacob Elias - 5/27/1998, Rich Mc Gowan - 5/27/1972, Henry Echt - 5/29/2002, Ian Jacobs - 5/30/1997, Ben Levey - 5/30/1995.
Congratulations to all of our 2011 high school and college graduates!! We have made a donation to Camp for All Kids in your honor, and we're proud of every one of you!
We hope you all have a very positive, and healthy May. Finish the school year on a strong note, and stay healthy 'cause we're gonna see many of you very, very soon when 1st session starts, and the rest of you in mid-July when 2nd session starts. Our next posting will come from the spectacular North Woods of Wisconsin!! Yahooooo!
Benches up,
