Friday, January 2, 2015

Volume LV, No. 5, January, 2015

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff & Friends,

Happy New Year! We hope that the holidays were full of joy and friendship and that you all had fun and relaxed over your break from school or work. Whether you were getting big fluffy turns on the mountain, putting your feet up at the beach or just spending some quality time with friends and family, we hope that you were able to make the most out of your vacation time. Now that 2015 is upon us, many of you are thinking about resolutions for the New Year. Creating resolutions can give us the opportunity to reflect on our past and actively make choices that will better ourselves, our environment, and our future. In reflecting on the past year, we have acknowledged just how lucky we are. This year we are resolving to not lose sight of how fortunate we are and to continue to express our gratitude for our wellbeing. We have been so privileged to be surrounded by such an amazing community of exceptionally kind, caring, compassionate and empathetic individuals. We’re talking about you!! Thank you to all of our camp friends near and far for being a part of our community and for making it a community we are elated to be a part of.

The snow has been flying at camp, and the icy cold temperatures have arrived.  At the end of December, there were a few days in a row when the mercury never got above zero!!  The snowy weather makes for some beautiful scenery, but we sure prefer those warm summer months up there.  Before the holidays we made it out to Los Angeles and Nashville, and it was great to see those of you who joined us at our reunions. Thanks for coming! This month we will wind down a bit from all of our typical travel mania and host a reunion right here in Tucson. February will include trips to New Orleans for the ACA national conference and Atlanta for a reunion there. We have had such a fantastic time visiting with our “old- timers” as well as some new families along the way. Our enrollment continues to blow us away, with several age groups full in first and second session.

Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled last month: BEN GOLDMAN of Glencoe, IL; MICHAEL KAPLAN of Bayside, WI; TRE SMITH of Chicago, IL; AIDAN FELMAN of Houston, TX; CAMERON HARDEGREE of North Barrington, IL; JACK VAN OOYEN of Brooklyn, NY; CHARLIE CALLEN and DAVID WINE of Oak Park IL; SAM SCHNEIDER of River Forest, IL; and DYLAN STERN of St. Louis, MO. Great to have you boys back!

And welcome aboard to the following new campers who will join us this summer: BUDDY ASKENAZI of Denver, CO. DUSTIN GREENWOOD of Prairie Village, KS, RAYJ RIKIMARU of St. Louis, MO; and RODRIGO CRUZ of Puebla, Mexico. What a great group of guys! You’re all in for an amazing summer!!

YO PARENTS: Now that the days are getting longer again (have ya noticed?), it is time for your January deposits to be remitted to camp. Many of you have already done so, which we appreciate very much. We will email a reminder your way, and remember, you can pay by check to our Tucson address, or with your credit card online. Please remember that credit card charges do incur a 2.75% surcharge. Deposits are due January 15th.  Thanks.

Just to help you get a little organized, please use the dates below as a little reminder about some benchmarks that are coming up for camp. We also want to remind you that you'll be able to order your camp clothing and equipment from Every Thing Summer Camp for the first time 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 if you’d like to have a look.

Very soon our new and improved CampDoc system will launch.  CampDoc is our medical information and medication partner, and it is through their website that you will provide us with all of the medical information we need for your son.  If your son will take any pill-form medication on a regular schedule (i.e. every day medication…not just as-needed), those meds will have to be filled through CampDoc’s pharmacy.  We will email you when that system is ready for you to begin filling out the health history form. 

PARENTS’ IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2015

Right Now!

Travel plans for boys flying to camp is all set. Tickets should be purchased right away.  Please register with our travel agent and book those flights!!

January 15th

Winter Deposit due. You can pay by check or online with your credit card.

March 15th

Spring Deposit due. You can pay by check or online with your credit card.

May 1st

Order your clothing from Everything Summer Camp if you’d like to have them in time for camp! Their website: http://www.everythingsummercamp.com/camp-timberlane-clothing

May 15th

Balance payment is due. You will receive notice in mid-April for this. Lots of paper work is due to our office. 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 abundant reminders.

June 22nd

1st Session Begins. Hooooooooraaaaaay!

July 18th

1st Session Ends….awwwwww.

July 19th

2nd Session Begins. Woooo Hooooo!

July 18th - 19th

Visiting Weekend

August 14th

2nd Session Ends....bummer!

August 15th

Time to sign up for the summer of 2016!!

 
It’s hard to believe it’s only January, and yet we have a TON of returning staff members to tell you about.  Let’s start with something that’s near and dear to all campers…our stomachs!  Our Kitchen Crew is already looking great with some fantastic news!  Let’s start at the top.  Welcome back to BILL MILLER who returns as our Kitchen Manager for his 22nd summer!  That’s just incredible.  Bill is the reason we enjoy our reputation for having outstanding food at camp, and it’s all homemade deliciousness.  Bill lives in Tucson where he is big in the grandpa business.  But we all know, he lives for camp and can’t wait to get started.  Helping Bill out again we have MIKE SCLAVI returning for his 3rd summer at camp.  Mike is an excellent cook and has a wide range of experience.  He hails from Superior, WI., and spent some time after camp working at a fishing lodge in a remote location in northern Minnesota.  And returning for his 2nd summer with us is CARLOS DORANTES BANUELOS.  Carlos is from Puebla, Mexico, where he is a university student.  Last summer Carlos was part of our Kitchen Crew, and this summer he will take on the role of Assistant Cook. 
 
Check out the rest of our returning staff thus far:

ArtziDAVID ARTZI

  David is 21 years old and is from Tucson, AZ.  He is a junior at the University of Arizona studying Sports Management.  This spring David will intern with a sports agency in Indianapolis.  This will be David’s 10th summer where he will be a cabin counselor, continue to head up our Weight Training program, and help out with Cardio. 

BednarikSCOTT BEDNARIK

 

Scott is back for his 2nd summer with us, joining us from Painesville, OH. He is in his last year at Hocking College where he is studying Ecotourism and Adventure Travel. Scott also works for the Hocking College Outdoor Pursuits program. Scott will once again be a Wilderness Trip Leader.  Scott will be 24 this summer.

BerkowitzAARON BERKOWITZ

  Summer number 9 coming up for Aaron, who is a freshman at Lawrence University.  Aaron will be 19 this summer, and he will be a cabin counselor, head up our Digital Photography program, and help out with Ropes Course, Comedy Sportz, and Rocketry.

ChristyAVIRY CHRISTY

  Aviry is 22 years old and lives in Tucson, AZ where he works as a pre-school teacher.  Aviry also works a security job at a local senior center, is an assistant to the youth director at his church, and is taking classes at Pima College.  This will be Aviry’s 2nd summer at camp, and he will again be a Trip Leader.

CobbCHELSEA COBB

  Chelsea joins us for her 2nd summer from Marquette, MI.  She will be 24 this summer, and she is an Applied Arts major at Northern Michigan University.  Chelsea will again work with young Andy Melrose…who will be even more mobile around camp this summer. 

DUSTY COHEN

 

This is summer number 22 on deck for Dustin, who is a 21 year old junior at the University of Wisconsin, majoring in Human Development/Family Studies and Sociology. Dustin will be a cabin counselor, and will again be co-head of our Waterski program.

SAMMY COHEN

 

Sammy is back for her 19th summer at camp. She is a senior at Catalina Foothills High School and will be attending Northwestern University in the Fall. Sammy is 18 years old, and will help out with Pottery, Soccer, Waterskiing and Baseball.

ConnorKEGHAN CONNOR

 

Keghan is coming back for his 2nd summer, joining us from Toledo, OH . Keghan is in his 3rd year at Hocking College where he is studying Wildlife Management. He also works at the Hocking College Outdoor Pursuits program. Keghan will be heading up our Rock climbing program and will also help at Mountain Biking, Fishing and Rocketry.  He will be 22 this summer.

FrancoLAURA FRANCO

  Laura is 25 years old, and she joins us again from Armenia, Columbia.  Laura is studying Modern Languages at the University of Quindio.  This will be her 2nd summer at camp, and she will again be part of our incredible Kitchen Staff. 

JacobsonRICKY JACOBSON

 

Ricky joins us for his 10th summer (WOW!) from Deerfield, IL. Ricky is a Freshman at the University of Texas at Austin where he is studying Mechanical Engineering. Ricky will be a cabin counselor and director of our Comedy Sportz program. He will also help with Guitar, Ropes Course, Water Skiing and Yoga. Ricky will be 19 this summer.

KatzmanDANIEL KATZMAN

 

Daniel is 23 years old and will be joining us from Zichron Ya’akov, Isreal. This is Daniel’s 2nd year with us at Timberlane and he will again be a cabin counselor and the Director of our Riflery program. He will also be helping with Sailing, Basketball and Tennis. Daniel now lives in Denver, CO where he is preparing to go to a university in the United States.

KruliskyROSS KRULISKY

 

Summer number 9 coming up for Ross, who is a Freshman at Ohio State University where he is studying engineering. Ross plays in an indoor soccer league at his University. He will be a Senior Counselor, will again head up our Soccer program, and will help out with Waterskiing, Athletics, and Floor Hockey. Ross is 19 years old.

MacGregorCALLUM MACGREGOR

 

Callum joins us for his 2nd summer, hailing from the Shetland Islands in Scottland. Callum is a competitive swimmer and yachtsman as well as a personal trainer in the United Kingdom. Callum will be 22 this summer. He will again be a cabin counselor, the director of our Sailing program and helping with Swimming and Weight Training.

MitchellDARREN MITCHELL

 

Darren is joining us for his 2nd year, coming from Papakura, New Zealand. Darren will again be a cabin counselor and the director of our Ropes Course program while helping with Comedy Sportz and Rock Climbing.

StrainBRIAN STRAIN

 

Brian will be returning for his 14th summer! Brian is the library technician for Mountain Vista Elementary in his hometown Denver, Co. He also drives a Zamboni at a local ice rink.  That’s right…you heard it…he’s a Zamboni Driver!  Last year Brian was an Assistant Director, and though he really enjoyed it, his passion is being a cabin counselor, so this summer Brian will return to the cabin and for his 11th summer, he will be a Village Director.  Brian will be 34 years old this summer, and will be involved with Fishing as well as Arts and Crafts, Rocketry and Baseball.

Van BurenDANIEL VAN BUREN

  Second summer coming up for Daniel, who is a student at the College of Dupage in Glen Ellyn, IL studying Vet Tech and HVAC.  Daniel is 30 years old, and he returns as part of our fantastic Maintenance Staff.

And we’re already at work finding some amazing  new folks to join our staff this summer.  Welcome aboard to the following folks:

KarenMcKelveyKAREN MCKELVEY

 

Karen joins us from Tucson, AZ where she is an RN at the Tucson Medical Center. Karen is a mother and grandmother and has worked as a pediatric and adolescent psych nurse throughout her career. Karen will be one of our Camp Nurses this coming summer.

ScharfenbergELLEN SCHARFENBERG

 

Ellen will be 20 years old this summer, and she joins us from Chanhassen, MN as our Yoga Director as well as helping out in Pottery and Arts and Crafts. Ellen is a second year student focusing in Art Education and Art History at eh University of Wisconsin-Stout.

WilkeANNA WILKE

 

Anna is from our very own Arbor Vitae, WI and will be joining us this summer as a Infirmary Assistant. Anna is 21 years old, and a junior at St. Catherine University where she is studying to be a Registered Nurse.

In Nashville, CONNOR O’NEIL has been playing basketball, football, and lacrosse.  GAVIN GORDON went whitewater rafting in West Virginia.  MICHAEL GORDON ran cross country last fall, and took a school trip to the Pigsah National Forest in North Carolina.  JACKSON SCHNEIDER started going to school at USN, and is playing hockey.  DILLON ARONOFF will be joining the Boy Scouts next year and is learning Java script at school.  JONAH HOFFMAN is playing basketball and soccer.  CAM GORDON has been playing basketball, football, and soccer.  ALEX FREEDMAN has been playing lacrosse and is involved in BBYO.  TYLER JACOBS got his learner’s permit…to drive a car….on the road…has been playing soccer and doing the long jump in track.  GRAHAM ELLIOT spent his winter break in South Africa.  He has been playing on his school’s basketball and golf teams.  MAX ELLIOT is also going to South Africa and also playing basketball.  OWEN SHAFFER is on a Leggo robotics team that tied in a regional qualifier.  In Los Angeles, HENRY LOVETT made it to the finals of a tennis tournament in Anaheim.  He’s in the top 50 players in southern California.  CHARLIE LOVETT is playing soccer and trying out for a southern California all-star soccer team.  BRYAN BERKOWITZ and his theater class performed at the Grammy Museum.  Bryan also enjoyed a little dip in the 3rd Street Promenade fountain.  GABRIEL ADLER played on his school’s basketball team and is checking out new schools for next year. EMERSON CORONEL has been surfing in the warmer weather, playing guitar, and starting lacrosse soon. LUKE & LEO SCLAMBERG ran into JACOB & SAM KLINE for an impromptu camp reunion when their flight to Aspen was diverted to Grand Junction. Over the holidays, ALEXANDER ZLOTNIK of Chicago, and GRANT KIBEL of Boston paid a visit to JOSH ETTINGER in St. Louis. These reunions are not official but are definitely encouraged! CHRISTIAN SIEVE of St. Louis recently spent some time on Kiawah Island, SC where he explored the historical city of Charleston.  LUCAS HANDELSMAN of San Diego, CA spent his holidays on a road trip to Oakland, CA where he went ice skating at the Embarcadero and saw a Cal Berkley football game. Cleveland boys MATTHEW & ZACH KALLMEYER took to the slopes of Winter Park, Colorado for their winter vacation.  NOAH GOLDBLATT and his family traveled from Chicago to the Cloud Forest and the Galapagos Islands on their vacation.  ALEC SCHLOSSBERG and his family moved into their new house in Highland Park. 

Over the holidays we had the opportunity to spend some time in Mexico where we enjoyed the beach, fish tacos and great surf. While we were soaking up the sun south of the border, JAKE REUTER was managing our Telluride office and enjoying the big December storms in the mountains. RICK, HOLLY, FLETCHER, EMILY, & HANNAH JONES were reunited in Indianapolis, IN after Emily and Hannah were traveling in South America. JEFF MELROSE was visited by SCOTT WOLF and AARON ZEMACH in his home town Celebration, FL. STEVE “HITCH” & CORRIE HITCHENS spent the holidays with their children LIAM and CARTER visiting family in California. In Nashville, MATTHEW JACOBS is awaiting word from colleges, and playing soccer on his school team.  IAN JACOBS played lacrosse and soccer for his school.  JORDAN FISHEL is on his school’s bowling team, and will play lacrosse this spring.  “Old-timer” RYAN EISENMAN will graduate this spring from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Human/Organization Development.  And he’s already got a job lined up for the fall.  Sounds like he’s open this summer….In Chicago, congrats to DAVID RINGEL who was accepted to Dartmouth College.  Here in Tucson, congrats to SAMMY COHEN who was accepted to Northwestern University.  And Vanderbilt will be home to ARI LACKNER and DAVID PAWLAN of Chicago, and SAM KAHN of St. Louis.  JEREMY SUTTON has landed in India where he is working with an NGO there running a sanitation system and also working with some of the kids in the village in a weekly sports/recreation program.  This spring Jeremy will be joining the Peace Corps.  We’re really impressed and proud of him!

We want to share with you some information about a very special member of our camp community.  CHAD KAMEN was a CIT last summer, and though he had been with us for 5 years, Chad had a secret he had been keeping all along.  Since he was a young teenager, Chad has taken up the cause of fighting hunger in his home state of Kentucky.  At the ripe old age of 13, Chad founded an organization called Team Food Chain.  Since those earlier days (he’s now 16 years old), Chad’s team has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the cause.  It wasn’t really a secret that Chad was keeping…he’s just a modest guy who happens to be a super hero in his “off-season” life.  To learn more about Chad and Team Food Chain, we encourage you to click here to see his website.  We’ve made a donation to his group, and we hope you’ll consider doing so as well.

BRAVO TO OUR JANUARY BIRTHDAY BOYS: Jared Orkin - 1/1/2002, Sam Schneider - 1/3/2001, David Glazer - 1/5/1999, Will Sexter - 1/7/2004, Matthew Jacobs - 1/8/1997, Danny Levy - 1/11/1998, Jake Reuter - 1/11/1986, Sam Salzer - 1/11/2006, Will Coen - 1/12/2000, Mike Shklyar - 1/15/1999, Buddy Askenazi - 1/16/2002, Coby Teich - 1/16/2005, Gabriel Wallon - 1/17/2001, Jared Bloom - 1/18/2001, Callum MacGregor - 1/20/1993, Jonathan Williams - 1/22/1985, Ricky Romersi - 1/23/1999, Charlie Smoller - 1/23/2000, Scott Mayer - 1/24/1993, Darion Starling - 1/24/2002, Justin Goldenberg - 1/25/2003, Davante Grace - 1/26/1998, Aaron Hoffman - 1/26/2001, Scott Bednarik - 1/28/1991, Myles Brodsky - 1/29/2003, Sam Kahn - 1/30/1997, Eli Mitchell - 1/30/1999, Lucas Prizant - 1/31/1999, Ethan Victor - 1/31/2001.

Happy New Year to one and all.  We’ve turned the corner…camp starts in just about 6 months!!  We’ll write you again next month.

Benches up,