Timberlife!: Volume LVII, No. 7, March, 2017

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

There are words that belong in the dictionary, and some words that probably don’t. Today’s word that does belong is “commit.” It has several definitions, but for this conversation, we choose: “to bind or obligate, as by pledge or assurance: to commit oneself to a promise; to be committed to a course of action.” Honoring commitments is an important quality that, as parents, we all hope to instill in our children. Ultimately, parents want their kids to be principled and reliable, and by fulfilling commitments, kids (and adults) earn the repute of being honorable people. And while some things are not easy for parents to teach their kids, the notion of honoring one’s commitments has many opportunities for adults to teach and reinforce in kids.

One of the most frequent concerns that managers and employers express these days is the lack of commitment in their young employees. There are SO many positive attributes of the “Millennial” generation, but commitment to their work-related obligations is not one of them. A young person who can display that kind of honor surely stands out in the crowd. Tomorrow’s young workers are today’s campers, so we have progress to make.

At camp, commitment and honor are highly valued, and we talk about it a lot both directly and indirectly. An example is how we handle the way kids sign up for our amazing camping trips. We explain to the campers that they are free to choose trips they want to go on and for which they are qualified. In fact, they don’t have to go on any trips if they choose not to. However, once they put their name on the sign-up sheet, they have committed to the trip, and barring a health-related issue, they cannot reverse that decision. The rationale is clear; we do a lot of planning for each trip based on the boys who are signed up. If kids can simply change their minds and withdraw from a trip, the program would be impossible to implement. So, kids go on trips, have fun and learn a lot, and simultaneously acquire the substance of commitment. It’s not common for kids to request to be removed from a trip, but the overwhelming majority of the few who do eventually return from the trip and affirm they’re glad they went.

A predictable condition of being young is you don’t always know precisely what you want, and it can change from time to time. That’s part of growing up. This is why we tell campers to only sign up for a trip if they’re fully committed to it. Once they do, it’s possible for a camper to occasionally have second thoughts. But if we want our kids to understand that a commitment is a bond – linked to their personal honor – then we are obliged to support and guide them as they fulfill their commitment, and then extend to them the respect they have earned by behaving honorably.

If you follow college sports, you hear a word a lot as high school students pledge themselves – COMMIT themselves to a college or university to play sports, and then….with some frequency, change their minds. “DE-commit” is the word to describe this process. De-commit? This is our non-word that’s in the dictionary, but shouldn’t be. It’s illogical. If a person commits, and then “de-commits,” what was the meaning of that initial pledge? A definite maybe? It certainly was not a commitment. Once someone “de-commits,” how can a future commitment be trusted? Contextually, the word has no real meaning. I say we strike it from the dictionary. I invite you to join the cause!!

It’s just about spring time, and our enrollment looks great. We still have space in most age groups in the 2nd session, so if any of you are still giving camp some thought, we’d love to talk with you about it. Say hi to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled in the past month: DESMOND BROWN of Hillside, IL; JACKSON SCHNEIDER of Nashville, TN; and DANIEL ROTHSTEIN of Dallas, TX.

And say hello to the following first-year campers who will join us this summer: AIDEN SCHARFF of Los Angeles, CA; CHAD RUFF of Caseyville, IL; DYLAN PRYSTOWSKY of Deerfield, IL; AARON VALLEJO-MCCANN of Cleveland Heights, OH; and JONATHAN ROBERTSON of Houston, TX. We can’t wait to see you all at camp!!

YO PARENTS: As you probably know, the 3rd (Spring) Deposit is due by March 15th. If you have any questions about that, please let us know. Thanks in advance.

So what d’ya say we get to some paper work, shall we? We know it’s not fun for parents, but it really does help us do a better job preparing for your kids’ arrival in the Northwoods. So we suggest you dig into the paper work early, and with the understanding that we all have the same goal of making sure we can do our very best with your fantastic children.

REMEMBER, ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS ACCESSIBLE IN YOUR PARENT HANDBOOK! You can download that from your Keylog Page, or by clicking here.

ALL MEDICAL-RELATED FORMS ARE LOCATED ON CAMPDOC.COM. You should have received an email from CampDoc with login instructions. Please let us know right away if you have not yet received login info from CampDoc. Once logged in, you can complete all of your camper’s medical information. This includes:

HEALTH PROFILE: Many of you have already completed your Health Profile forms, which is great. If you’re unsure of what sections you have not yet completed, you can login to CampDoc.com and check the status of your forms. If you have any questions along the way, please let us know.

HEALTH INSURANCE CARD: You must provide a copy of the front and back of your health insurance card for the policy that covers your camper. This can be uploaded directly to your CampDoc account. IF YOUR SON IS A RETURNING CAMPER AND YOUR INSURANCE IS UNCHANGED FROM LAST SUMMER YOU DO NOT NEED TO UPLOAD A NEW COPY.

IMAGED DOCUMENTS: There are 2 documents that you must fill out and upload to your CampDoc account. This includes:

*Medical Recommendation Form: A one-page PDF document that your doctor must fill out EACH summer. This is the doctor’s verification that your son is healthy enough to attend camp, and it is a requirement by the ACA and the state of Wisconsin. You can download the blank form from your CampDoc page OR from your Parent Keylog page on our website.

*Clinic Data Form: A two-page PDF document that we will use in the event your camper must see a doctor in town while he is with us. Having this done ahead of any such required visit greatly improves our ability to have campers seen by a doctor in a timely way, regardless of which medical facility near us we may choose. You can download the blank form from your CampDoc page OR from your Parent Keylog page on our website.

“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD!” Yes, it can be daunting, but honestly, it’s not that hard. If you can scan a copy of your insurance card, or the forms that need to be uploaded, then it’s easy. Just follow the instructions on the CampDoc page. If you do not have a scanner, you can take a photo of the card or form, and upload that photo to your page. Please look at the photo you are going to upload to make sure all of the information is legible. If all else fails, please send us the originals, and we will upload them to your CampDoc account for you. Thanks.

A BIG CHANGE THIS SUMMER REGARDING MEDICATIONS: Y’all are gonna love this: ALL medications your son may take at camp, prescription or otherwise, you will mail directly to camp, and we will dispense it to your son on the schedule you select. NO MORE 3RD PARTY SERVICE! It is important that you make sure your dispensing instructions are clear on your son’s Health History form, and they match any instructions on the bottle with the medications.

There are important dates by which we must receive your son’s medications. IF YOU ARE LATE MAILING YOUR MEDICATIONS TO CAMP, FEES UP TO $100 WILL BE APPLIED. The table below lists these important dates. Please take a look, and again, this information is in your Parent Handbook.

Date by Which Medications Must ARRIVE at Camp	1st Session/8 Wks	2nd Session/8 Wk Refills
10 Days Before Session Begins - No Fee	June 9th, 2017	July 6th, 2017
5 - 9 Days Before Session Begins - $50 Fee	June 10th - June 14th, 2017	July 7th - July 11th, 2017
4 Days or Less Before Session Begins - $100 Fee	June 15th, 2017 or Later	July 12th, 2017 or Later

ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS? If your son experiences a last-minute injury or illness requiring a medication to be prescribed beyond our designated deadline, we will, of course, manage the medication for him. If a late doctor appointment results in a prescription change or addition, we will manage that as well. In either event, we will add a Medication Handling Fee of $25.

SOME OTHER FORMS ARE LOCATED ON YOUR KEYLOG PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE:

CAMPER PROFILE FORM: This is a form you fill out and submit online. Good stuff for us to know about your son to help us get ready for him. Also your 2nd (and last) opportunity to make cabin mate requests. THIS FORM IS NOT REQUIRED FOR CITs. Parents, please be sure to read through this form each year….it retains any input you entered from prior years, but we really need you to keep us current. Thanks!

TRANSPORTATION TO & FROM CAMP: On your Keylog page you will complete and submit the Travel Form to confirm your son's method of traveling to and from camp. Please submit this to us no later than May 15th. If you have already sent that in, please do not submit a new form unless there has been a change in your son’s travel plans. Please also remember our policy regarding changes in bus travel, "Withdrawal from bus travel within 1 week of travel days will still incur full bus fares. Additions to bus travel after the start of the camp season cannot be guaranteed a seat on the bus."

*Register for Flights to/from Camp: This link on your Keylog page takes you right to the Sojourn Travel website where you can see all the information regarding flights, Unaccompanied Minor arrangements, baggage concerns, etc. IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY BOOKED YOUR SON’S FLIGHTS TO CAMP, YOU ARE BEHIND SCHEDULE! The later it gets, the higher the fares will be. If you are booking your son’s travel independent of our travel agent, that’s okay, but we must know about it. And our travel agent will not be able to assist in the event a schedule change or flight interruption occurs.

ORDER TIMBERWEAR ONLINE: Use the Everything Summer Camp website to buy most everything your son will need, as well as camp logo'd items. The ONLY REQUIREMENT we have for logo’d items is a standard camp laundry bag. If you’d like your son to have his clothing and gear in time for camp, PLEASE PLACE YOUR ORDER BY MAY 1ST!

VISITING WEEKEND RSVP: A form you fill out and submit online. If you have a full season camper, or CIT, and you plan to join us for our Visiting Weekend, please let us know as soon as you can. If you have first session-four week campers and you plan to join us for some or all of Visiting Weekend, please also complete that form.

AND JUST ONCE MORE, WE WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT TONS OF INFORMATION TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR CAMP IS IN YOUR PARENT HANDBOOK. PLEASE BE SURE TO READ IT. This includes:

>DETAILED LIST OF THINGS TO DO AND WHENTO DO THEM
>EXPLANATION OF CAMPER TRAVEL
>VISITING WEEKEND INFORMATION
>LENGTHY EXPLANATION OF CAMPER HEALTH CARE AT CAMP
>INFO RE: COMMUNICATION BEFORE AND DURING THE SUMMER
>DISCUSSION ABOUT FOOD AT CAMP
>INFORMATION ABOUT HOMESICKNESS
>INFORMATION ABOUT OUR ELECTRONICS AND PACKAGES POLICIES
>CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT PACKING LIST
>ACTIVITY & TRIP DESCRIPTIONS
>BILLING INFORMATION

WE ASSUME YOU WILL READ, UNDERSTAND, AND COMPLY WITH ALL OF OUR POLICIES. Thank you.

YO OLD GUYS: If you will complete 7th grade or older this summer, you may be eligible for one or more of our "Big Trips" this summer. You've certainly heard older campers talk about these trips a lot during prior summers, so you know how special they are. Next month we'll send you a letter that will note what trips you have already completed, and what trips you are eligible for. Have a look, and if you'd like to pre-register for a big trip that you are (or soon can be) eligible for, you can do that from our website. The link for that is here, and then click the “Trips Info” link and the “advanced registration” link.

We also want to remind you this one last time that if you will complete 8th grade or older this summer, you are a candidate to be a Big Brother for a new camper. As we noted last month, if you would prefer NOT to be a Big Brother, that's fine, but you need to let us know by March 15th. We will begin making Big Brother/Little Brother assignments after that, so we can send those assignments out in early April. Thanks very much.

YO STAFF: Paper work time for you too! You’re so lucky!! The Staff Health History form is on CampDoc.com. If this will be your first summer with us, or if you were a CIT last summer, you should have received an email from CampDoc requesting that you login and create a password. If you were on the staff last year, you can retrieve your login info right from the CampDoc site. We do not have that information in our office. From there, it’s pretty easy. We need this by May 15th, please.

We also want to remind you of the training opportunities available to you this summer. These include Lifeguard Training certification, as well as recertification courses to renew your LGT and/or First Aid and/or CPR for the Professional Rescuer. Remember, your LGT certification is NOT VALID unless your CPR Pro is current. CPR Pro must be renewed every year or 2 years, depending on when you last completed it. How do you sign up? Log in to your Staff Keylog Page, and click the "Extra Training" link. And what does it cost? Not a single penny! Please do this as soon as you know you can make those training dates.

We have a great group of returning staff members already, and a few more continue to trickle in. And at the same time, we have been meeting and interviewing a bunch of great folks to join us for their first time this summer. As of today, we have 83 staff members all set to go, 73 of whom have been with us before. That’s roughly 87% returning from last summer, which we think is a very healthy blend. We love our “old-timers,” of course, and we also get excited about having some new faces, new ideas, and new personalities on board with our first-year staff. It’s a ton of work to put together an excellent Timberlane staff…we think it’s worth it!

Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who will be back again this summer:

ERICA FLORIMONTE	Erica is finishing her degree at Ohio University in Inclusive Recreation and Communications and Disorders. She also works as a homework coordinator with Kids on Campus at Ohio U. She is 27 years old, and this will be her 2nd summer as a Trip Leader at camp.
RYAN MC DONOUGH	Ryan is 26 years old, and this will be his 3rd summer as a Trip Leader at camp. He is from Miforde, OH, graduated from Hocking College where he studied Eco Tourism, and has recently been on a road trip with his brother, including a brief stop in Keystone, CO, and then on to Yosemite.
RICH MC GOWAN	Summer number 21 coming up for Rich. He is 44 years old, and lives in Northbrook, IL. where he works as a videographer and editor. Rich will again be our Waterfront Director this summer.
ABDEL XOCHIPILTECATI	After an absence of 2 summers, Abdel is back! He hails from Tlaxcala, Mexico, where he has started working towards his law degree. Abdel is 26 years old, and he will again be part of our Kitchen Staff.

And say hello to the following first-year staff who will join us this summer:

CLINTON ALLEN	Clinton is from Frederick, OK where he works as an HVAC and insulation technician. He is 26 years old. Clinton has been a substitute teacher and has also served as a youth basketball coach. In addition to that, he is an avid hunter, and has a great deal of experience with rifles. This summer Clinton will be a cabin counselor, will head up our Rilfery program, and help out with Basketball.
STEPHANIE BYRANE	Stephanie comes to us from Birmingham in the UK. She is 20 years old and is studying Textile Design at the University of Derby. She has worked in batik, candle making, pottery, graphic arts, screen printing and more. And she has also worked at an adventure center as a climbing instructor and party coordinator. Stephanie will head up our Arts & Crafts program this summer, and help out with Rock Climbing.
FELIX CHAOULIDEER	Felix will be 20 years old this summer, and he is originally from Bloomington, IN. He is a student at the University of Chicago and he took a gap year last year during which he traveled to Germany, Spain, Congo, Finland, Morocco, the Czech Republic, Israel and more. While in Israel, he met a guy named Scott Wolf, and the rest is history. Felix is an athlete with myriad skills. This summer he will be a cabin counselor, will head up our Volleyball program, and help out with Soccer, Photography, and Mountain Biking.
HANNAH DONNELLY	Hannah comes from Coventry, England and she works as an Au Pair and English teacher in Italy. She looks after two kids, ages 6 and 8. She is interested in art and photography. Hannah will be 24 years old this summer, and she will be on of our “nannies” looking after the youngins at camp in either the Melrose or Hitchens families.
MARTIN GRAZER	Martin is 24 years old and he is from Velenje, Slovinia. He is currently a visiting faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Ljubljana. Martin has been a scout and a volunteer leader with the scouts, and over the years he and his friends have gotten way into mountain biking. He lived outside of a small village and used his mountain bike as primary transportation to get in and out of town. Martin is also into volleyball and soccer. And he is a member of Toastmasters. This summer Martin will be a cabin counselor, will head up our Mountain Biking program, and help out with Volleyball and Soccer.
BRENDON LANDIS	Brendon is originally from Baltimore, and is currently a student at Hocking College studying Natural Resource Law. He is 21 years old and has been a leader with his school’s Smart Start program, working with college students on high ropes, some short excursions, and other games. Brendon is into backpacking and rock climbing, and this summer he will be a Trip Leader.
KEATON LARIMORE	Keaton is from Hilliard, OH and is a senior at Hocking College in Nelsonville, OH, majoring in Wildlife Resources Management. He will be 22 years old this summer. Keaton was in boy scouts growing up, and has continued his passion for hiking, fishing, rock climbing, and camping. He also plays guitar. This summer Keaton joins us as a Trip Leader.
OLIVIJA NIKOLIC	Olivija is 18 years old and comes from Perth, Australia where she works in a restaurant. From her earliest years, Olivija has loved the outdoors, including camping, canoeing, and kayaking. She was a member of her church’s “Pathfinders” club since she was 5, and has been on many expeditions. This summer Olivija will head up our Advanced Canoeing program, and help out with Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, and Fishing.
ALEXA VELAZQUEZ	From Xalapa, Mexico, Alexa joins our Kitchen Staff. She is 23 years old, and is studying International Business Management in her senior year at Universidad Veracruzana.

Bar Mitzvah congrats to DILLON ARONOFF who celebrates this month. In St. Louis, ZACH HEARST is rowing, and he completed a CPR course. IAN LYNCH made his school’s varsity basketball team, and JOEY FLOM is playing lacrosse for his school. In Chicago, JACOB KLINE made the honor roll at school. Way to go, Jacob! He’s also trying out for tennis and volleyball. OWEN MONIESON and DANIEL SOLOT are playing volleyball together on their school team. Louisville finds AVI HIKEN is playing varsity soccer and lacrosse at school. In Seattle, JOE LEVY is playing hockey, and his team won a tournament recently in Las Vegas. Y’all must be so busy, you don’t have time to tell us all the cool things you’re up to. Maybe next month?

ARI LACKNER left school in Nashville for a visit to New Orleans during Mardi Gras. While there he bumped into some “old-timers,” including BEN SPIER, GRAYSON SHEENA, & EVERETT CEDARHOLM. Out in the mountains of Colorado, DUSTIN COHEN is enjoying the ski instructor’s life, and JARED BURGDORF is right there too teaching snow boarding. Both guys also work at a ski shop in the evenings. On his recent road trip, RYAN MC DONOUGH took a private ski lesson from a retired instructor, and was skiing blue runs by the afternoon. BRIAN STRAIN recently flew to Chicago to help “old-timer” RYAN ELIAS on his move out to Colorado Springs. While in town, a few camp folks got together for a festive lunch.

AROUND THE HAND-WASHING STATION

Friends – I have a confession to make. I’ve been doing this job for a whole 6 months now, so I feel I can trust you. Despite the overwhelming feelings of inspiration and awe you experience reading this section every month, sometimes it can be difficult for me to come up with a topic about which to write…

I know, I know. Pretty shocking stuff.

This time around, in order to overcome my writer’s block, I decided to clear my mind by taking a walk outside. Chicago isn’t quite as beautiful or natural as the North Woods, but I just couldn’t be inside anymore. It was warm and sunny (we went through an entire year’s worth of season this week…) and a breeze was blowing and birds were chirping. Birds! Chirping! The first sign of spring! And I was momentarily reminded of a very short story from one of my favorite books:

“Once a Zen master stood up before his students and was about to deliver a sermon. And just as he was about to open his mouth, a bird sang. And he said, ‘The sermon has been delivered.’”

That bird I heard said more in her song than in any essay I have written or could ever write. Nature is a better author than I am. So in order to take in my words of wisdom this month, you need only step outside and listen to the birds. And my ATHWS will have been delivered.

Until next time,

Scott

BRAVO TO OUR MARCH BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Etienne LaFlamme - 3/1/2006, Brett Miller - 3/1/2004, Dillon Berlin - 3/4/2002, Dillon Aronoff - 3/6/2004, Eddie Rosenblum - 3/6/1996, Javy Vallejo-McCann - 3/6/2003, Charlie Carroll - 3/7/2004, Alex Kipnis - 3/8/2007, Max Kohl - 3/11/2005, Valerie Yuryk - 3/11/1999, Jonah Gerstein - 3/12/2004, Joey Ettinger - 3/13/2003, Anita Robson - 3/14/1996, Spencer Coplan - 3/15/2002, Jake Whitstone - 3/19/1994, Dustin Greenwood - 3/20/2005, Marcelo Saenz - 3/21/2005, Brian Strain - 3/22/1981, Desmond Brown - 3/23/2002, Tyler Mann - 3/23/2004, Jonah Zivin - 3/23/2005, Max Boron - 3/26/2004, Ryan Guterman - 3/27/2006, Joe Berns - 3/28/2001, Stephanie Byrane - 3/28/1996, Daniel Rothstein - 3/28/2003, Aaron Berkowitz - 3/29/1996, Leo Weiss - 3/29/2008, Joey Salit - 3/30/2001, Noah Masinter - 3/31/2006.

That’s all the news for this month. Enjoy the start of Spring, everyone! Summer will be here soon!!

Benches up,

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Volume LVII, No. 7, March, 2017