We Love Our Summer Staff, Part 1: Donncha & Sarah

Howdy, howdy, CFA friends & families. Us professional staff members are enjoying the unseasonable lack of cold weather here in the Hill Country. (Bill is biking and running hundreds of miles— literally! Allison is planning her garden and tending to her chickens. Stephanie is out walking with her dogs. Becky is beginning to clean up the camp trails for the Rock-Y 5K next month. Bif is getting to know his new Texas home. And me? I'm riding, of course!) But we are also spending a lot of time planning and preparing for this upcoming summer— and that means talking with new and former staff members to create eight great weeks at YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow. 

So today starts the first in a series of posts focusing on former camp staff who are making plans to come back for Summer 2012. These guys could potentially be your counselors and ad staff in 2012!

Donncha, age 19, from Ireland

University attending: Limerick I.T - studying Business with Sports Management

Noteworthy Hobbies, Skills, or Talents: Love to play hurling and soccer and discovering new music. 

What exciting thing(s) have you done this past year that you want campers to know about? I have completed one of my ragger goals and I went to England over the Christmas to visit some of the amazing friends I made at camp during the summer.

Favorite memory from CFA 2011: The amazing things that happen in Carabineer club where the campers conquer their fears. 

Place on camp where you could most often be found last summer: Definitely High Ropes.

Favorite Core Value: Respect because everyone loves when their thoughts are listened to and appreciated.

Favorite snack time ice cream: Has to be the Ice-cream sandwich.

Must-have items while working summer camp: A water bottle, sun cream (especially for me) and a HUGE smile on your face every day.

Advice you'd give to other counselors: Treat everyone the way you would like to be treated and reflect on each and every good moment over the summer because time flies when you are having a great time.

Advice you'd give to summer campers: Arrive at camp with a smile on your face, lots of energy and be ready to have lots of fun because you are there for an awesome time that flies by.

What you're looking forward to most about this upcoming summer: Has to be renewing old friendships and gaining new ones and seeing how each and every camper has grown into a better person because of their experiences at camp.

Quote to live by: Be the best you can be!

Sarah, age 20, living in Missouri

University attending & job: University of Missouri. I teach hip hop classes and I'm Mizzou's American Eagle Campus Rep 

Noteworthy Hobbies, Skills, or Talents: Been dancing since I was 4.

What exciting thing(s) have you done this past year that you want campers to know about? I have been working with organizations such as Mizzou Relay for Life and Mizzou for Movember to raise money for cancer research and cancer awareness. 

Favorite memory from CFA 2010: Since I wasn't able to make it back last year I'm using CFA 2010. My favorite memory has to be my first trip up to Mount Vesper. Seeing that site made me realize how lucky I was to get to spend the summer at CFA. 

Place on camp where you could most often be found: I tended to be down by the water activities as much as possible. 

Favorite core value: Caring 

Favorite snack time ice cream: Drumsticks 

Must-have items while working summer camp: Water bottle 

Advice you'd give to other counselors: Even when we are tired and its been a long day, remember the reason we are there: to make the kids have a great time. 

Advice you'd give to summer campers: Be willing to step out of your comfort zone. The people you will meet here will be long term friends. 

What you're looking forward to most about this upcoming summer: Getting to see old friends and campers from 2010. I miss everything about camp right now! 

Quote to live by: Life's too short to be anything but happy.

Erin's Dream Lanyards CFA craft project

Crafters, campers, and everyone interested in doing things for a good cause— check out Erin's Dream Lanyards to get some background information about our newest craft project for summer 2011. Why are we so excited? Check out the following excerpt from the lanyard website to get a taste for this incredible non-profit.

Who is Erin? Erin Buenger was an almost twelve-year-old fireball who lived large. She also fought neuroblastoma cancer for more than half her life.

What is her Dream? She lobbied Congress and raised money privately to increase funding for pediatric cancer research. She dreamed of a cure for her disease. The money raised by Erin's Dream Lanyards goes to support neuroblastoma research through the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.

What is a lanyard? A lanyard is a beaded necklace with a clip or hook on the end to hold an ID badge. School teachers, nuclear scientists and hospital personnel are types of folks who wear lanyards.

Every CFA camper will have a chance to create one of these colorful, unique lanyards this summer, and the resulting product will be sent to Erin's mom, Vickie, who has continued her cause to fundraise for furthering research into pediatric cancer. Vickie will be coming out to camp during staff training to share Erin's story one-on-one with our counselors, ad staff, and year-round camp folks, while she demonstrates the process we will be using to make these lanyards. She is familiar with the area, as Erin herself attended Christian summer camp at Mo-Ranch, also in Hunt, TX. After we have completed them, camp will package them up and send them to Erin's Dream Lanyards, where they will be distributed to retail shops and sold, with all profits going to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.

Erin wanted a cure for her disease, not just for herself, but
for the thousands of children affected by cancer. We are
honored to assist her mother in carrying on with her
passion and planning by creating beautiful crafts by hand.

The Purple Rag

For Raggers 18 years and older, acceptance of the Purple Rag is an acceptance of dedication toward high and noble living in whatever Christian service opportunities that come your way. And yet again, we take a step towards higher living, putting all those Rag goals into play as you work to become a stronger, more noble person. Right now, there are two Purple Raggers active in YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow summer camp. It is something we do not take lightly, now is an easy challenge to accept.

The following is an expert from the conclusion of the Purple Rag Ceremony:

Your fellow Raggers attest to your purity, truthfulness, courage, and resolve, and deem you worthy. Prove by your acts at all times that their trust is rightfully offered. I, as your friend, challenge you to be truly noble. True nobility does not regard the wearing of the Purple as merely an honor, but as an obligation to those who are weaker in respect and need help. May you be noble and may God be with you in your quest.

Wow- a true calling to be a more Noble, more trustworthy person. To be able to live each day in this way would make you darn near perfect. But come on, we all know we are not perfect and most of us are not even close. This is why the Rag program is so helpful in challenging each one of us to be more, to work towards a noble and up standing life style. I know for me, the Purple Rag has been a big step. Finding time to reach out and help others is often just one more thing to do in my already busy lifestyle. However, as a Ragger, I have the knowledge to push myself to dig deeper in order to accomplish this. Several ways I do this is by serving on the local School Board and through my membership in a local women's service organization in which we serve 25 hours each year in service to others.

Now, about that living noble part. First, this does not mean noble as in "Your Royal Highness" or coming from a higher standing. This means: Noble (nō'bəl) Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor: a noble spirit. Sound familiar to any Y Camp you have attended? Those core values really come into play here - caring, honesty, respect, responsibility and faith. Being an upstanding person, one who is trustworthy, giving, loving in spirit (I.L.L.), pure. Someone we can all count on at all times, not just when trouble calls or something great happens.

• So, how do you define noble?
• How will you step up to the plate and be worthy of the Purple Rag?
• What will you stand for in all times?

Start thinking about ways to prove your fellow Raggers can "attest to your purity, truthfulness, courage, and resolve, and deem you worthy." Before you know it, the Purple Rag will call your name, you will stand proud before your fellow Raggers and God and attest to your readiness to wear this Rag as your live a True and Noble life. Good luck and stay focused.

In the Spirit of Camp,
Allison

Y 182?

What moves you?

There's a lot to be excited about this spring at CFA. With Camp Ruff'n It looking to bring a whole herd more dogs to camp, a never-before-seen trail run 5K to test Texas runners on our gorgeous rocky terrain, and dozens of groups who are coming to camp for the first, second, third, or maybe even tenth time. Sharing camp with people is what jazzes us up and drives us to keep working sometimes ridiculous hours.

When the Youth Empowerment Retreat group was here, we talked a lot about identifying your personal passion— the force that makes you want to work on something all night, not because it's overdue, but because it gets you excited. For some people, it was working with animals. For other people, it was sports or music. There was at least a third of the room, though, who really couldn't tell what their passion was.. at least, they knew what they enjoyed, but they couldn't imagine it consuming their life.

Terri Guillemets said, "Chase down your passion like it's the last bus of the night." Sounds like some super famous author or philosopher, right? Wrong. Terri is a seemingly quite average human being who has a deep love of famous and insightful quotations and the written word. Pretty much on her own, she has built and maintained www.QuoteGarden.com, one of the most-frequented websites on the net, though not because of its flashiness (in fact, the site is pretty early-2000s outdated) or extreme content. (Most of the "contributors" of the quotations are dead; they're historical figures or famous people from years gone by.) She didn't build the site to pocket money; she built it because she loved the subject enough to share it with people. That's passion.

I hope next time you're at camp, you get a chance to act on something that really drives you. It might be a sport or activity (hey, you guys all know how much I dig horseback riding— I've made that hobby into a career!) or it could be a service project or some kind of leadership you show at camp. (What about being a Raggers counselor?) What about that thing lights you up inside? Can you take that from an interest to a passion— can you do something with it?

The Red Rag

The Red Rag is for campers/staff 16 years of age and over who are accepting the challenge toward sacrifice of time, talent, and personal will. Wow-this one is really stepping things up a notch. It is asking you to sacrifice things you love and possibly things you are really good at in light of the good of others.

In the ceremony, there is this story of Albert Schweitzer:

His talent for music could have given him fame as the greatest authority on the music of Bach, and as a great organist. But he sacrificed this talent to use another more needed to God, and prepared himself to become a doctor, founding a hospital in the heart of Africa, and serving the sick of the land.

Wow-to sacrificae his great love of music and purpose himself to become a doctor in Africa is great. How can you do this? Maybe not on such a grand scale, but what can you do TODAY to sacrifice for others?

Before, you have geared yourself to personal goal setting, concern for others and a Christian way of life. Now the Rag is asking you to take time out of your everyday life and give to others. There are so many ways to do this. By mentoring, serving at church, volunteering in your school, community or local YMCA. The Red Rag is focusing you on discovering and utilizing your talents in each day, but also putting aside one great talent to pursue another for the good of others .

• So I ask, what are your talents?
• Are you a musician, an athlete, a chef?
• What are you good at that you can put to task for others?
• Is there something you are really good out but is just self serving and not serving to others? If so, how will you put this aside?

Many of you know I have really discovered my ability to prepare food. While I was good at being a camp program director, I really felt there was something else I could be doing to better serve others. n taking over food service at camp, not only have I found that I love doing it, but I am good at it. For me, cooking is not work, it is joy. So really look and explore yourself and give of time and talent to others.

Find your talent, find an area to focus your talent and serve others. Remember, others before self. Good luck and stay focused.

In the Spirit of Camp,
Allison

Y 182?

Counselor Interview: Lacie

Lacie is returning this summer to be a counselor and she sat down for an interview with me to talk about camp. She is super excited about coming back and can't wait for the summer to start.

1. What was your favorite memory from last summer?

I was a counselor in Farrow and we decided to get up early and go to the back gate to see the sun rise. It was really cloudy and not much chance to see the sun. The girls were so positive the whole time though. They just kept saying "Lets keep going. It will clear up." Sadly, it never did but the trip made us bond as group and it was so much fun. The campers were all so close that week and it made it a great week. 

2. What are you looking forward to the most about next summer?

I love seeing all the kids come back and see how they have changed. I have been going for 7 years so it is always fun seeing kids come back and grow. I also like seeing friends reunite. It starts the camp atmosphere right away.

3. What is your favorite camp song and why?

I really like the Donkey song. The reason why is because a counselor named Reggie taught me it up in the dining hall. He was banging on the table and singing it. It was really cool.

4. What is your favorite camp skit and why?

It would be Boogie Bears. I still remember the first time I saw it. I remember who was in it and how it was done. It is the best.

5. What is your favorite place at camp?

It would have to be the porch at the dining hall. I had my very first ragger talk there and now I do all my ragger talks there.

6. Since you went to camp as a kid. What is your advice to a first time camper?


Don't be intimidated by the counselors who are singing and dancing. Just join in at campfire on the first night and you will have a great time.

125th Y-Celebration

Bill and I went to the 125th Celebration of YMCA Camping a few weeks ago and I came back with a new appreciation of really how camping got to where it is now. So many times we only look to the future when the past is not only a place where we can learn from but also a place that we need to hold in high regard.

Below is the history of YMCA camping. They gave this to us at the celebration. I will have some thoughts below:




-Notice the quotes that the narrator says or the ones they flash on the screen. My favorite: "The joy and success of a camp depend not on the new pool, the pleasant lodging or the other facilities but on the leadership." Richard T. Schwartz, camper then counselor at YMCA Camp Kern.

-It is really cool seeing the old pictures and history of different camps. CFA actually has 4 pictures in this.

-As it said in the video, the counselor/camper relationship is one of the most important things in summer camps. I remember my first counselors Paul Laudermilk and Brian Sheridan. They took care of me and loved me. Some of their morals rubbed off on me and I have them now. I hope I have made an impact on the campers I worked with as those two did with me.

-This video sums up why I do what I do. Not with what the narrator says, but with all the smiles that are in the pictures.