Hey, Summer Campers!

Since this Blog began back in February of 2013, I’ve been posting about celebrities who either attended summer camp when they were little or have given to summer camps in a significant way. I’ve covered nearly 50 celebrities—some of whom are more involved in the summer camp community than others. I thought it’d be good to review some of those famous folks who have REALLY got involved.  

First, and possibly foremost, to get a second look is Lisa Loeb. Her awesome contributions to summer camps are easily her most notable claim to fame. And my post about her from two years ago only covered half the story. I talked about her time at Camp Champions, just outside Austin Texas, as well as her career which sprouted from her summer camp experience.

What I didn’t tell you about is the Camp Lisa Foundation that she started. Its mission: to help kids, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to, attend summer camp. “Summer camp was a huge part of my childhood,” Lisa has said, “Something I looked forward to, and a relief from the very demanding 11 years of all-girls school…” It’s clear that, after all these, years, Lisa has never forgotten what an impact camp played in her life.

Here’s how it works:

Released in 2008, Lisa’s awesome ‘Camp Lisa’ album—containing twenty-one songs, both camp classics as well as originals performed by Lisa, along with famous guest performers—is all part of the Camp Lisa Foundation. All the proceeds from ‘Camp Lisa’ benefit the foundation that she created, giving underprivileged kids the chance to go to summer camp.

Always pushing for greater awareness of the wonders camp works in youth development through having fun in natural settings, friends, activities, and becoming part of a community, the Camp Lisa Foundation is a fantastic achievement! Check out the album when you get a chance and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Campers!

Did you know that more than 11 million people go to summer camp every year? That’s A LOT of folks! And since everybody and their mothers went to summer camp at some point, it’s not surprising to discover the loads upon loads of famous folks who were once summer campers just like you.

It’s also not surprising to learn how many summer campers from back in the day have gone on to do fun, exciting work as successful, famous stars! There are some stars who achieve superstardom like Julia Roberts or Drew Brees and there are other famous people who are stars within their own field. Any sports fan, 25 or older, knows the name Peter Gammons.

Earning major awards in his field, Peter made a name for himself through his expert writing in baseball coverage. But before he became a big name sports writer, he attended summer camp at Camp Timanous in Maine.

An all-boys, overnight camp located 25 miles west of Portland on the shores of Panther Pond, Camp Timanous offers kids a fun summer stay at their magical New England setting where kids achieve a path toward self-confidence and self-reliance.

It certainly did Peter some good as he went on to attend an elite prep school and then to University of North Carolina. There he worked for the student newspaper as well as the student radio station. He began his career in journalism directly after his graduation in 1969 with The Boston Globe! And that was just the beginning!

As main journalist, covering the Boston Red Sox, Peter quickly took his claim to fame working alongside other legendary sports writers at The Boston Globe. He soon surpassed their fame, however, as he soon got work as a national baseball columnist as well. Stepping into the role of lead columnist for Sport Illustrated, he covered baseball, hockey, and college basketball.

By 1988, Peter joined the ranks of ESPN as a behind-the-scenes analyst, but come baseball season, he would appear on ‘Baseball Tonight’ and would frequently speak on ESPN radio. Voted the National Sportswriter of the Year in ’89, ’90, and ’93,

Get the most out of your summer camp stays and find out just how much good summer camp can do for you! As always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

Admirable involvement in the summer camp lifestyle is everywhere you look. Knowing what a great impact camp can have on a kid’s life, people can play a huge role in supporting, donating, or even launching a camp. For never actually having ATTENDED summer camp when he was younger, Kirk Cameron certainly realizes the impact that camp has on kids. That’s why he launched Camp Firefly.

Best known for his role as Mike Seaver from the classic sitcom, ‘Growing Pains’ (which started when he was a child and stretched to his early adolescence), Kirk was certainly a teenage heartthrob in the 80’s and early 90’s.

‘Growing Pains’ revolves around the Seaver family, living in New York. The premise of the show starts with psychiatrist, Jason Seaver who starts working from home since his wife, Maggie, resumed her old occupation as a reporter. Dr. Seaver is left during the workdays to fulfill his job’s needs AND look after their four children: Mike (Kirk Cameron), Carol, Ben, and Chrissy. And heartwarming hilarity ensues.

Kirk’s gone on to do lots of recurring television appearances in shows like ‘Herbie the Love Bug’, ‘Touched by an Angel’, and ‘Full House’ as well as work in film such as ‘Beyond Witch Mountain’ and ‘Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land’.

But beyond his work onscreen, Kirk has done awesome deeds of good will. In co-founding his summer camp, Camp Firefly, with his wife—actress, Chelsea Noble, these two have made a place where families with terminally and seriously ill children, can go to get a break from their exhaustive everyday that’s filled with medical treatments and financial concerns.

Camp Firefly is an all expenses-paid, one-week retreat not just for the sick child, but for the entire family so that, it becomes an experience that offers a burdened family to spend some quality time with each other and meet other families who share similar adversity.

Click here to check out more about Camp Firefly and scroll down to spot Kirk in this great opening sequence from ‘Growing Pains’.

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

I bet you can’t wait to have the blast that your summer camp experience is sure to be! You know who else had a blast at summer camp, well-known comedian, Benjamin Joseph Manaly Novak. What’s that? You never hear of him? Maybe you know him better simply as B.J. Novak. 

B.J., as you may already know, was one of the esteemed writers as well as an executive producer AND played the role of Ryan Howard (initially ‘The Temp.’ or ‘Fire Guy’) on the very successful TV show, The Office, which ran from 2005 to 2013. But that’s not all he’s known for: he’s an engaging stand-up comedian, screenwriter, author, director, and….oh, yeah—a former summer camper.

When he was closer to your age, B.J. spent a summer at Camp Ramah, a network of Jewish summer camps. Camp Ramah has locations all over the map, but, a Massachusite himself, Mr. Novak enjoyed his summer camp stay attending the Palmer, Massachusetts location of this co-ed Jewish camp.

Novak had a pretty average upbringing. He attended Newton South High School (along with his future costar of The Office, John Krasinski, oddly enough) and then went on to Harvard University! After graduating from Harvard in 2001, B.J. moved to L.A. and started doing stand-up in clubs.

It was here that Greg Daniels (the guy who instigated the American adaptation of the original British version of ‘The Office’) spotted Mr. Novak. Greg knew immediately after B.J.’s opening joke that he wanted to get B.J. involved in something. Soon after, B.J. became the very first cast member of the American version of ‘The Office’.

B.J. has trouble accepting his own success from time to time. “Sometimes,” he says, “When this feels too good to be true, I think that if this were all a dream, that would be what should have tipped me off. I’d wake up saying, ‘I was in this incredible TV show and it was a big hit and the star was John Krasinski from high school. Isn’t that weird?’”

Summer camp got B.J. going on the right path. What kind of path will camp put ahead of you? As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

Since SO MANY people go to summer camp every year, it should come as no surprise that people of all kinds end up attending summer camp—even big name Hollywood celebrities like Scott Foley went to camp once upon a time when they were closer to your age.

Maybe you know him best for his role as Bob Brown, the lead character in the television series, ‘The Unit’. Or maybe for his recurring role as Henry Burton in the television series ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.  Maybe you know him best as Roman Bridger from the third ‘Scream’ movie or maybe you know him better as Sean Kelly, Elliot Reid’s boyfriend on the sitcom ‘Scrubs’.

In any case, before he ever took on any such roles mentioned above, he went to summer camp at Red Arrow Camp. Located on Trout Lake in northern Wisconsin, this boys camp was founded in 1920 and has delivered the ultimate summer camp experience to other well-known people like Tommy Bartlett and Chris Farley.

Born in Kansas City, Scott was the oldest of three boys. When he was only 15, he lost his mother. Consequently, Scott ended up spending chunks of his childhood in places like Australia and Japan, following his father on business trips as an international banker.

Scott caught his break playing the character of Noel Crane on the television series ‘Felicity’ and continued to successfully broaden his acting career. But he didn’t stop there; he also tried his hand at directing. He got some good experience in, directing single episodes of television shows like ‘Felicity’ as well as ‘Monk’. He eventually wrote and directed his own film.

Quite an accomplished figure in Hollywood, Scott Foley attended summer camp and followed his interests and dreams. What will happen to you after camp? As always, thanks for reading, Campers.

- John