Hey, Camp Fans!

In the middle of July, I asked you guys to share your camp stories. We got a great response with nearly 30 entries so we’re happily publishing each and every submission right here on the Blog! Everyone who submitted got $15 gift certificates and seven lucky winners got larger prizes of $25, $50, and the grand prize of $100. Today I’m announcing our Grand Prize Winner! Drumroll, please……….

Alanna G.! Congratulations! You’re our first place winner! Alanna spent her summer at Beber Camp where she made great friends and got in touch with herself, leaving her phone, tablet, and other electronics behind. Check out what she had to say about camp in this honest entry from Alanna:

“‘The journey of 1000 smiles starts with 72 steps.’ I have attended B’nai B’rith Beber Camp for 5 years. There is no place I’d rather be. You make so many friends, new and old! The friends you make aren’t just with campers. You develop bonds with the staff. They come from near and far with so many different and unique talents.

Phones are a HUGE part of teenagers’ lives today. However, at Beber, there is a ‘no screen’ policy. So, there are no phones. From personal experience, it is so amazing to be without my phone and learn to appreciate the people that I don’t get to see every day. It also helps me define who I am as a person. I have learned so many new things about myself and others.

The traditions at camp are so amazing and special. No matter if we are all at flagpole chanting ‘Tucked Away’, or if we are singing our hearts out at a Friday night song session it is always fun and memorable!

Lastly, my favorite time at camp is havdalah. The whole camp gathers together in the amphitheater and every cabin shares something special about their week and then we conclude with havdalah, the lighting of the candle and the end of the Sabbath.

But… there is more than just that. It’s the community coming together! Everyone cares for each other at camp and it is really special to say that I go to Beber Camp!

In conclusion, there is no place better than B’nai B’rith Beber Camp. People work so hard to make sure we are having fun, and they do an AMAZING job!!

LO~HE~HA
(love, health, and happiness)”

Thanks again for your submission, Alanna. We’re happy to hear that your summer was such a success! For anyone else interested in Camp Beber, you can check it out right here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

A while back in mid-July, I asked you guys to share your camp stories. Ask and we DID receive! We got a great response with nearly 30 entries so we’re happily publishing each and every submission right here on the Blog! Everyone who submitted got $15 gift certificates and seven lucky winners got larger prizes of $25, $50, and the grand prize of $100. Today I’m announcing the second $50 winner. Are you ready? The winner is….

Koda N.! Congrats! You’re the second $50 prize winner! Koda spent his summer at Camp Leelanau where he played an epic game of Leelanau’s version of Capture-the-Flag. Check it out in this exciting entry from Koda:“We were on our way to the flag trip. I was so excited!! It was my first time ever going on the flag trip! But There were only 3 words in my head, “tackle with care”. Although this was a tackling game we were going to tackle with love, not hatred. When we got there we ate lunch and changed into our camo clothes. A few counselors told us the rules of the game and how it worked. There were two flags in the woods, one for each team. The flag was on a rope and the rope was connected to two trees. There was also a jail. The jail was made out of three trees in the shape of a triangle. There was a rope around those three trees to make a triangular prism. There were two parts to each team, offense and defense. The defense watched over the flag and the offense tried to get the flag of the opposing team. The people playing offense ran over to the other team’s base and tried to get past the defense (which was trying to tackle you). If you got tackled you went to jail but if you didn’t get tackled you ran to the other teams flag and grabbed it. Then you yelled, “flag, flag, flag”. If you yelled only two “flags” and then got tackled to the ground you had to go to their jail. But if you yell all three flags without getting tackled you get a point and a free walk back your team’s base. You get out of jail by climbing over the rope and running back to your team’s base. Each base was on a hill and there was a gap in between each hill. That place is a safe zone, so you can’t get tackled and you can’t tackle.

I started off as an offensive player, I ran to a part of their hill where they weren’t looking. I just laid there thinking of a plan to get to their flag. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into an hour, tons of mosquitoes buzzed in my ear. But I didn’t budge at all. All of a sudden I heard somebody yell “I see Koda!” and then I got up and ran to their flag. I ran past their defense and grabbed the flag, “flag,flag,flag.” I had gotten a flag!!!!! I went back to our base and told my team the good news. We had won the game!!!!!!!!!!”

Thanks again for your submission, Koda. We’re happy to hear about your good times! For anyone else interested in Camp Leelanau, you can check it out right here. As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

A while back in mid-July, I asked you guys to share your camp stories. Ask and we shall receive! We got a great response with nearly 30 entries so we’re happily publishing each and every submission right here on the Blog! Everyone who submitted got $15 gift certificates and seven lucky winners got larger prizes of $25, $50, and the grand prize of $100. I’m announcing the first $50 winner right here and right now! Today’s winner is….

Hadley M.! Congratulations! You’re our first $50 prize winner! Hadley spent her summer at Camp Hayo-Went-Ha and brought home an unexpected guest! Read all about it in this excellent entry from Hadley’s mother, Debbie:

The Unwanted Visitor

“Hadley enjoyed a full month at YMCA Camp Arbutus Hayo-Went-Ha for girls this summer. She was in the Biker group that took an 8-day 140-mile bicycling trek through the upper peninsula of Michigan. These girls were tough, sometimes riding 30 to 40 miles in a day. They even got to take the ferry over to Mackinac Island and spend a day on their bikes exploring. When not on the biking adventure, the girls were able to take part in Life-size Board game super Saturday, Ropes Courses, Sailing, Paddle Boarding, Nature Walks, and the list could continue as there are so many options of things to do at Hayo-Went-Ha.

I guess one of the many lessons learned for Hadley was that of how to care for your belongings at camp. Hadley had decided that it was easier to just leave her trunk open to have quick access to her belongings. Because really it MUST be too much trouble to close that trunk each time you want to change clothes or grab something—right?!

On the final day of camp, we made the 4 hour drive to camp to pick up Hadley. We loaded up her trunk and spent the next 4 hours peppering her with questions about her month of adventure. By the time we made it home, everyone wanted to just relax. So we put off unpacking her trunk until the next day. We had left the trunk on the back porch because as anyone who has had a child go to camp—those things do not smell the best after a month at camp. The next day, Hadley was responsible for unpacking all of her items from the trunk and putting them into the laundry so that everything could be washed. At the bottom of her trunk Hadley found a Momma Mouse and the 5 babies that she had given birth to in the trunk!!!! Needless to say this was a lesson learned (we HOPE). Always close your trunk after getting your things out of it. You never know what might sneak into that trunk!”

Thanks again for your submission, Debbie. We hope Hadley learned her lesson! For anyone else interested in Camp Hayo-Went-Ha, you can check it out right here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Grandkids!

Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, Siblings’ Day, and Dog Day—you better believe that there’s a National Grandparents’ Day. And wouldn’t you know it, Grandparents’ Day is today! I’ve previously written about the history of the day on this Blog—how it came to be and ways that you can celebrate. But today I’d like to share with you three things that you can learn from Grandma and Grandpa about life and maybe even summer camp.

Some people may think it’s hard for the younger generation to relate to their grandparents, but kids love learning about new things. Grandparents may only have ‘old tricks’, but they’re new to kids of the modern day. Here are a few things we can glean from our grandparents.

The Past
History is always more fun to learn about when you’re learning it from a source who actually lived through historical events. It can be lots of fun for kids to compare how different the world is that they are growing up in and the ones that their grandparents did. Grandparents are also typically good sources for learning about your family tree.

Skill Sets
Because grandparents grew up in a different time, they know skills that kids from your generation never had to learn such as sewing, baking, woodworking, gardening, letter-writing and so on. Grandparents can also help you out with games that you probably never heard of before. When I was younger, my grandfather taught me to play an old card game called Sheep’s Head.

Wisdom
Your grandparents have been through many more walks of life than you. Turn to them for life lessons and advice about situations where you could use the input. Grandparents know how to get through hard times and they know how to help your social skills with some playful humor.

Enjoy your visits and see what you can learn from your grandparents! And don’t forget to wish them a happy Grandparents’ Day! As always, thanks for reading.

- John

Fellow Patriots,

A country will have its share of joyous occasions along with its hardships and sorrows. Being involved and remembering those times is what being a patriot is all about. Not to be confused with Patriot’s Day—which celebrates a battle during the Revolutionary War—Patriot Day memorializes the loved ones we lost on that horribly tragic morning 14 years ago.  

On Patriot Day, we remember the horrible attacks our nation suffered on September 11, 2001 as well as the heroes who sacrificed themselves to save the lives of others. Having hijacked four, large passenger planes, the terrorists responsible for 9/11 crashed two into the Twin Towers and another into the Pentagon.

The passengers in the fourth plane managed to force their plane to crash into a field in Pennsylvania, preventing any further damage the terrorists would have otherwise caused.

Communities and individuals demonstrate their remembrance and patriotism in a number of different ways. Flags are flown at half-mast, bells are tolled, presidential speeches are given at the locations of crash sites. The most important and impressive part of the observance, however, takes place at Ground Zero in New York City where the Twin Towers once stood.

Another important, commemorative element at Ground Zero is the Tribute in Light, installed six months after the attacks. Two beams of light shine straight up into the air from the two reflecting pools, perfectly matching the footprints of the Twin Tower buildings. Inscribed in the bronze panels found around the outside of the pools is the name of everyone who died in the attacks.

Join the nation in our remembrance of this unfortunate anniversary. Thanks for reading.

- John