Arrowhead - Edwards YMCA CAMP

Spring 2011
N8901 Army Lake Road
East Troy, WI 53120
(262) 642-7466
Fax (262) 642-5108
www.campedwards.org
Email:
camped@campedwards.org
______________________
Jody Heimos
Exec Branch Director
Adrienne Wicklund
Environmental
Education Director
Steve Cummins
Groups/Retreats Director
Vicki Tichy
Business Manager
Tom Perles
Chairman - Camp
Board of Managers
John Weidl
NBZ President
______________________
Inside
Camp Highlights
Welcome New Staff
English Channel Swim
―Best of the Best‖
Women’s Wellness
Nani-Ba-Zhu
________________________
To request camp brochures,
please call our office or
download from our website,
www.campedwards.org
Arrowhead
Edwards YMCA Camp & Retreat Center
A Branch of the Prairie Valley Family YMCA
Greetings from Camp Edwards!!
Well, it is that time of the year again when we start the great thaw, torpor animals
wake from their slumber, maple sap begins to feed the leaves, and our minds dream of
warm summer sunshine. We really hope you will share a week or two with us, basking in
the beautiful Wisconsin weather.
By the time you get here, the changes around camp should be finished; and a lot of
changes have been happening. Coming off of a great 2010 summer season, we have had
to remodel and reduce capacity in our cabins, change the second floor of Edwards Lodge
into a sleeping area, and purchase a Yurt (circular platform sleeping structure). Luckily,
through these improvements we did not have to reduce overall camp capacity.
The nice part about remodeling the cabins is that it gave us the opportunity to take
down all the bunks and come up with a new design allowing us to clean more efficiently,
inspect, and spray for all insects, including bed bugs. Gone are the top tier bunks, also
improving airflow through the cabins.
We have a lot to cover inside this Arrowhead, so I will bid you well wishes, and see you
this summer!
In the Spirit of Camping,
Jody Heimos, Executive Director
The Daily Herald newspaper, the third largest in Illinois, recently
announced to its readership a fact many Camp Edwards campers,
alumni and friends have known for years; Edwards YMCA Camp is ―Best
of the Best‖. In the second annual Daily Herald Readers Choice 2011 poll, respondents
voted Camp Edwards to the top of the list in the ―Best Overnight Camp‖ category. The
survey results were based on responses from newspaper and on-line subscribers.
Thanks to Camp’s hard working professional staff and all of its supporters, who have
helped make Camp Edwards ―THE BEST.‖
Sessions are Filling Fast
Sign Up Soon!
Registration Form Online—www.campedwards.org

We Are Trying Our Best Not To!
Last year bed bugs were all the newspapers talked about. Unfortunately, we were victims of these little menaces. We
do not know how they got in, but they made camp their home, at least for awhile. We were very reactionary to the bed
bugs that entered several of our cabins, and we spent a lot of money to rid ourselves of these pests. Everything from
heat treatments, to liquid nitrogen sprays, to chemical sprays, and replacement of many of the mattresses. Jody and
Steve went as far as removing a bed from the loft and burning it in the burn pile…not as impressive as you might think.
This year, through the cabin renovations, we are making it easier to inspect cabins and limit the amount of places the
bugs can hide. But it doesn’t end there! We have established a system of twice a week inspections and purchased a
new heating system that allows us to heat our cabins up to 160 degrees and every cabin is treated quarterly. Paul K
and Jody are being certified as private pesticide applicators in the State of Wisconsin allowing us to buy the proper
chemicals to treat the cabins on a bi-monthly or as needed basis. The chemical spray is not harmful to our guests and
frees us from paying huge amounts of money to pest control companies. When the Hoffer family learned of our problem,
they funded the replacement of all the mattresses in Hoffer Lodge for good measure.
We are taking this nuisance seriously and hope we can provide a bed bug free experience for all of our campers and
guests. A Bed Bug prevention guide is also available for download on our website under forms and applications so you
can prepare for your camp trip.
CHANNEL SWIMMER McCONNELL TO SHARE LAKE BUELAH SWIM WITH 2011 CAMPERS
Question: Which of the following events has been accomplished the fewest number of times?
Climb to the top of Mount Everest (29.029 ft.)
Men and women lifted by rocket into space.
Swim the English Channel (21 miles at the Straits of Dover)
Recorded history, indicates that approximately 1,200 men and women have successfully
swam the English channel, compared with 1,300 who have lifted into space and approximately
4,800 who have reached the summit of Mt. Everest. If all goes as planned, the Channel Swimming
Association will certify one more successful crossing this August when longtime camp
board member Douglas McConnell attempts to swim – with approximately 35,000 strokes -
from the chalk cliffs of Dover, England to Calais, France. Considering the current, it is more like
a 28 mile swim.
This adventure started 45 years ago at the end of Camp Edwards’ swimming pier, when Doug, as a youth camper,
dove into Lake Beulah for his first swim to Buck Island. He was a record holding swimmer at the University of Illinois.
Since then, he completed in a number of open water swims, including the Boston Light Swim, and six laps around Lake
Zurich, in 60 degree water, training and qualifying for this year’s Channel swim. He has been training for three years.
Swimming in 60 degree water will be only one of Doug’s Channel challenges. There are 600 ships passing each day, a
billion pieces of floating plastic and lots of jelly fish. There are strict Channel swimming rules; no one is allowed to
touch you and no wetsuit or flippers. 200 of the best swimmers try this each summer, and, on average 100 make it.
In order to give back to Camp Edwards for all that Camp did for him, Doug plans to visit Camp this summer for many
of the sessions to share his swimming experiences with current campers prior to the weekly swim to Buck Island. Then,
as he did 45 years ago, he will join those who are prepared to make the early Friday morning swim (approximately twothirds
of a mile) and congratulate each upon reaching the Island. A memento will be presented to all who make the Buck
Island swim with Doug. ―Blue water‖ swimmers who can go the distance to Buck Island, this summer will be your chance
to ―Swim with Doug – Swim with a Champion.‖ Try to get some extra laps of practice in prior to arriving at Camp!
Incidentally, for complex historical and cultural motives, the French dislike the Channel swim beyond concern over
safety and Doug is not sure how warm a greeting he will receive. If he can’t pull a passport from his Speedo when he
reaches the French coast, he will have only a few minutes to swim back to his escort boat and head back to England!
For further information regarding Doug’s forthcoming Channel swim, see the article ―The Ultimate Swim‖ at http://
www.qbarrington.com/pdf/ma11-the-ultimate-swim.pdf or Doug’s blog at www.ALongSwim.com.
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Women’s Wellness Camp
June 10—16, 2011
� New Fitness Classes
� Outdoor Recreation
� Relaxation
� 2011 Theme Dinner ―Ho-Down BBQ‖
Just a few of the great benefits of Women’s Wellness Camp!
Join us for our 2011 WWC!
Call for more information: 262-642-7466 Ext 205
Limited space… Call and reserve your spot today!
Ever wonder what the first birds to arrive at camp are in the spring? We have two types of birds that grace us with
their presence in early March, making them the official two first birds to camp in the spring. Sandhill cranes migrate
south in the winter to Florida, Texas and Mexico. They will live in freshwater wetlands. At camp we see them early in
the morning by the prairie and athletic field, and during the day we’ll find them in the marsh.
Red-winged blackbirds are another one of the first birds to come to camp in the spring. During the winter they
migrate to open water in Mexico and Florida, but in early March it’s hard to miss them building nests in the marsh. Male
red-winged blackbirds will return a few weeks before the females so they can build their nests and prepare for mating.
They will spend mornings defending their territories, and due to the lack of food in the marsh in March, they will feed in
a field during the afternoon.
Help us welcome these magnificent birds by coming out and visiting camp!
-Adrienne Wicklund, Environmental Education Director
Why Summer Camp?
A lot of parents ask why they should send their children to summer camp. Simply put, summer camp has the potential
to fundamentally change a child’s life forever. When it comes to camp, you hear statements like that quite often;
let’s explore why.
These days, children are spending an entire third of their lives in front of the screens of computers, TV’s, and smart
phones. Video games are offering an array of activities that can all be done from the comfort of your own living room.
Archery, canoeing, disc golf, sports, and countless others can be performed from a single remote control.
Hands-on learning at camp lessens the amount of learning loss experienced over the summer. Camp offers the
opportunity for exploration of plants and animals in their natural habitats as well. Confidence and character building
are huge plusses of summer camp. Imagine the quiet, underachiever who suddenly gets to be in a leadership role!
Camp lets young people master new skills and learn to be part of a team, which greatly impacts how they will start the
next school year. Living under the same roof with peers and adults instills the values of community building that
cannot be offered in a school setting.
Camp staff have been rigorously tested and trained, and non-parent adult mentors have been scientifically proven to
be the single most predictor of successful children. Most importantly, camp is good old-fashioned fun! Ask a camper
and they will tell you that they ―live for camp‖ or that ―camp is my favorite place in the whole world!‖ Every child
should have the opportunity to splash around in the lake, try to climb past the first rock on the wall, and eat a dinner
they cooked themselves over a campfire. This rite-of-passage is not exclusive to any ethnicity or socio-economic
background. If you’ve been to camp, then you know. If you haven’t, I urge you to give your child the chance to have
their life changed forever. Have a great summer
-Steve Cummins, Summer Camp Director
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Greetings Fellow NBZer’s,
Nani-Ba Nani Ba-Zhu Zhu
Highlights
Camp will be hosting an NBZ Memorial Day Weekend Family Camp this Memorial Day, May 27 th-30 th. Family camp is
a wonderful time for friends and family to reconnect with camp and relive some of the memories that make camp special
to us all. All NBZ members, friends, and families are welcome to join us for a long weekend of camp fun. Come and take
advantage of everything camp has to offer and enjoy it with your closest friends and family. You do not need to be a
member of the Tribe of the Nani-Ba-Zhu to attend the family camp; all friends and families are welcome to come and
enjoy the beauty of camp. However, all minors must be accompanied by an adult or guardian.
For more information concerning pricing, lodging and availability, please contact Steve Cummins at Camp Edwards,
scummins@campedwards.org.
I hope to see you there and look forward to spending a memorable weekend back at camp
Max Lisy
Treasurer of the Tribe of the Nani-Ba-Zhu
New Faces
Amidst the facility changes, we would like to welcome and introduce three new staff members that will help make your
stay more enjoyable and memorable.
From left to right, Adrienne Wicklund joins us as the Environmental
Education (EE) Director. Adrienne has been coming to Camp Edwards for
several years with St. Mary’s of Buffalo Grove school and the Des Plaines
Park District. Adrienne joined our team as a seasonal staff member this
past fall, and when Tiffany left camp, Adrienne seemed like a natural fit.
Her love of Camp Edwards coupled with her Master’s in Education made
her an outstanding candidate to guide the EE program into the future.
Adrienne will also lead the Women’s Wellness programs, summer day
camp, and oversee our summer camp trips programs.
Emily Korpela is the pleasant voice thanking you for calling camp. As
the new registrar, Emily will be entering registrations, providing administrative
support, and is an overall joy to be around. Emily worked for a
local bank for many years before taking on one of the hardest jobs out
there, as a stay at home mom for the last three years. Emily decided it was time to rejoin the workforce and we are
happy to have her on board. Say ―hi‖ next time you call in!
After our recent Food Service Director, Greg, found a new job closer to home, we were lucky enough to find Fred
Triebe. Fred has over 22 years of food service experience, owning a restaurant for 20 of those years. Fred also opened
a catering business while the owner of Lauderdale Landing and has catered groups of up to 3000 guests. We have a lot
of faith he can handle the fast pace dining habits of our campers. One of the many attributes that made the decision to
hire Fred easy was his confidence to bring back healthy home cooked meals for our guests. His second interview test
was to prepare something for the staff using only what we had on hand. In a little over an hour, he whipped up a
chicken Alfredo dish, making his own breading for the chicken and his own Alfredo sauce. He passed the test with flying
colors and we look forward to his new menu options.
We hope you will join us in welcoming these three great people to our camp family.
In Memory…
This past February, two longtime friends of Camp Edwards passed from this world to the true Lake Beulah (biblical
meaning Land of Plenty). Camp Edwards would like to recognize Dave Roberts (58) and Jack Cook (86) for all of their
contributions to camp. We also extend to their families sympathy and peace.
The Y - We’re for Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility!
Activate America
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