TripperNewsletter of the Camp Manito-wish YMCA

Spring 2011

Manito-wish Online

www.manito-wish.org

And links to …

Facebook (www.facebook.com) “Camp Manito-wish YMCA” fan page

LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)“Camp Manito-wish YMCA” group

YouTube

The Wetfoot Blog (www.thewetfoot.com)

DirecTor’s Trail anne Derber, execuTive DirecTor

Letters, article suggestions, or self-authored articles of personal Manito-wish experiences are welcome. Please forward to the Camp Office ore-mail to: ellie.orbison@manito-wish.org

2

While winter loosens its grip on the northwoods, planning and delivery of the programs for the next season are well underway. Camp’s recruiting team continues to travel throughout the Midwest meeting families and enrolling children for 2011 program. Summer Camp, Leadership and Outpost program enrollments are ahead of last year. We send appreciation to the staff from 2010

for delivering an excellent program and to enthusiastic parents who encourage new families to attend Camp. We are also grateful to the families and alumni who recognize the value of the Manito-wish vision of developing confident, responsible and enlightened leaders. Thank you for your help in ensuring children and families have the opportunity to grow in the Manito-wish environment.

This winter our groups enjoyed groomed ski trails and shared time with friends and family in front of the fire. We had the pleasure of celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of Ed & Adele (Schuler) Douglass. Surrounded by family and friends, Ed and Adele renewed

their vows over looking Boulder Lake and shared their fond memories of meeting each other at Camp. Four generations were present to join in the celebration! The family has also recognized Camp in a special way by establishing the Ed & Adele (Schuler) Douglass Staff Training Endowment Fund.

I can’t think of a better place than Manito-wish for youth and families to grow. Both new families and 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations of families feel the strong sense of community. As evidenced by a renewal of wedding vows to the enthusiasm of the first time camper or school participant, we are thrilled to continue these opportunities.

Please join us in welcoming Ryan Wagner as the new Wilderness Program Director. Ryan started in his new role in January, but many of you may know him from his work on the staff team in the last four years as Summer Camp counselor, Outpost trip leader, and/or Trips Director.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you in the coming months.

LOOKING FOR PROPERTY IN THE NORTHWOODS

Camp Manito-wish YMCA is looking for land along present and potential Manito-wish canoe routes that could serve as exclusive Manito-wish campsites. If you own wilderness property in the Northwoods,

would you consider allowing Camp Manito-wish to incorporate a portion as a potential campsite for its tripping program?

Potential campsites should have water access, room for two tents and a place for cooking. To maintain the wilderness integrity of the trip, it’s preferred, but not essential, that no buildings be visible from the site.

The priority needs are in the “Trout Lake Circle” route (including Trout, Alder, White Sand, Island, Wild Rice, and the Gresham Lakes) and the “Crab Lake Circle” route (including the Manitowish Chain, Crab Lake, Oxbow Lake and Lynx Lake.)

If you know of possible land for consideration, please contact Drew Richmond, Camp Director, at drew.richmond@manito-wish.org or 715-385-2312.

Inn-to-Inn Sea Kayaking around Milos Island, Greece September 10-17, 2011 Imagine yourself in a kayak, paddling along the coast of Milos . . . the sun shining, the water reflecting off your paddle. Imagine experiencing underseas hot springs and magnificent rock formations . . . enjoying special places around Milos, a mesmerizing volcanic island. Imagine yourself traveling with other Manito-wish alums and friends . . . breaking out the oars in a new part of the world.

Camp Manito-wish is planning an adult international adven-ture, 8 days/7 nights, to the island of Milos (just south of mainland Greece) from September 10-17, 2011. We will be working with Northwest Passage, an experienced adventure guide company, to customize this trip for a minimum of 10 adults (21 or older). (Northwest Passage ranks this trip as easy. No previous kayaking experience required.) Northwest Passage has Manito-wish

connections through Annie Aggens & Dirk Jensen (who are employed as guides for the company) and Christopher & Taylor Sweitzer (sons of the CEO of Northwest Passage).

Visit www.manito-wish.org and click on “Events” in the Alumni section to download more information and an application. Deadline for registration is May 1, 2011!! If you have questions, please contact Ellie Orbison at (715) 385-2312 or email her at ellie.orbison@manito-wish.org.

3

Join us at Camp Manito-wish YMCA for otherprograms for Family & Friends throughout the year!Family ProgramsJoin us at Camp Manito-wish to experience family fun and growth. Parents, children, grandparents, friends, aunts & uncles… bring the whole crew! This is a time for the entire family to experience the camp program as campers through time together and a variety of program options. Families live in a cabin and eat family style meals in the dining hall.

Family Camp Manito-wish Family Campers enjoy all the activities that youth campers enjoy during SummerCampsessions,whichinclude:Horses,Crafts,Sailing,Archery,Riflery,andmuchmore. August 17 – 22, 2011

Fall Family Weekend ComeandwitnessthemagnificentcolorsoftheFallintheNorthwoods.Activitiesmay include canoeing, hiking, archery, hay rides, crafts, pumpkin carving, and much more. September 30 – October 2, 2011

Women’s Weekend Women’s Weekend allows you to step away from the hustle and bustle of life at home. Come and join us for a relaxing and adventure-filledweekend.Activitieswillincludecanoeing,hiking,acraftproject,morningmeditation,yoga,andmuchmore.Youmaychoosetoparticipateinalloftheprogramsofferedorchoosetositbythefireandreadagoodbook.Comfortablehousingquarterswithbathrooms and showers inside the lodge. Full program options and fabulous company make this a weekend to remember.September 23 – 25, 2011

Group OpportunitiesCamp Manito-wish YMCA is an excellent choice for your next group gathering. Whether you are looking to strengthen your school, community organization, or gather together with friends and family...the facilities, program opportunities, and serenity of the North-woods setting will provide an outstanding experience. Your time at Manito-wish can be as structured or unstructured as you wish it to be. Enjoy one of the winterized cabins, miles of cross country ski trails, indoor climbing wall, delicious meal options, and meeting spaces with a view.

For more information and to register, visit www.manito-wish.org.

2007 Adult Alumni International trip to Crete

4

ManiTo-wish leaDersby ryan wagner

Year after year Camp Manito-wish YMCA is blessed with magnificentstaff.LeadersfindtheirwaytoCampthroughamultitude of paths and are all too often left wanting more. In some cases, “more” is in the context of trip length and in others it simply conveys the number of summers that an individual commits to this magical place. Several leaders in the program have been participants themselves, having the “Manito-wish Experience” woven into the fabric of their being from a very early age. Other leaders have been referred to Manito-wish by friends and fall in love with its life-changing ways. Whichever the case, everypersonatCamphasauniquestoryofhisorherjourneythrough Manito-wish’s gates. Allow us to highlight a couple of those individuals who will be a part of the Outpost team this summer.

A few years back we began to welcome fourth-generation campers coming through the gates on opening day. This year we welcome Chris Brown,possiblythefirst4th-generationManito-wishertolead this level of trip, into the realm of advanced Outpost leading. Chris’ story begins with his great grandfather, George Burridge in 1923, just a few years after camp was founded. Mr. Burridge left his lasting mark on Manito-wish’s history by serving on the board from 1955-1977. In addition, George was the board president from 1957-1963. Chris’ grandparents, Ann (Burridge) & Phil Alderks, continued to break out the oars in a number of different staff roles in the 1950s. Countless other relatives (including: Sarah (Alderks) Brown, Claire (Alderks) Miller, Randy, & David Alderks, Belle (Burridge) Scott, and Jennifer (Burridge) Bagley) were touched by Manito-wish in the years before Chris’ own experiences.

This summer, Chris will be leading a 26-day sea kayaking trip (called the Mariner) along the Canadian coastline of Lake Superior. As a camper in the Summer Camp and Outpost program, Chris had several different leaders and experiences that convinced him to come back to Manito-wish as a staff member. He credits his Canuck canoe trip as the tipping point. “I knew that I wanted to become a Manito-wish leader while I was on my Canuck. I was immediately ready to recreate the positive experiences that I had as a camper and instill those values in the youth at Camp.”

Staff members tend to return for an average of two or three years and then move on to other experiences or jobs. Much of Manito-wish’s success as an organization is credited to the leaders who make it a point to mentor those that follow. The second individual being highlighted has been leading trips at Manito-wish for ten years. His long seasonal tenure has placed him in a position to

Chris Brown

5

foster the next generation of leaders through his vigilance and passion for excellence. This year, Dan Chehayl will be leading Camp’ssecond,andhissecond,45-dayexpeditionaryseakayaking trip (called the Expeditionary Mariner) off the coast of southeast Alaska. This expedition is in large part credited to Dan for his work in researching and developing its logistics.

Dan became interested in leading at Manito-wish while he, too, was on a Canuck. His leader, Sam Moulton, became a strong, smart icon for Dan. Dan set a goal on that trip to one day lead a Canuck but admits that looking back, he simply wanted to lead. That, he has done. Dan has developed into a leader similar to the ones he once looked up to--thus the ebb and flowofManito-wishleadership.

This summer’s Outpost program leaders will have collectively participated in or led every trip that Manito-wish has complet-ed. The torch of wisdom and knowledge gained from these experiences will be passed to the next generation, ensuring ahighqualityofprogrammingforyearstocome.Wecannotthank the seasonal staff enough for the hard work and dedica-tion that they pour into Camp Manito-wish YMCA each year. Without these individuals, the Manito-wish Experience would not be the same.

The Outpost program is thriving at Manito-wish for 2011.Belowaretheconfirmedtripsfor2011.Therearealreadymorethan40trips,andweknowtherewillbemore, as there are still openings for the Voyageur (entry-level) Outpost trips.

Number of Trips Boys GirlsVoyageur 6 4

Intermediate: Pioneer (Canoeing) 3 2 IsleRoyale(Backpacking) 1 4 GeorgianBay(SeaKayaking) 3 4

Advanced: Canuck (Canoeing) 2 1 Western (Backpacking) 2 3 Mariner (Sea Kayaking) 2 1

Expeditionary: Expo Canuck (Canoeing) 1 1 Expo Alaskan (Backpacking) 1 Expo Mariner (Sea Kayaking) 1 1

Dan Chehayl

6

Humility

Empathy

Awareness of self and others

Resilience

Resourcefulness

Optimism

Adaptability

The Manito-wish Mission … to enrich the character and leadership development of each person who has a Manito-wish experience by challenging them to grow in wisdom, in stature, in favor with God, and with one another.

Here’s what you’ve told us about how we’re doing!

IhaveseenthebenefitsoftheManito-wishexperience…thechildrendemonstratesomanyattributesofhowwewant our kids to grow up, especially their orientation to the outside, natural world rather than the computer. They haveacertainindependenceandconfidenceintheircapabilities,andspeakoftenofthedeepfriendshipstheyhaveestablished through Manito-wish. Their knowledge of the outdoors, camping skills, canoeing, and kayaking have significantlycontributedtobuildingthetypeofstrongcharacterwestriveforinraisingourchildren…

Manito-wish not only continues to be the highlight of her year, but it has made a tremendous impact in her personal growth. Her excitement and growth since camp has been amazing. She has connected so many dots in her life from thelessonsshelearnsatcamp.Iseeherconfidenceinherabilitiesstrengthenedandtheunderstandingshehasinherself. I am so grateful for Camp Manito-wish for this … I continue to want you all to know that I am respectful to those that have donated so that others can have a chance to experience Camp Manito-wish.

LastyearIwasabletoattendmyfirsttwo-weeksessionatCampManito-wish.Mymomanduncleshadpreviouslyattended and for years they would tell me about their time spent at camp. While at camp I learned lots of new skills like how to horseback ride and how to paddle a canoe. I also met many new friends and learned many new games … Thank you, Camp Manito-wish, for a great summer!

Manito-wishisuniqueinitsownwaythatmakesyouloveitwhereveryouare.Evenheresittinginachairinfrontofacomputer,IwishIwasthere.ThatiswhyIwouldliketorequestthatIbeconsideredforacampershipin2011.Ihave a pet sitting business and have started babysitting with a goal of being able to pay a portion of the cost of camp …Campisahugefinancialcommitmentformyparentsbutthey,too,areworkinghardtotryandmakeithappen.Thank you for your time and consideration.

Our son has attended Camp Manito-wish for the past four summers. He had wanted to be a camper at Manito-wish since he was a little boy driving past the orange canoe sign while visiting “Up North” … With each year we have seenhimgrowasaperson,gainconfidence,responsibility,andleadership…GoingtoManito-wishhasbeenawonderful experience … We truly believe that it has helped him in the transition from elementary to middle school tohighschool,maintainanA-averageandbeactiveinclubsandsports.Hehasconfidenceandislesstrepidabouttrying new things … Our family income has drastically decreased. Our personal and economic struggles have put stresses on our son and, while he is stoic, we know that more than ever he needs the care and support of the Manito-wish experience.

Thefirstdayofcamp,mysonandItookatourofcampandoneofhiscommentstomewas“thislooksboring,don’t think I’m going to like it here.” … When he got home he talked about all the friends he made … I have to give the credit to the wonderful and energetic staff who worked to form a bond with the campers and make the Camp Manito-wishexperienceauniqueandmemorableoneforeachcamper…Idon’tthinkyoucanmeasurewhatsome-one gets out of camp. I think it is the intangibles that are the most valuable and stay with us the longest.

Responsibility

7

ALuMni uPdAtes

Sara & John Weatherley, a son, Carter Weatherley, on March 30, 2010. Camp alum family members celebrating Carter’s arrival include Sue & Don Weatherley. Carter has already spent quite a bit of time hiking with his parents and even went on a short backpacking trip. The family resides in Boulder, CO.

Carrie & Mike Bergman, a daughter, AnDreah Grace Bergman, May 14, 2010. Camp alum fam-ily members celebrating AnDreah’s arrival include Dick & Gloria Bergman, Elizabeth (Bergman) Veenhuis, & Scott Bergman, and many more extended family members. The family resides in Minneapolis, MN.

Patsy (Plunkett) and David Werwie, three sons, Henry David, Clark Michael, and George Elliot Werwie on June 15, 2010. The family resides in Hudson, WI.

Sheila (Plunkett) and Karl Bilimoria , a daughter, Mia Elise Bilimoria, on September 15, 2010. The Bilimorias reside in Houston, Texas. Camp alum family members celebrating Henry, Clark, George and Mia’s arrival include Michael, Tina, Brendan, Oliver, and Maeve Plunkett, and Cree (Plunkett) Max.

Sarah (Ramsey) & Kevin Farrell, a son, Patrick Kevin Farrell, September 24, 2010. Camp alum family members celebrating Patrick’s arrival include Steve & ‘Cille Ramsey and Mary Berg. The family resides in Chicago, IL.

Mryth (Anderson) & Shawn McDonald, a son, Lyle Frederick McDonald, on June 14, 2010. Camp alum family member celebrating Lyle’s arrival include Megan (Anderson) Macintosh, Paula (Schuette) Kraemer, and many nephews & cousins. The family resides in Silverthorne, CO.

Berta Strigel & Ben Walker, a son, Simon Strigel Walker, August 24, 2010. Big sister, Olivia, welcomes Simon. The family resides in Madison, WI.

Laura Agard-Isaacson & Chet Isaacson, a son, William Walter Isaacson, September 1, 2010. Camp alum family members celebrating William’s arrival include Kathleen and Mallory Agard. The family resides in Verona, WI.

Jenny (Wilkin) & Jason Beale, a son, Gavin Geoffrey Beale, September 13, 2010. Camp alum family members celebrating Gavin’s arrival include Ross Wilkin and Mr. & Mrs. Robert Wilkin, Jr. The family resides in Greensboro, NC.

Patrick Doyle and Stephanie Carr were married in Bigfork, Montana, on June 6, 2009. Celebrat-ing with Patrick & Stephanie were alumni family and friends Kait Doyle and Matt Osborne. The couple resides in Helena, MT.

Anthony Blondin and Hayley Piper were married at Sun Circle Farm in Paoli, Indiana, on June 15, 2010. Celebrating with Anthony & Haley were alumni family and friends Kate Stirr, Laura Henneghan, Brooke Barry, Anya Rifkin, Courtney Hebrank, Alison Brown, Katie Selander and Sarah (Dietz) McMahon. The couple resides in Kamuea, HI.

Jason Reagle and Kimberly Ann Eckhardt were married in Hoffman Estates, IL on June 25, 2010. The couple resides in Round Lake, IL.

birThs

Baby Carter Weatherley

Baby Lyle Frederick McDonald

Baby William Walter Isaacson

Babies Henry, Clark, Mia & George

Baby Gavin Geoffrey Beale

weDDings

Patrick Doyle & Stephanie Carr

Baby Simon Strigel Walker

Anthony Blondin & Hayley Piper

Jason Reagle & Kimberly Ann Eckhardt

8

ALuMni uPdAtesSteven Stoddard and Sally Dahir were married on August 28, 2010. The couple resides in Highland, WI.

David Rand and Sarah Varick were married at Heritage Prairie Farm in Geneva, Illinois, on September 5, 2010. Celebrating with David & Sarah were alumni family and friends Tim Rand, Benjamin Varick, Daniel Varick, Susan & Steve Varick, Beth & David May, Mary (Glenn) & Andy Roe, Mali Christgau, Sean Moore, Kyla Taylor, Kate Stirr, Amy Sennett, Caitlin (May) & Mac Shields, Jim Rand, Joe Rand & Will Rand. The couple resides in Chicago, IL.

Ian Harmon and Anna Schrage were married September 18, 2010. The couple resides in St. Paul, MN.

Peter Humphreys-Loving and Joann George were married October 9, 2010. The couple resides in Milwaukee, WI.

Jesse Blom & Eileen Jinete were married in Mequon, Wisconsin, on November 28, 2010. The wedding was officiated by Bill Humphreys. Celebrating with Jesse and Eileen were alumni family and friends Bryan Blom, Will Blom, Laura Loving, Peter Humphreys-Loving & JoAnn George, Jeff & Theresa Rauworth. The couple resides in Mequon, WI.

Susan Calk, of Atlanta, GA, passed away. Susan was on staff in 1977.

James S. Vedder, of Menomonie, WI, passed away. He was a camper in 1924.

Frederick E. Steele, Jr., of Fort Atkinson, WI, passed away on April 8, 2008. He was a camper in 1943-1944. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and brother, Thomas Steele.

Gary Jacobson, of Loveland, CO, died on August 23, 2008. He was a camper in 1953. Gary is survived by his wife Cecilia.

Homer Bishop, of Kenosha, WI, died in Novem-ber of 2008. He was a camper in 1921 and on staff in 1932-1934. He is survived by his wife, Louise Bishop, and daughter, Deborah Bishop.

Calvin Shearer, of Milwaukee, WI, passed away on March 18, 2009. Calvin was a participant in the Adult International trip in 1977 and attended Family Camp from 1988–1994. He was preceded in death by his wife Barbara (Ruch) Shearer. Calvin is survived by his children Jonathan & Pam Shearer, in-law relatives Will & Marilyn Ruch and Bob & Judy Ruch, and many grand-children, nieces & nephews.

Marcia (Daniell) Blanchard, of Green Bay, WI, passed away on May 14, 2009. She was a camper from 1951-1953. Marcia is survived by her sister Roberta Elliott, children, Will, Eric, Peter, Christopher, and Michael Blanchard, and Anne Kahn; and grandchildren, Lillian, James, Jaya, Sophie, Abigail & Uma Blanchard.

John Rowe, of Tulsa, OK, died on September 22, 2009. He was a camper from 1936-1940, participated in a Canuck in 1941, and was on staff in 1948.

Keith Klopfenstein, of Oak Park, IL, died on February 27, 2010. He participated in an Adult Quetico trip in 1999. He is survived by his wife, Debora Klopfenstein.

Louise (Pryor) Artz, of Sunnyvale, TX, passed away on March 22, 2010. She was a camper from 1942-1945 and on staff in 1947. Louise was a charter member of the Fires of Friendship Circle.

Robert W. Olson, of Grosse Pointe, MI, died on April 1, 2010. He was a camper from 1955-1956 and participated in a Pioneer in 1957. He is survived by his wife Marilyn Olson.

Peter Thompson, of Milwaukee, WI, died on May 24, 2010. He was a camper from 1941-1943 and 1945.

Richard D. Miller, of Racine, WI, passed away on June 2, 2010. He was a camper in 1942 and 1944. Brother, Austin D. Miller, also of Racine, WI, passed away on July 15, 2010. He was a camper from 1934-1935. Austin and Richard were preceded in death by brothers Walton and William Miller.

Katherine “Kitty” (Tobin) Gute, of Milwaukee, WI, died on July 18, 2010. She was a camper in 1942 & 1943. Kitty is survived by her daughter Mary (Gute) Witte and grandson, Sandy Witte.

T. William Schleisner, of Shawano, WI, died on July 20, 2010. William attended camp in 1945. He is survived by children, Jed & Susan Schleisner, and grandchildren, Isabella and Madeline Schleisner.

Floyd “Bud” K. Yeomans, of Janesville, WI, died on August 18, 2010. He attended camp in 1935 and 1937. Bud was a long time supporter of Camp. He is survived by his wife, Angelina Yeomans, children, Frances (Yeomans) Pyle, Bob & Gay Yeomans, and Kathleen Yeomans; grandchildren, Emily (Yeomans) Linton, Brook Yeomans, and Hugh Yeomans.

M. Lucia “Punky” (Weiss) Gronbeck, of Madison, WI, died on September 12, 2010. She was on staff from 1942-1946 and 1950. Punky led the first Girls Canuck in 1946. She is preceded in death by her husband, Snorre Gronbeck, and survived by daughter, Ann (Gronbeck) Peterson.

Darold “Brock” Brockhaus, of Green Valley, AZ, died on September 14, 2010. He was a longtime friend of Camp. Brock is survived by his wife, Phyllis Brockhaus, son, Robert Brockhaus and grandson, Kit Barton.

Paul Christensen, of Richfield, MN, passed away on September 16, 2010. He was a camper from 1958-1960. He is survived by his son, David Christensen.

Christopher D. Bacigalupo, of Denver, CO, passed away on October 9, 2010. He was a camper from 1990-1994, participated in a Pioneer in 1995, Western Backpacking in 1996, and was on staff in 1997-1998. Chris was a Team Captain for the 2011 Annual Fund Drive. He is survived by his parents Arnie & Jan Baciaglupo.

David Zanoni, of Madison, WI, passed away on October 10, 2010. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Zanoni, children, Mark Zanoni & Michelle Ploskonka, Stephen Zanoni, and grandsons, Shane and Justin Zanoni.

David Rand & Sarah Varick

in MeMory of...Camp Manito-wish extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of all remembered here. Due to limited space, only spouse and alumni family names are listed.

9

ALuMni uPdAtesCarol Rice, of Barrington, IL, died on October 29, 2010. Carol was a longtime friend of Camp and a charter member of the Fires of Friend-ship Circle. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur Rice, Jr. Carol is survived by her children, Carol Bowditch, Emily & John Douglass, Arthur & Lynn Rice, III; grandchildren, Sarah (Rice) Ratliff, Holly (Douglass) VanderHyde, Hilary(Douglass) Sonstegard, Heidi (Douglass) Carlson, Daniel & Kate Rice, Heather Douglass, and Andrew Rice.

Waid K. Johnson, of Minneapolis, MN, died on November 25, 2010. He was on staff in 1982. Waid is survived by his parents Lyle & Corky Johnson.

William Farley, of Mount Pleasant, MI, died on December 17, 2010. Bill was on staff from 1962-1965 and 1967-1968. He served on the Board of Directors from 1976-1978. He survived by his wife Patricia Farley; children Candice, Rodney and David Farley.

Danny Williams, of Boulder Junction, WI, died on January 15, 2011. He was a camper from 1999-2001. Danny is survived by his parents, Peggy Williams and Mike Sullivan.

A family reunion took place on the south rim of the Grand Canyon last fall. Dave, John and Paul Eveland enjoyed a visit and reminisced about their time at Camp Manito-wish YMCA. After being on the staff at Manito-wish, John went on to Ethiopia as a YMCA World Service worker before returning to Hawaii as a YMCA youth specialist, and later, a parks administrator. Paul, who led Pioneer canoe trips, enjoyed a successful business career. Dave has retired as administrator of the Ho’opono Services for the Blind.

Casey Dunphy tells us, “Love this place … it made me who I am today!”

We celebrate with Lucy and Mary Condolora who successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in December. Though altitude sickness prevented them from reaching the summit, they reached 18,100 feet. Mom, Marcy McCall, says, “All of their years at Manito-wish prepared them well for this challenge. They excel at tent camping and were able to carry their packs all the way up. They met every day with a smile and a great attitude.”

Brittany Tomasko participated in a 109 mile ride to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation last November in the Tuscon area. She describes the ride as “109 miles through desert, intense heat, crazy headwinds and nothing but smiles and dirt on our faces at the end.”

You may remember this amazing photograph above from the fall issue of the Tripper newslet-ter. Well, you may want to frame that picture as it recently won the Golden Lens photography competition held by the American Camp Association. Congratulations to Dan Peters for this national recognition of his work.

You never know where you’ll see other Manito-wish alums! This time, keep your eyes on the big screen as alum Josh Borkowski can be seen in Ron Howard’s movie The Dilemma.

We always knew Manito-wish folks were brilliant and now we have confirmation! Congratulations to Rush Holt, alum and U.S. Representative from New Jersey, on his victory over IBM computer Watson in a Jeopardy!-style contest. Other members of Congress participated. Thirty-five years ago, Rush was a five-time champion on the show.

Conquering the nose of El Capitan in Yosemite was Matthew Combs. Congratulations on adding this to your impressive resume of big wall climbing!

Rodger “Buddy” Cooper checked in with the following thoughts: “Last year, I was waiting for an appointment across the street from my dentist office (near Clayton, MO) and met two other alumni of Camp Manito-wish. What are the odds of that? A gentleman and a lady and we were all ten years apart as campers. I am 72 years old now and I never will forget the fun I had at this wonderful YMCA camp.”

Another chance encounter took place in Costa Rica! Molly Roe told us that on her last day working at the Universidad de Costa Rica, she was conversing with a guest speaker, Jane Hardy. When Jane heard that Molly was going to pick up sister-in-law Mary (Glenn) Roe who was flying in from Wisconsin. The Wisconsin link turned out to be a Manito-wish link!

newsworThy

ALuMni uPdAtesThe chance meetings don’t stop there. Last summer, while leading the Expeditionary Backpacking trip in the Brooks Range in Alaska, Dan Chehayl and Dan Schieffelin, both graduates of Sterling College (VT) ran into a Sterling College field program group in the remote Nunamuit village of Anaktuvuk Pass. As a result of this encounter, Dan Chehayl was interviewed for the Sterling College alumni newsletter where he had the chance to tell the Manito-wish story to a new group of people! Thanks for being such great ambassadors of Manito-wish!

Mason Crowder graduated as an Air Force Airman 1st Class from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. Mason will continue his studies at the Security Forces Academy with the 343rd Training Squadron.

Mike Bergman wrote, “I just returned from a fabulous backpacking trip to the North Cascades in Washington. One cool result of my Manito-wish Western many years ago is a lifelong love of wilderness backpacking … What a blessing to have learned about wilderness tripping at a young age so I can continue as long as I don’t get too old!” Mike tells us his young family (ages 5 months to 5 years) have already told him how excited they are for their first Trout Lake Circle canoe trip!

Way to go, Dan Hoffmann and Mike Schnitzka. Paddling from Two Rivers, WI to Ludington, MI in October 2010, Dan and Mike crossed Lake Michigan in 11 hours and 22 minutes, an unof-ficial standard for the fastest crossing of Lake Michigan in a canoe. Somehow we think we’ll hear about more paddling adventures from this team down the road.

Andrew Cunningham is another Manito-wisher improving the world in which we live. Having moved on from working on hybrid battery and alternative powertrain development for the auto industry, Andrew is now focused on creating improved safety systems into vehicles for Audi and Volkswagen. He remains thankful for time spent at Manito-wish as a camper and trip leader. He appreciates the experiences and skills that were learned at camp and are still used today.

Michelle “Chel” Ethun started a new position in September as the Supervisory Recreation Planner for the Bureau of Land Management’s Eastern Interior Office, Fairbanks District. She will be managing the recreating planning efforts for the White Mountains Recreation Area, the Steese Conservation Area, three wild and scenic riverways, a national recreation trail, and two byways. “All Manito-wish alums are welcome any time they are in Interior Alaska,” says Chel!

The call to serve those in Haiti continues to pull Sarah Benn down to the Caribbean. Returning from this second trip, Sarah wrote, “The Physi-cal Therapy tent is a place where people like to hang out for smiles, so while I saw many injured people, I also got to see how much they had healed, and many other people who were happy to be there. Especially kids, who just can’t help but make you smile. I miss the place.”

Tripp Montgomery is now the Head Swimming Coach for the Carolina Aquatics, a champion-ship swim team in Columbia, SC.

Kristin (Montgomery) Mekeel is a kidney and liver transplant surgeon at the University of California – San Diego.

Liz (Montgomery) Moser and her husband are raising their three children in Hong Kong. Her son, George, attended Manito-wish for the first time in 2010.

Sometimes it just takes a moment of paddling with a non-Manito-wisher to be reminded of what we’ve learned at Manito-wish. Marcia (Orbison) Weinert wrote, “What a gift you and I and our siblings had, to be able to spend hours every summer in canoes … And what a sense of accomplishment, to return to camp after working with others to propel your own body (and theirs) safely through miles and miles of stunning wilderness. It made facing down the high stan-dards of the Trips staff, as they judged whether your equipment was properly maintained and adequately clean, seem like nothing …”

Katie (Clements) Cohorst is now working as senior writer/editor at the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame.

We’re so glad that Bill Goetsch found the notes he’d written about his Manito-wish memories and forwarded it to us. Bill came to Manito-wish, not as a camper, but a “youthful tag along” with his mother, Laura Goetsch, “the camp laundry lady” in 1942-43. “I can proudly state I earned my keep … A weekly fun job was monitoring the weekly hand made ice cream churning duty … The reason for this reminiscing is the thanks I owe to Camp Manito-wish for the opportunities I have experienced following these eventful summers in beautiful Northern Wisconsin, prophetic outcomes for life experiences in my following years.”

Courtney Hebrank and friends will be converting a school bus into biodiesel and will be traveling across the country educating Americans on the benefits of biodiesel fuel, as well as sustainable alternative energy. We hope we’ll see them at Manito-wish this summer. If you’d like to know more about their work, visit www.ecogreaselightning.org.

Haley Piper Blondin wrote “I love camp! It has touched my life in so many ways and helped me to become a stronger, braver, more adventur-ous, more understanding and patient person.” Though living in Hawaii, Haley acknowledges that it may be harder to be at Manito-wish in the summer, “but I am a teacher, so you never know … with much Aloha from a bum and fish in Hawaii.”

10

ALuMni uPdAtes11

We love family reunions – especially when they involve lots of Manito-wish alums! Congratula-tions to the Stone Family Reunion (held in July 2010 in Sayner, WI) for capturing all these great Manito-wish faces!! Top Row: Douglas Stone, Peter Vogt; Row 2: Rachel McEachron, Scott McEachron, Mike Mumma, Craig Miller, Chris Halberg; Row 3: Stewart Stone, David B. Smith, Jr., Kendra (Pankratz) Gleffe, Nancy Stone, Robert Stone, Carolyn (Stone) Halberg, Ryan Halberg, Sarah Stone, Sarah (Smith) Miller; Row 4: Tim Stone, Stepha-nie Smith, Dave Stone, Josephine (Ruder) Stone, Barbara (Gamble) McEachron, Andy McEachron, Margot Miller; Floor: Peggy (Stone) Punsel, Corey Stone, Josh Stone.

Congratulations to alum and comedian Sean Moore for winning the first round of the Laugh-ing Skull Festival in Madison in November. He’s off to Atlanta for the quarter finals in April!

Another alum doing well in competition is Trevor Reinhart, who took 16th place in the USA Track and Field Cross Country Junior Olympics and is qualified for the All American Team.

And congratulations also go out to Matt Nienow for being awarded a creative writing fellowship worth $25,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Each year, over one hundred students in the Schuler Scholar Program participate in the Manito-wish Leadership Program. We appreci-ate getting a copy of the Alumni Connection newsletter from Schuler so we can join the students in celebrating their accomplishments. Thank you, Schuler Scholar Program, for letting us be a part of the students’ lives.

Adventures were plenty for Joe Jirikowic and Maggie Sanderson who were chosen by the North Lakeland School District (in Manitowish Waters, WI) for a 10-day student exchange program in Daqing, China.

Peter Gray is a founding partner of Phenom Features, a producer of not-for-profit indepen-dent films, located in central Illinois. Their most recent film, Using, will be submitted to film festivals for 2011.

Thanks goes out to Dave Impey for putting together another great day of wrapping presents at the LL Bean store in Skokie, IL. Dave was joined by Charlie & Leslie Allen, Todd & Peggy Allen, Meghan Andrews, Lis Collins, Eleri, Lili & Wendy Griffiths, Stephanie, Susie, Bill & Lauren Pierson, and Jordyn Preusker. Between tips and a check from LL Bean, $430 was donated to support camper-ships for 2011 program participants.

“Still remember to this day everything that we did at camp and on the trail. Good times. I’m now the father of four girls and tell them often about the things we did at Manito-wish.” Thanks for sharing this great message, Christian Stigelman.

Good things truly do come to those who deserve them! Lolly Rose (founder of Angel On My Shoulder and regular Manito-wish Leadership Program participant) and friend Karen Siegmeier were chosen to attend Oprah Winfrey’s “Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things Part 2” show. Along with many other wonderful things, Lolly and Karen will each receive a 2012 Volkswagen Beetle in May.

Anyone for golf? Don’t miss an interview of Londa (Jorgenson) Dewey in the March/April issue of Wisconsin Golfer magazine.

Tom Gray has just started a new polished con-crete business, GreenLeaf Concrete. A major component of their product is recycled glass.

Brought together when their daughters partici-pated in the Borealis Paddling Expedition in 2005, Jamee Stanley, Jenny (Parker) Emery, and Gail (Goeks) Stirr were reunited at the Women’s Weekend at Manito-wish in fall 2010.

Don’t forget to visit the “Camp Manito-wish YMCA” fan page on Facebook to see blog posts, pictures, and to join conversations about Manito-wish memories and stories.

It is our pleasure to hear your stories and share the memories of this great place. We look forward to hearing from you. Send your Updates to Ellie Orbison at ellie.orbison@manito-wish.org or Camp Manito-wish YMCA, P.O. Box 246, Boulder Junction, WI 54512.

Photography by Mac

Tripper

Address service requested

Camp Manito-wish YMCAP.O. Box 246 • Boulder Junction, WI 54512Phone: (715) 385-2312 • Fax: (715) 385-2461Email: camp@manito-wish.orgWebsite: www.manito-wish.org

NON PROFITORGANIZATIONUS Postage PaidWisc Rapids WIPermit No. 31

Printed on recycled paper

Please Note: We currently mail only one Tripper to each address in our database and may be missing Manito-wish alums who have moved from your address. Please contact us with new information for yourself or other family members.

Cover color printing donated by Dave Pryor, Quality Plus Printing, Inc., Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Thanks Dave!

Mark yourcalenDarsSeattle Area Alumni Gathering

May 15

Memorial Day Volunteer Work Weekend May 28-30

Adult Alumni International Trip to Milos, Greece:

September 10-17

Mission:To enrich the character and leadership development of each person who has a Manito-wish experience by challenging them to grow in wisdom, in stature, in favor with God, and with one another.

Vision:The Manito-wish experience develops confident, responsible, and enlightened leaders who will improve the world in which they live.