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09/11/2005 - 9:34 a.m.

SAVE CAMP (OR WHY I AM RAISING MONEY FOR THE CHRISTIANS)

Sometimes, when you are a parent, you get very lucky and find special places and people that act as partners in your quest to raise strong, competent, and caring kids. YMCA Camp Anokijig in Plymouth, Wisconsin has been one of those places. The staff�Jim, Darren, and Don in particular�have been some of those people. I cannot thank them enough for their contributions in Day's life. And now the place is in danger. The Racine Y, which has owned the camp for its 79 years wants to sell it to developers. The Racine Y gave the camp supporter, known as the Friends of Camp Anokijig, two months to assemble $8 million dollars or more to try to outbid the developers. Two months is a very short time.

When Day first attended Camp Anokijig, she went with her friend Jessica. She had been to girl scout camp and liked it but had balked at all the time spent having to decide as a group what to do and having to have the whole group do the same thing. Anokijig was a breath of fresh air. She was outside (which she loves), she was with a group, and she was building skills but Anokijig saw children as competent individuals. She chose what to do at her skill periods by herself. She thrived on all of it.

The next summer, she went up by herself. She was at one of those ages where girls generally become cliquey, she had had a rough year with the kids at school, and she had little confidence. She went up and stayed more than a week. As the new kids came in the second week, she helped them move in, she helped them get comfortable, and she helped them become part of the group. She absorbed the value that one should always be looking to be kind and make new friends. To her surprise and delight, she was inducted into the camp's honor society, The Knights, which honors the camp's motto, "we serve," and its mission of "new friends, positive values, personal growth, great adventures, and outrageous fun." She came home seeing herself differently. "I never knew I could be so nice," she said, and "I never knew anyone would notice."

But the real strength of Anokijig came this year. This year, Day was a junior staff member. The camp arranged a special training session for Day, another teen from her high school, and some teens from Chicago who could not participate in the regular session because their schools got out later. After training, Day worked the boats and, for two weeks, was a counselor to the 7 to 9 year olds. Later in the summer she worked with 10 and 11 year olds. In listening to her talk about handling homesickness (where her advise is not to go the "your mom would want you to have a good time" route that many try but instead to focus on fun you've had and fun you'll have tomorrow), being awakened in the middle of the night to take kids to the bathroom (where she noted that she really does not know how mothers stand the sleep interruptions year-round), the camp's reliance on her very practical nature, I heard how much she had grown and the wonderful competent, caring, dependable adult she will be.

It may seem strange that I would send my Jewish child to a Christian, YMCA camp. It is true that she is one of the few Jewish children who go there. But Anokijig has been better about letting her participate in the best of the values and not forcing religion. Kat had a bad encounter at girl scout camp, a supposedly sectarian place, because she would not say a grace that invoked Jesus. Anokijig has never made a fuss when Day just does not sing a few of the songs. The camp did not object to her Jewish star necklace which she wore most days when she was a counselor. Her values and her character counted most and their approach says more to me about the positive side of Christianity than any quotation of the Bible ever could.

All of which explains why I was at a dance for teenagers last night dressed in an orange shirt that was several sizes too big, listening to six of seven bands that I hated because they did nothing but scream, and helping make pizzas. It was a fundraiser and, equally important in Anokijigland, an opportunity for the teens to rise to the occasion and help save the camp. The organizer knew the kids were hurting and knew that, unlike Day who is required to save a set amount of her allowance to give to charity, most of them could not give significant amounts. She wanted to provide an opportunity for them to help and she did. They helped to the tune of approximately $1000.

$1000 down, several million more to go by September 30th.

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