St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, in Roscommon, Michigan has been an overachiever for years but last year they set a new record.  They sent a record number of campers to camp, (14!), from a single congregation.

How did they do it?

Most of the young people who attend camp from St. Elizabeth’s participate in Sunday School. Bob Southworth and Marilyn Ferguson lead a weekly, multiage, (the youngest is two, the oldest is seventeen), class involving a Bible Story and crafts. Marilyn shares the Bible Story for the day. Bob is “the craft guy”. Also, despite the broad age range, Bob takes the group on a hayride each year and on an occasional canoe trip.

Bob also comes up for a week or two of camp and leads crafts. In fact, many of the items that hang from the ceiling or decorate the walls in Fletcher Hall have come from Bob’s craft shop.

St. Elizabeth’s has had multiple adults participating in Youth Camps as volunteers and campers tend to follow staff.

The other reason St. Elizabeth’s is successful in getting campers to camp is that parishioners help them to come. Members of the congregation provide funds to help cover registration fees.

Bob reports that generous donations roll in once he announces a need. People even stop by Sunday School class to drop off checks. Parishioners have also provided transportation to and from camp and even a meal on the way home.

Additional camp funds are raised through a pancake breakfast and sale of items made by the young people during Sunday School. Examples of items the group has made include bird houses and wind chimes.

Congratulations to St. Elizabeth’s! Anyone care to challenge their record?

Work Weekend Voluteers

Thank you for all the hard workers who attended this year’s Work Weekend over Memorial Day.  Camp has never looked better!

In retrospect, we’re glad for the question.  We’re pleased for the concern for the youth of the diocese and interest in camp’s well being.

So…  How is Camp Chick?  Actually, in many ways, we are having a banner year!

Some celebrations…

• We put out our first newsletter, last winter, in years.
• We had strong attendance at Spring Work Week.
• Our Youth Camps were fully staffed.
• We had critical mass in attendance.
• The quality of our youth camps, in terms of program, staffing and strengthened health and safety practices, continues get even better.
• Our board met in late August for a Visioning Retreat too.

The board retreat deserves special mention.  During our retreat time, we considered, what it is that we celebrate about Camp Chick and what do we see as obstacles or challenges to overcome.  We also asked ourselves these questions…  “What do we/ what does God dream for Camp Chickagami?  How can we be a stronger resource for the Diocese of Eastern Michigan?”

Hopes and dreams came pouring out!  The possibilities are exciting!  Our efforts in this area will continue this spring, in consultation with the diocesan office, as we move from visioning to strategic planning to implementation.
Some of our more immediate plans for improvement include:

• Resurfacing the tennis court.
• Remodeling the “Head”.
• Hiring a seasonal Waterfront Director/ Assistant Caretaker
• Contracting a graphic artist to design our camp brochure.

So, how is Camp Chick?  Truthfully, we’re in a stronger place than we’ve been in years.  We’re hopeful about the future.  New energy is emerging.   Thanks for asking!

By Kris Forsyth

Camp Chickagami’s property was formed by the glaciers erosion leaving a deposit of sand and stone over the Alpena shelf of calcite. Our Q hut is built on an outcrop of calcite and a close look at the stones around it will reveal Petoskey stone. A rock hound will find, on the lake shores, a plethora of transports including jasper, basalt, pudding stones, feldspar and mica left by the glacier.

The land has an outdoor history. Q Hut was the machine shed of the old Fletcher lumber camp and the land was donated by the family after the last regional log off and beginning of the Great Depression. The camp served as one of the first state program boys work camps that evolved into the federal Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

The sandy soil is a natural niche for red and white pine with a large stand of aspen. The mature pines are now 80 years old. The hardwoods tend have a life of about 40 years and we are seeing the fall of the second generation and rise of the third. One year during the spring migration, fourteen different species of warbler were seen. Many nest on the camp property. The woods serve as home to an abundance of American Redstarts, Red eyed vireos, Chestnut sided warblers. Some prefer the pines, others the hardwoods and some the cedar swamp abutting Lake Huron. Loons, red breasted mergansers and great blue herons work the waters seeking aquatic snacks.

Freddie’s Pond is a small but rare feature. It is nearly dead with a marl bottom caused by the acid from the cedar swamp reacting with the limestone base. This acidic water trickles into Lake Huron but on the way makes a sand flat serving as a haven for the endangered pitcher plants, In an effort to accentuate the natural setting and an appreciation of the same, binoculars and field guides are being purchased and will be made available in Fletcher dining hall. Please bring your own fishing pole.
By Dana Howard