Next Wednesday will mark the half-way point of the summer for us out here at Camp Kanata. As Dave posted last time, we've done a lot in a short amount of time. Just today I played soccer, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball with campers and some of my fellow administrative staff members. We did not do very well with soccer (4-0) but we played well in ultimate frisbee and forced a 3rd game with the advanced volleyball class. Needless to say I slept well at rest period!
I've been really impressed with our staff this year. Though we have great counselors every year, this year's group seemed to "get" camp much faster, has taken on new challenges and given new life to some of the things we've always done. It's been rewarding to watch the good stuff unfold and to know that I had a very large part in bringing them together this summer.
"Getting" camp makes me think of a blog post I read by Seth Godin. Seth's blog isn't geared toward camps--he's interested in marketing and ideas--but occasionally I find an insight that helps me articulate something I've been struggling with. This post was about the "fan chasm" and how businesses, organizations, and brands can create an easily accessible and deep experience for their customers. Those of you who understand what Camp is are nodding your heads and saying "Yep, that sounds just like camp." In just a short week our kids are able to tap into a deep well of experiences and friendships that take many people decades to create. Our staff feel it even more after spending 8-10 weeks out here living and working with each other.
So, with the summer almost halfway through, I hope you'll take us up on our invitation to come visit real soon. We're having an alumni campfire Friday, July 24th and I'm hoping to see a lot of familiar and long-missed faces pulling through the gate that evening.
Have a great weekend and we'll see you real soon!
Ryan
Showing posts with label alumni. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alumni. Show all posts
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Connecting...that's what it's all about
When I think about what makes Kanata special to so many people I realize it is the time we spend connecting with them. Maybe you first connected with Kanata at a Y-Guides & Princesses Fall Outing or you connected at a Mini-Camp and it was your first overnight away from home. You might have met us at a Camp Fair or a friend told you about Kanata and you decided to give it a try.
Whatever way you were first introduced to us we are glad it happened and now we are always looking for better ways to connect with our present campers, our staff, our alumni and our parents. Because of this we are actively using new and different methods to stay in contact with present Kanata family members and looking at new ways to reach out to those we haven’t connected with yet.
A great resource we are using to stay connected with staff and alumni is Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/) . This website allows us to find former staff and campers and keep them updated on what is going on at camp and to give them opportunities to reconnect through alumni events throughout the year. Just search for Camp Kanata. The fun doesn’t stop there! We recently started a YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/campkanata) where we are able to upload videos of things going on at camp. It is a simple way to introduce a new staff member, highlight changes at camp and just do some fun stuff to make ourselves (and hopefully you) laugh. We have also gone to an email newsletter format. This allows us to quickly and efficiently send out updates without the cost of paper and postage and to be better stewards of our natural resources. We fully understand that we are in the people business and we just happen to run a camp. Because of this we want to get to know you better and we want you to know us better. Please take time to catch up with us through Facebook, YouTube, email or drop by and see us sometime.
Thank you for choosing Kanata for your summer camp experience! We can’t wait to see you next summer!
Your Camp Director,
Dave Bell
Friday, April 11, 2008
Change is a good thing!
Often Kanata old-timers (alumni) arrive to drop off their children or grandchildren and they almost always say something like this: “It still looks the same!” If you’ve been out to camp lately, though, you’ve seen that things are changing here at Camp Kanata and we believe that change is a good thing!
Camp has looked very much the same since 1954 but over the last couple of years we have started to make some changes to our facilities and things definitely do not look the same anymore. We added a new cabin in 2005, the swimming pool was completed in 2007 and new for 2008, a parking area, event field and an Alpine Tower II.
After the pool was built last summer we lost a great deal of field space. Because of this need, we have cleared an area in front of the Hilton for a new event field which will give us more space for sports, evening
programs and much more. A parking lot might not seem like a big deal, but the last thing we want the campers to look at during their week at camp is a bunch of cars. We have cleared out a large area in the woods behind the dining hall that has space to park over 80 cars. This will keep cars out of plain view and make it feel more like camp. Finally, we are also adding an Alpine Tower II (www.alpinetowers.com). As the new cabins get
completed in the future we will lose our present high ropes course and climbing elements and this
necessitated our new climbing element. The Alpine Tower II will be a dynamic addition to our ropes course offerings and a challenge for new and old campers alike!
And the change doesn’t stop there! In the future we will be adding eight more new
duplex cabins with bathrooms (no more bathhouse!), soccer and event fields at the front of camp, an administrative office and a new maintenance shop. But all these changes don’t happen because of camper fees during the summer. They take place because of generous donors in our community who invest time and money into our wonderful camp. If you are interested in all the fun and exciting new things happening here at Kanata we would love the chance to talk with you about the changes and how you can be involved. See you this summer!
Camp has looked very much the same since 1954 but over the last couple of years we have started to make some changes to our facilities and things definitely do not look the same anymore. We added a new cabin in 2005, the swimming pool was completed in 2007 and new for 2008, a parking area, event field and an Alpine Tower II.
After the pool was built last summer we lost a great deal of field space. Because of this need, we have cleared an area in front of the Hilton for a new event field which will give us more space for sports, evening
programs and much more. A parking lot might not seem like a big deal, but the last thing we want the campers to look at during their week at camp is a bunch of cars. We have cleared out a large area in the woods behind the dining hall that has space to park over 80 cars. This will keep cars out of plain view and make it feel more like camp. Finally, we are also adding an Alpine Tower II (www.alpinetowers.com). As the new cabins get
completed in the future we will lose our present high ropes course and climbing elements and this
necessitated our new climbing element. The Alpine Tower II will be a dynamic addition to our ropes course offerings and a challenge for new and old campers alike!
And the change doesn’t stop there! In the future we will be adding eight more new
duplex cabins with bathrooms (no more bathhouse!), soccer and event fields at the front of camp, an administrative office and a new maintenance shop. But all these changes don’t happen because of camper fees during the summer. They take place because of generous donors in our community who invest time and money into our wonderful camp. If you are interested in all the fun and exciting new things happening here at Kanata we would love the chance to talk with you about the changes and how you can be involved. See you this summer!
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