Volunteer Day at Kanata

This past Saturday we had our annual Kanata volunteer day. I learned a couple of lessons after the day that I will share with you. First, May is a busy month for people and maybe not the best time to have a volunteer day. Second, a small group of people can get a lot done in a short amount of time.

We had 30 volunteers with us this past weekend and our Operations Director, Zach Friesen, had everything ready so when it was time to start we were ready to go! This group was able to finish some painting on the outside of the dining hall, paint the pump house and clear some underbrush near the day camp shelter and Pine Knoll Lodge (the Hilton). I think Zach sums it up best when he says "that we cannot survive without volunteers". That group of 30 people who worked for 4 hours was able to complete 120 total hours of work. It would have taken a full time staff member working 40 hours a week for 3 weeks straight to get the same amount of work done.

If you or a group you are a part of is interested in doing a service project at Kanata please give us a call (919.556.2661). It will feel good for you to give back and it will make a huge difference here at camp.

Look forward to seeing you this summer.

Your Camp Director,

Dave

Getting more people connected to Kanata

I am sitting in my office this afternoon staring at the whiteboard on my wall which is covered with names. Names of people who were former campers, counselors, parents of campers, board members, friends in the community and vendors who provide services to Kanata. I realize a couple of things. First, we are connected to a great family of volunteers and that makes the work we do at Kanata so rewarding. Secondly, we can accomplish so much more when we enlist the help of others. I couldn't tell you whether or not your name is on my whiteboard, but I can tell you that it should be. We want to have engaged participants at Kanata who do more than just come to camp in the summer. We want you to look at Kanata as a place to give back to your community whether it is through a work day, giving to our scholarship campaign or serving on one of our volunteer committees.

We can't truly measure the positive impact that camp has had on the lives of our campers and staff over the years, but we can say that the character traits of honesty, respect, responsibility and caring that have been taught for years have produced better citizens of our world. We can say that the positive role models that our campers have seen over the years have helped produce thousands of leaders who understand the benefits of giving back and making a difference in another persons life.

Consider giving back this year at Camp Kanata. Give of your time, your resources and your energy. Give because it makes a difference in a child's life and because you will see a return on that investment for years to come.

See you this summer!

Your Camp Director,

Dave

Camp Kanata - It's the People!

Camp Kanata - What a place. What a job!

Hey everyone, I'm Zach Friesen the Operations Director at Camp Kanata. My role on the team is to manage the maintenance crew, the facilities and the kitchen. It is a great job and I could go on and on about what we're doing in the Operations Department. We have a lot of fun and I love coming to work everyday.

I'd like to let you in on a little secret about Camp Kanata -- it's not about our beautiful facility, it's not about our rockin' programs, it's not about our 55 year history -- it's about our people. If you've spent any amount of time here, you know that's it's all about the people; always has been. Our year around staff is comprised of fun-loving, mission-oriented people. It really is something to see. It is not uncommon for one of our part-time maintenance crew members to come to me with a great programming idea for our campers. This is a place where everyone is truly working together towards a common goal - to build the Spirit, mind and body of each of one of our campers.

As a father of two, I tend to look at camp through my "dad eyes". My perspective as a father combined with my 10+ years experience running YMCA youth programs gives me a pretty critical eye. At last years’ staff banquet I was able to tell each of the staff that I would be proud if my children grew up to be like them - that says it all. Camp Kanata is about the people.

Zach Friesen

**If you are part of a group that would like to come volunteer your time at Camp, please let me know. We have projects of all difficulty levels, for all different sizes of groups.

Day of Service

I am writing this on Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service and it got me thinking about the impact of volunteers.  What better way to give then to give of your most valuable commodity, your time.  This year we had hundreds of individuals come to Kanata and invest their time to complete work that never would have been accomplished without their help.  This past year volunteers painted every cabin, the arts & crafts hut, the bathouse and the lodge.  Volunteers built benches for our campers to sit on while waiting for archery, they built picnic tables with checker boards on top so our campers could interact with friends over a game.  Volunteers came and planted a vegetable garden, cleared areas of the woods for hiking trails and they built trash cans to place around camp.  

These many things were accomplished through the work of volunteers and we at Kanata can never thank them enough.  Because of the impact of volunteers on Kanata and our staff Zach Friesen, our Operations Director, planned for our staff to do a Habitat for Humanity work day.  It was a small way for us to give back to our community and to say thank you to the volunteers that helped us.  

This year, look for an opportunity to give back.  Getting your family, church group or work group is a great teambuilding opportunity.  If you are interested in volunteering at Camp Kanata this year please let us know.  Give us a call in the office (919.556.2661) and we will find a project for your group.

Thanks for being part of the Kanata family.

Your Camp Director,

Dave

Happy Holidays from Camp Kanata

It's almost Christmas and I'm sitting in a Panera Bread location on Capital Blvd. thinking back over the past year at Kanata. We had an incredible year! We made some great new friends and were able to reconnect with some old ones. If it was your first year with us at Camp Kanata we want to get to know you better. It can be difficult to get to know someone when they are at camp for just one or two weeks a year and that is why we have many opportunities for you to stay connected. Whether it is a volunteer opportunity for your church group or you individually, a team-building program for your corporate group or you individually volunteering in or giving to our annual scholarship campaign we want to get to know you better. We truly believe that Kanata is a great place to invest your resources because each and every day we are helping to produce campers and futures leaders with the character traits of honesty, respect, responsibilty and caring.

Thanks for your support of Camp Kanata this year. We are truly blessed to be in the work of strengthening children, families and communities. Have a Merry Christmas!

Your Camp Director,

Dave Bell