The Sari Diaries- Friday 7/28/17

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

120 years is a long time…right? Well today, we had the privilege of celebrating just that- twelve staff members spending their tenth summer at camp…pretty incredible! Today was our annual Ten Year celebration and it was a proud and fun day at #TheRanch2017. Graci Goldstein, Audree Goone, Spencer Berlin, Ari Kohn, Sari Leven, Emily Shimanovsky, Lillie Yalowitz, Katie Liguori, Simone Shuman, Hannah Simone, Lizzy LoGrande and Emily Jaksich were all showered with love throughout the day for “Ten Years of Service, and Their Friendship Too.”

It all began at breakfast when the entire camp welcomed them into the messhall by singing “We Love You Ten Year Girls.” They enjoyed a breakfast from Wolfpack along with other meals from their favorite Northwoods restaurants. Throughout the day, they participated in activities including skiing, climbing, high ropes, sailing and riding. Some of them had never tried these activities and for some they haven’t attempted them since they were campers. In a sense, they got to relive their camper years together at each of these activities. I had the opportunity to be on the ski boat with Jaksich, Hannah, Simone and Lizzy. It was so fun, and as we returned to shore I loved to hear the cheering and words of encouragement coming from the campers and staff at the docks.

After lunch, we had a special ceremony where campers had the opportunity to speak, sing or read a poem for the Ten Year Girls. Each of the cabins in which the Ten Year Girls are counselors had put together something really nice. I was impressed with their song-writing skills and also with their thoughtful and kind words. Lakeview put together an “Open When” book that contains letters for Ari to open at different special occasions of her life. They have each written one and she will open them when she graduates college, on her wedding day along with many other lifetime celebrations…pretty cool!

We obviously had an amazing cake after dinner…both because it was Halle S’s 11th birthday but also some for the whole camp because we were celebrating 120 years at CRC! After dinner, we headed to the Little Theater for the conclusion of this special day. The Ten Year Girls sat on stage and all past Ten Year girls/boys stood behind them to sing “Welcome Chippewa.” And then, there were lots of toasts, roasts and gifts from their family members who are at camp, their age-groups and their co-counselors. There were a number of times when I got the chills or felt a little choked up…the stories shared and the feelings expressed were a strong indicator of the power of camp and the friendships built here.

Today was a day full of pride and appreciation for Chippewa…at least from me…but I really think from everyone as young as Blackfoot age all the way up to the oldest people here. It was a reminder of just how lucky we are to be here…yes, CRC is a beautiful place to spend our summers…but even more important than that, and the thing that brings us all back each summer, is the people. There is just a certain feeling in the air here- a connection that we know exists that goes beyond explanation…Chippy girls are bonded with one another and to 8258 County O. It was discussed tonight so many times and it was seen through hugs, smiles and a genuineness that I know doesn’t exist everywhere in this world. For all of this (and much more), I am so grateful to be a part of something bigger than me here at Chippewa.

So I want to end tonight’s post by thanking our Ten Year Girls. It has been an absolute honor to watch the twelve of you grow up at camp. You are kind, caring, funny and passionate people who bring so much light and goodness to this camp. We are beyond fortunate to have you here at camp with us passing down the value of Chippewa to your campers. Thank you for being here and thank you for waking up each day to make this place better- you are all loved and respected by so many and I hope that today was a demonstration of just that.

Happy Ten Year to all of you…and here’s to Ten More!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari