The Sari Diaries- Saturday 6/29/24

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Today was special to quite special as it was the official celebration of Soph-Aloaf’s 20th Summer at CRC- a day to honor a person who has given so much to all of us, and who deserves every single bit of appreciation and love she received today…plus a whole lot more! And here are the details on our happy day showing gratitude to the rock of our Chippewa Sisterhood, Sophie Marwil.

Bright and early this morning, Sophie’s Mom (an alumnus of CRC) surprised Soph in the office. It was amazing to have her mom here to help us celebrate all day. The plan for the day kicked off with an 8am visit to the waterfront to listen to the morning announcements. To our surprise (Sophie, her mom, Lisa and me), Cliff told all campers over the loudspeaker that Sophie would be jumping in the lake. The next thing we knew, there were 20-30 campers excited to see the 20 Year Girl jump in the lake. And so, to appease the crowd, the four of us jumped into the lake fully clothed. It was fun and it was funny, and it was the perfect way to start the day.

Throughout the day, Sophie received 20 meaningful gifts…one from each cabin and four from out of cabin staff groups. She received friendship bracelets, “open when” letters and other thoughtful gifts. C-C gave Sophie a roll of toilet paper because she is their role model. It was cute to see different campers seeking Sophie out throughout the day to share their gifts with her.

This morning, we enjoyed regular activities all across camp. At skiing, Remi R got up and around the lake on two skis. And at climbing, campers were cheered on by Sophie as they made their way up the wall, and down the zipline. Basically the weather was perfect and Chippies were loving life at CRC!

After lunch, we headed to the Center Fire Circle for a campfire honoring Soph-Aloaf. The staff sang a song to her to the tune of “1000 Miles,” which Sophie is famous for singing in 2004. A number of other people spoke, and the First Year SCs read a lovely poem to Sophie. We ended the campfire with a unique Keylog Ceremony in which one representative from each cabin threw a keylog in for Sophie.

We then went to the theater to watch a tribute video for Soph…there were 50 video contributions, and it was a true testament to Sophie, and the impact she has had at CRC. From her counselors back in the early 2000s to her campers in the 2010s, along with current campers, parents and staff, there were so many Chippies who didn’t want to miss the opportunity to thank Soph-Aloaf.

Naturally, after the festivities, we had an All Camp Cathy’s! Campers were elated for their first trip of the summer to our favorite ice cream shop. I had the opportunity to shuttle campers back and forth between camp and Cathy’s…it was sooooo much fun, and highly entertaining to chat with campers about life.

This evening we had a BBQ dinner and Timberlane Social- a wonderful way to end this magnificent day! We had a feel good kind of day at #TheRanch2024…it was really nice to have the opportunity to show our love and admiration for someone who is truly everyone’s person. Our community is so very lucky to have Sophie at the forefront of all that we do, and all that we are. She is a leader, a role model, a friend, a constant and the truest of Chippies. I am personally eternally grateful for Soph-Aloaf…both personally and professionally, she makes my life better…and I know for certain that I am not alone in this. And so today, I hope that Sophie felt all the love, and that she knows how important she is to the Chippewa world.

Okay, that’s all for now, Happy 20 Year, Soph-Aloaf!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari