The Sari Diaries- Thursday 8/824

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

At the end of our final Chippewa Creed last night, when we sang, “Goodnight, Chippies,” the sobs that could be heard across the South Field were heart wrenching. Eight year old campers who barely knew Chippewa existed four weeks ago, and twenty-five year-old staff members who have traveled across the world to be here for summers on end, and Lakeview campers who were breathing in the Chippewa air for their final time as campers, along with the Ten Year Girls who have known no other summer family for a decade, together embraced, cried on shoulders and admired our burning CRC effigy. Our departing words to campers each summer include a reminder to Keep Those Campfires Burning…even when they aren’t at camp…and to know that they always have a home with us. While I truly believe that each summer there is something special that bonds us together, and makes that summer “the best summer ever,” there was something different this summer. This summer our community really and truly embraced the Chippewa Sisterhood.

While the theme of the summer was something that was decided months ago in a meeting between Cliff, Lisa, Sophie and me, the way it came to life was beyond what we could have imagined in our wildest dreams. Something just clicked, and in a community which already prided itself on connection and providing campers & staff with a sense of belonging, to say that this summer was unique in the strength of that connection & sense of belonging is a big deal. I believe with my entire being that the Chippewa campers of 2024 are leaving this summer feeling fuller- they have a fuller understanding of self, a fuller sense of confidence, a fuller appreciation of their influence, and a fuller feeling of love in its rawest sense for the people in this community who know them and love them for their best, and for their worst…the people in this community who will build them up when they need it, and help guide them when they have lost their way…the people in this community who will undoubtedly one day be by their sides for all of life’s happiest moments and greatest challenges…the people in this community who will be with them even when they aren’t physically with them- the Chippewa campers of 2024 know that we’ve got them, and they’ve got us.

And the next step in all of this is for this family that is the Chippewa Sisterhood to go home for the next ten months and bring our camp selves there. Knowing we have Chippewa behind us, and with the confidence we have built in who we are & what we care about, this group of 400-ish humans can go out there and make our world a better place. We will look out for the underdog, we will have a positive impact in our schools & at our activities, we will be respectful & kind yet strong & passionate, and we will stay connected to our Chippewa sisters for love and support. Chippewa as a whole and as a compilation of exceptional individuals is leaving this summer behind better than we came…and we are ready to share that with our worlds outside of 8258 County O.

At this point, I would like to take a few minutes to throw in some “Keylogs” for the summer. My first Keylog is for the extraordinary CRC 2024 Staff. I know I speak for Cliff, Lisa and Sophie when I say we are forever thankful for your work, commitment, compassion and selflessness this summer. You were the very best caretakers and role models for the Chippewa campers, and as we have told you time and again, you created a safe & inclusive space for campers to fall in love with camp, and share that love with one another. We have watched so many of you grow up here, and to now see you passing down the importance of what it means to be a Chippy has been an an honor. So, thank you!

And to you campers, I throw this Keylog in for you…without you, this place would just be land on a lake with some trees around it. But you bring life to this place, you trusted in camp and in your counselors and in us as your directors to guide you. You opened your hearts to one another, you did hard things, and you bought into the Chippewa Sisterhood. Lakeview, you get your own personal Keylog- you killed it this summer…you led with kindness, you were thoughtful in your every move and you appreciated everything from the sun to the rain, from the horses to the frogs, from Pirate Night to Friday Night Campfires, and from Opening Friendship Fire through Final Banquet’s Fire Works. You lived it up in the way I hope every Lakeview that comes after you does. So thank you for blazing that trail and thank you for your Lakeview Speeches at last night’s campfire…you blew my mind and warmed my heart.

Cliff, Lisa & Sophie- I also throw a Keylog in for you…thank you for doing and being Chippewa…there are no three people I would rather work and live with…this is a weird and amazing thing we do each summer, and I am beyond fortunate to do it with the three of you!

When I reflect on this summer for me personally, I can honestly say that this one was special, it was different in a happy way- in a way that felt easy. And I don’t mean easy in the work but I mean easy in the feel. There were ups and downs as with all summers, but through it all there was a certain equilibrium & calm that was felt. From my vantage point it looked like that was true for campers and staff alike…there was a comfort and there was a joy that just seemed to exist. So in my reflection, I naturally thought about the why and how of this blissful little microcosm. And although I am not known for my spirituality, I have attributed much of this joy to my friend Shana- a Chippewa legend who loved this place with her whole heart, and who recently passed away. Shana was a true-blue Chippy…she lived for this place long after she was a camper and a counselor…she always wanted to know every detail about everything that happened each summer. She found great happiness not only in spending time at camp, but in knowing that others were feeling that same elation when they had the privilege to spend their summers here. Throughout this summer, there were countless times I thought about Shana- on a daily basis I was reminded of ridiculous Shana camp memories…in watching the 2024 campers live their best Chippewa lives, I was brought back to the late 1990s and early 2000s when we shared these sacred grounds. I would like to believe that Shana was here with us this summer…watching over this place to ensure the magic was real at #TheRanch2024. But what I am certain of is that Shana’s memory has helped give me a certain perspective and appreciation for this life we get to live on Dam Lake. So my final Keylog in this final TSD entry for this summer is for Shana- Shana, thank you for your friendship, for your unmatched spirit, for loving CRC with me, and for inspiring me to not take a single millisecond I have here for granted…I know that one way or another you were with us this summer, and for that I am grateful!

And so, with a heart so full yet so heavy that the summer has ended, and with the deepest sense of gratitude, I say for one final time from #TheRanch2024 Goodnight, Chippies…

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari