December 2021
From the CEO
Well, we’ve made it (almost) to the end of the year. And what a crazy, chaotic – but ultimately successful – year it was!
I’ve learned so much about these special camps and had the opportunity to meet so many people who care so deeply about our organization. There’s such a sense of place at our camps. I feel it when I walk through the woods at AHWH and when I stand at Hayo-Went-Ha Point at Torch Lake. I continue to feel privileged to be a part of these camps.
To be sure, there’s work to be done. As I’ve shared with our staff and board, our highest priority in 2022 will be to work toward filling our summer camps to capacity. The most successful camps are those that routinely achieve capacity enrollment… this leads to “trickle down success” in so many other areas. To be sure, we have programs and sessions that reach capacity, but we need to identify the challenges and issues that prevent us from consistently filling every session every summer. I’m confident that we will get there.
As we reach the end of the year, there’s an opportunity for our community to help us by making a gift to our annual fund. You’ll probably hear from me once (or twice) more about this before January 1st, as so much charitable giving occurs during the final two weeks of the year. Your gift may be designated for our campership fund, for capital projects, or may be a general (undesignated) donation. Regardless, 100% of your gift will help to make our camps better and stronger. While there’s another article regarding year-end giving in this newsletter, if the charitable mood strikes you now, here’s the link to our on-line donations page.
Our future is bright at Hayo-Went-Ha Camps. We are so fortunate to have you as a part of our community! Best wishes to you and your families in this holiday season!
Dave DeLuca
Rifle Range Improvements!
Just prior to the 2021 summer, the Hayo-Went-Ha rifle range received some much-needed improvements. Our target holders – and the pulley system that moves them into shooting position – had badly deteriorated over time. This led to band-aid repair work and lots of lost time for our marksmen.
Enter Dennis Hansen – HWH alumnus and member of our Buildings & Grounds Committee. Dennis’s neighbor in Traverse City is Dave Starkey, the CFO of Airway Automation – a Grayling (MI) manufacturing company that builds automation machinery for the automobile industry.
Through Dave (and Airway’s strong interest in charitable work in the local community), Dennis was able to have new target holders (and associated items) fabricated in Airway’s incredible workshop. The Airway team went above and beyond in creating these items.
The result was an efficiently operating riflery range that provided HWH campers with an impactful and enjoyable experience.
In November, Dave DeLuca and Dennis Hansen visited Airway Automation to personally thank the team and to deliver a commemorative plaque to Dave Starkey. While there, they got a tour of the impressive facility and got to meet Chuck Quick and Stacey Kent, the welder/fabricators who designed and made the new equipment.
We are grateful to Airway Automation for their generous donation of time, talent, and materials. And we’re equally grateful to Dennis Hansen for the incredible loyalty and commitment he has shown to Camp Hayo-Went-Ha over many, many years.
The HWH Camps Annual Fund: Keeping the Flame Alive
Our camp properties lie quiet and empty now… quite the difference from the hustle and bustle of the summer season. This gives us a much-needed opportunity to reflect on the 2021 summer.
We did it! We came back from more than a year of inactivity and served more children than we anticipated. The fires of friendship burned once again at Hayo-Went-Ha Camps. We gave our campers the outdoor, social experience that they so desperately needed. In the words of one camp parent:
“Camp allows our kids to unplug in so many ways. Unplug from devices, from “real” life, from school and sports and peers. It releases pressure and allows them freedom to just have fun, make new friends and memories that will last a lifetime.”
And this one:
“Everyone was so warm and welcoming that first day! Everyone applauded when we walked in with our first-time camper, which made me so happy I had tears in my eyes. I knew right then she would have an amazing and positive two weeks! I was right!
To be sure, it was not easy. We faced so many challenges and obstacles… the ongoing threat of COVID, pandemic-mandated changes to our program, a shortage of staff, lack of institutional memory, supply shortages, rising costs and more. And our families recognized this:
“I’m sure this year was extremely hard from a logistical and staffing perspective. It sounds like there were challenges at every turn. I’m so, so grateful for all the work that went into everything. My kids needed camp more than ever this year. I know another camp that had to close mid-way through— so thank you for working so hard to make it happen.”
We’re so proud of our staff teams for the work that they did – going above and beyond at every turn. It was an honor to work alongside them.
And now – we’ve got to start the preparations to do it all over again. Won’t you help us to Keep the Flame Burning?
Your year-end gift to YMCA Hayo-Went-Ha Camps will help us prepare for the 2022 summer season. While we hope for a return to some degree of normalcy, we’re anticipating that we will face some of the very same challenges next summer that we dealt with in 2021. Your support will allow us to meet these challenges and, once again, serve the youth that will undoubtedly need the experience.
It’s easy to make a secure online gift. Here’s the link to the donations page of our website.
Thanks so much for your support!
HWH & CCC
Over the last few months Hayo-Went-Ha Camps has engaged with the Community Consulting Club at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Dave DeLuca and Erin Steffen worked with a team of five students on two topics related to our strategic planning process: Our summer camps’ competitive position & advantages and the financial viability of our year-round programs. The students volunteered their time to conduct research and create a summary presentation.
Each team of student volunteers (eleven in total, each working with a different non-profit organization) presented their findings to the club’s advisors, and the top three presentations were then made to a team from Price Waterhouse Cooper. We are pleased to share that the HWH Camps team’s entry was selected as the top presentation by PWC.
On Saturday, December 11th, Dave DeLuca traveled to Ann Arbor to attend the CCC’s celebratory event for all the teams and their sponsoring organizations. The HWH Camps team received special recognition. And – to our great surprise – our camps were awarded a $2,000 donation from PWC.
Our team was amazing – bright, enthusiastic and motivated. It’s clear that they will all do remarkable things in their professional careers. And yes, we tried to recruit them all for next summer! We’re grateful to (left to right) Stephen, Julia, (Dave) William, Vignesh and Thomasina for their involvement with our camps.
Happy Holidays from HWH Camps!
Merry Christmas from your camp family! The snow is falling at the 45th parallel, the wind is blowing, and the holidays are coming!
May the coming year bring you closer to your family, closer to your friends, close to nature and closer to your dreams. Start counting the days until warmer weather and the time we can all be back together again on the shores of Arbutus Lake and Torch Lake! It won’t be long…
Staff Photo from left to right:
Cathy Kulhawik (Registrar), Amanda Macaluso (Girls Camp Director), Dave DeLuca (CEO), Erin Steffen (Finance Director), Heidi Clark (Girls Camp Head Cook), Santa – aka Jake Smith (Boys Camp Maintenance Director) and Mark Mullins (Girls Camp Maintenance Director).
Absent – Connie Jenkins (Boys Camp Head Cook).
PLEASE NOTE: CAMP OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED BETWEEN DECEMBER 20 – 31. WE WILL REOPEN MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2022
Staff Appreciation
It is with great appreciation that we want to acknowledge the staff of 2021. It was a very challenging time this summer working with the unknown around the new regulations of operating a camp program during a pandemic. There were changes and challenges daily that needed to be considered as we navigated the campers safety and camp experience. The staff at both camps stepped up to the challenge. Holes were filled where staff shortages were and staff still had a smile on their face. Thank you each and every staff member for the extra care, the extra work and the extra smiles you all showed this summer. The result – a great, positive and safe experience for all our campers!
Click here to view message to our Staff
“WEAR” in the world are our Camp Alumni?
Are you traveling anywhere over the Christmas break? Be sure you pack a camp shirt and take some photos to tell us where you are visiting!
Upload a photo of yourself in your camp hoodie or favorite camp shirt. Tag your photo @hayowenthacamps for all to see.
FINANCIAL AID:
CAMPERSHIP APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED FOR NEXT SUMMER!
Submit online between December 1st and March 15, 2022
YMCA services and programs are designed for the entire community. The Hayo-Went-Ha Camps Campership program helps assure an opportunity for all youth, adults, and families to participate. If you know of a family that hesitates sending their children to camp due to financial situations, please share the link below.
Complete a short application online at: Hayo-Went-Ha.org/financial-aid-form
Camperships will be limited to one 2-week session, or one 4-week session per camper, per summer. If we cannot award you a campership, or if space is not available in the program of your choice, any amount you have already paid will be fully refunded. Camp Directors will review applications when received, and families will be notified of award status as soon as possible via email.
Shopping online for the holidays?
Donating to Camp is easy at Amazon Smile!
Did you know if you use Amazon Smile and set YMCA Hayo-Went-Ha Camps as your preferred charity, Amazon will donate a portion of the proceeds from your purchases to your favorite camps? Click here to go directly to the Amazon smile page Search for YMCA Hayo-Went-Ha Camps, then make your purchases as normal. It’s an easy way to do a little good, and a little multiplied by a bunch of people, over time, equals a lot!