Camp Is the Solution to Technology's Limitations
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ISSUE 13 NOVEMBER 2013 Message from A QUARTERLY the CEO NEWSLETTER From rolling plains to majestic mountains, a diverse landscape decorates South Dakota. As beautiful this issue and vast as this land is, New Maintenance Facility Breaks Ground P 2 the Native American War Canoe Project Celebrates Becket’s History P 3 people who call this land Berkshire Outdoor Center a Science Classroom P 5 their home are plagued by Alumni Notes P 6 unbelievable hardships: rampant unemployment, In Memoriam P 7 drug and alcohol abuse, and an unknown future. Simple things that many of us take Camp is the Solution to Technology’s for granted are nonexistent in their lives. Limitations The Sioux YMCA, our For over thirty years Sherry Turkle, Director of partner and REACH host, the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, has serves this extremely proud tracked and studied how technology changes the way people think, feel and even influences their population. Accessing values. Sherry’s July visit to Becket-Chimney adequate funding and Corners YMCA was a “eureka” moment when she resources to serve the needs discovered an unplugged, tech free environment of their community is a where children and adults understand technology’s constant challenge. limitations when it comes to personal connections and relationships. Carol Mann, the CEO for In her presentation at the 2013 Annual Luncheon the Sioux YMCA, recently at Camp Becket, Sherry spoke about her interviews invited me to join the Sioux with campers and reported that despite missing Sherry Turkle, Director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, addresses guests at this their phone and music, they are relieved for the YMCA Board of Directors year’s Annual Luncheon at Camp Becket in July. and I attended my first chance to focus on their relationships without texting, Facebooking or monitoring their Tumblr meeting last month. This is a feed. Sherry explained that her research findings “Kids live with these three promises from technology great opportunity for Becket- show technology making three unfulfilled promises and if they disengage from technology that means they Chimney Corners YMCA to adolescents: have to learn a deeper way of communicating which in to add another dimension the end is far more enriching.” 1. You will always be heard to our relationship with the Sherry hopes that her research “paints a portrait” of Sioux YMCA and continue 2. You can disengage whenever you want and how people are using technology today and how we to enhance our long-standing never have to listen to the “boring bits” can use it more wisely so we are not shutting down partnership. Helping the conversations that we need to have. 3. You will never have to be alone other fellow is what we do “While at camp, campers have their eye on what is best and whenever any of us most important and in my interviews with them, they at Becket-Chimney Corners talked about how personal, face to face conversations YMCA is introduced to a matter at camp.” (cont’d on pg 4) new community, school or fellow YMCA our first instinct is to see what kind (cont’d on pg 2) BCCYMCA News Issue 13 November 2013 Message from the CEO (cont’d from cover) Maintenance Facility Breaks Ground; of partnership we can establish, to join forces and change more lives for good. Opening Slated for Spring 2014 In October, Becket-Chimney Corners In the future I would like to see us establish YMCA broke ground on a new a staff rotation so Becket-Chimney Corners maintenance facility at the Chimney YMCA can send well trained staff to South Corners Camp site, across from the entrance road to the dining hall. Dakota and work with Sioux YMCA staff and Director of Facilities Steve Turner volunteers to have a greater impact on the and his full-time team of seven are region. excited for the new structure. Learn more about our many partnerships in “A new maintenance facility has been a major need for over twenty this issue of the Becket-Chimney Corners years now. I have a couple of guys YMCA NEWS including how we partnered who have been on staff for that long with campers, Dads and a war canoe expert to and they’ve been hearing over and preserve a century old tradition in celebration over again that a new building is in In October, the cement slab for the new maintenance facility was set. the works. They are thrilled it’s a reality now,” of Camp Becket’s long history on page three. says Steve, whose team has been using the addition to two garage bays with one lift to Our Berkshire Outdoor Center is the gateway maintenance shed at Camp Becket. better service the Camps’ numerous vehicles and for many of our new partnerships with schools accommodate the work of the facilities team. “Our current space is just too small and limiting and not for profits. Read about how an in how well and efficiently we can maintain “It is a significant cost savings for us to have a Innovation School four miles up from Becket- 1,400 acres and 140 buildings,” explains Steve, garage to service our vehicles. For example we Chimney Corners YMCA utilizes our 1,400 adding, “By moving the maintenance building can salvage a truck with a rust issue if it has no acres as their personal science classroom on closer to Chimney Corners Camp we’ll also structural problem once we have an appropriate better serve our twelve month demands.” garage bay with a lift.” page five. Relocating maintenance away from key Camp Other building details include a separate break Renowned researcher, author and MIT Becket program space will improve camper room, two offices for anticipated staff growth, professor Sherry Turkle is another new found safety and make way for a future turnaround in increased storage to house fifty years of partner and advocate for our commitment front of the Paul Dudley White Dining Hall, a accumulated tools and equipment, a glass cutting first step towards implementing the larger master and screen building table, work benches and rest to remain unplugged from technology. site plan to make the camps pedestrian friendly rooms, a convenience the existing shed does not Read how two camps in the Berkshires and stopping traffic from driving through camp. provide. are validating her thirty-year research on The new maintenance facility will be 40’ x The building will be enclosed before winter with technology’s deficits. 80’ and offer much needed storage space in the anticipated opening to be in spring 2014. You are also an important Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA partner because you understand the importance of a rustic camp and all the special moments that make Just read the Summer Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA NEWS and 2012 Annual Report. us better people with better lives. You Without a doubt the best one ever! Incredible! Not sure who pulled it all together, but could you partner with us by sending your child to us please pass on my compliments! Very clever and very delicate…the reporting on the master site plan every summer, by attending an event, by and the need to take actions (i.e., Camp Becket Dining Hall) was very well done. encouraging your friends to get involved, and I also thought that putting in the upfront section on college essays with Steve LeMenager was by making a gift to this year’s Annual Fund. genuinely helpful and an important pull which reminds people of the impact that Becket-Chimney I invite you to give again this year. Find out Corners YMCA has on kids. There were also a number of really nice touches, such as the image how on page four. of Moose behind Lady Moose. For someone who looked up to Moose for many years, this is quite powerful. Thank you for being a partner in celebrating Embedding the Annual Report into the middle of all this is a stroke of genius. REALLY well done. children, the outdoors and changing lives for And, minor point, but wonderful all the same, I loved seeing Jamin’s update. He and I were and good. remain very close to this day. Amici & Agape Fantastic! Only problem is that you have now established a VERY high benchmark! Phil Connor Alex Roth Camp Becket Alumnus, Dad and Trustee London, England Questions, comments and feedback? Contact the Editor: 2 Brenda A. Marsian, CFRE, [email protected] or (413) 822-7950. War Canoe Project Celebrates Camp Becket’s History A QUARTERLY th Camp Becket for Boys enjoyed its 113 summer and Assistant Camp NEWSLETTER Director Dan Berg believed the best way to commemorate the camps’ history was to build a 25 foot war canoe. Dan shares with the Becket- Chimney Corners YMCA NEWS how the coordination of this special The mission of Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA is to put construction project came to be and how campers, staff and Dads had Judeo-Christian principles in to a hand in continuing this special tradition. Dan Berg practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, War Canoes and Camp Becket, how did the two What was the reaction of Dads when they and body for all. come together? participated in the project? Issue 13 At the end of Summer 2012 our canoe repair man, The war canoe project was announced during Dads’ November 2013 Schuyler Thomson, was returning our fourth war Weekend and the canoe and wood shop classes along canoe after a repair and he mentioned that he has with construction cabins all worked at scheduled Phil Connor worked with other camps to build 16’ and 17’ wood times steaming and bending the wood.