Welcome New The Wigwam Campers! Camp Wekeela The Wigwam - Winter 2020 Happy New Year Pioneers! Volume 99, Issue 1 gift to be part of that create thoughtful, develop- process. This gift of mentally appropriate and partnering with parents and formative experiences for Full Session: being responsible for other children. Lori and I look people’s children also comes forward to working together June 27 - August 15 throughout the school year with an obligation to 1st Session: continually educate ourselves. and in the year ahead, to As parents, the best gift in prepare ourselves to be the June 27 - July 25 best partners and informed The 20’s have arrived! One life is your kids. When they resources we can to our Rookie Sessions: hundred years ago, the smile at you, tell you they 1920’s were a booming love you, and kiss you good- campers and their families. June 27 - July 11/July 11-July 25/ July 26 - Aug 8 period. The social and night, you know all the hard As the calendar churns to- cultural aspects of this era work is worthwhile. And one wards summertime and the Visiting Day: was known as the Roaring of the best gifts parents can start of camp, we will be on Twenties. In this new give their child is the gift of the road extensively in Janu- July 24 sleepaway camp. We have a decade, we’re inspiring ary through April. We hope 2nd Session: people to take life by storm responsibility to reflect on to see many of you. We have and using the new year and the camp experience, to scheduled more Wekeela July 26- August 15 new decade to motivate oth- challenge ourselves to learn Wednesdays in other great ers to make positive changes about the complex world cities this spring. The 2020 is also ’s in their lives. And as always with which our youth are countdown to Wekeela 2020 bicentennial. Come celebrate faced, and to be intentional be grateful and remember has begun!! with us this summer! to be humble and kind. about the creation of our The New Year is an opportunity for making and trying new things, learning, living, pushing, and chang- ing yourself. We believe the experiences our campers have at Wekeela prepares them to manage challenges brought by the new year. Through camp, they have camp communities and each learned resiliency, to step individual’s experience within Visitor’s Day is Friday, July 24th. Make your out of their comfort zone, those communities. to take initiative, and to lodging arrangements now! The hotels and write their own story. Camp At Wekeela, we seek inns book early. Download the “Places To Wekeela and other summer opportunities throughout the camps are preparing chil- year to learn, to broaden our Stay” information from our website. dren for life. It is a joy and a perspective, and to help us Page 2 The Wigwam, Volume 98, Issue 2 Be Prepared For This Summer … Please make reading the Parent/Camper handbook a priority. All important information and forms are now available to download at our website such as: Camper Health Forms, Camp Wekeela Store, Camp Trucking, Pack My Rx, Travel, senior campers, (first session) must complete and submit the Trip Permission form. Second session Teen Campers (seniors, juniors and inters) must submit the Whitewater Permission Form.  Wekeela Notes: To keep parents connected with their children we provide our own Email service. It’s called WekeelaNotes! WekeelaNotes allow parents to send emails to their children and receive scanned letters from the campers returned on a timely basis. WekeelaNotes are much quicker than sending your children letters via snail mail. We offer WekeelaNotes at a special flat rate per family (instead of per camper). Please register for WekeelaNotes at our website.  Pack My Rx: For campers taking medicine, we use Pack My Rx to service all individual medication needs. Please read more about Pack My Rx at Parent/Camper Handbook available at our website.

Horseback Riding!

The Wekeela Riding program takes place at the beautiful Oakwood Equestrian Center, a 200-acre farm led by Tina and Ray Nichols. It features outdoor and indoor arenas. Pioneers get lessons in balanced seat, basic dressage, and jumping. There are two sessions per week at three hours per session; a three hour session allows time to touch on all aspects of horsemanship, working students from the ground up, including a solid hour in the saddle in addition to grooming, tack up, and tack down. The facility also features miles of trails that overlook the beautiful western Maine mountains. Space is limited. To register complete the optional program form on our website under forms and waivers. The Wigwam, Volume 98, Issue 2 Page 3 Wekeela Daily Schedule

Camp Activities - At Wekeela, campers attend their activities with their age group. Our camp schedule features an A-B-C-D rotation with a Wekeela day every fifth day. The Wekeela day is a special day of programming, such as a carnival or a field trip. Please review the guidelines below with your child so that they fully understand what is expected in these areas: Instructional - Kids Camp campers (ages 7-12) are required to attend one instructional swimming class each programming day throughout the summer. Teen Camp campers (13-16) do not take instructional swim. Waterfront, Tennis, Land Sports, Outdoor Adventure, Environmental Education, Creative Arts, Culinary Arts and Performing Arts - All campers are required to attend one instructional class on a rotational basis throughout the summer. Waterski - All campers attend a double period of waterski! It includes a choice of waterskiing, , knee boarding, or tubing on a rotational basis throughout the summer. Tripping - Wekeela offers optional day and overnight hikes. Campers can register for them while at camp. All hikes are age appropriate. The Wekeela program is very popular. It features trailblazing alongside the adjacent Hayford Brook in our “New Frontier.” The highlight will be making s’mores at a campfire and then sleeping under the stars in our Lenape Village.

“Camp purists point to the Maine 2020 will mark 98 camps as the most traditional, years of Coming this Spring: sought-after experiences, mostly fun on the shores of • because of Maine’s abundant Little Bear Pond. It’s Spring Wigwam wilderness and pristine lakes also Lori and Ephram’s • And much, much more! and beaches.” 24th season at Maine Camp Experience Wekeela!! Page 4 The Wigwam, Volume 98, Issue 2

Travel Information Camp Trucking Please review the 2020 transporta- Please utilize Camp Trucking. They provide duffel delivery service from tion information available on our your door in the USA (except Alaska and Hawaii) to your child’s bunk website. It contains suggested U.S. and from his / her bunk, back to your door. Camp Trucking can be and International flights, as well as reached at: 970-949-0690 or www.camptrucking.com This service adds chartered coach information from convenience as well as saves you time and money. Did you know … your Rye, NY and a travel request form. child’s counselors unpack their campers before they arrive at camp? Please remember that airlines Please DO NOT SEND HARD TRUNKS, as we have no place to store change their schedules frequently. We will update these schedules them. When you pack please choose a soft duffel bag or other collapsible throughout the spring. luggage. If you plan to lock your child’s duffel with a combination or key All campers flying from our lock, please send the combination or a spare set of keys (labeled with your chaperoned flights (Ft. Lauderdale child’s name) to the camp office - just in case. All luggage will be sent and Baltimore June 27th) must home via Camp Trucking. Please note, we do not have a shipping center book their airfare directly through on campus and cannot arrange for shipping of luggage outside of Camp the Atlas travel agency. Please Trucking. contact Dianne Doucette at: 508.488.1193 or [email protected] Campers flying from other Wekeela Steps For Success in the ‘20’s! destinations may make their own What are your hopes and dreams arrangements or use any other Create Goals: for 2020? agent. We will require a copy of Think about where you want to be all transportation forms by May next year or next decade, and 1st. write down some goals that you’d We meet all campers arriving by like to achieve. air and accompany them to camp with our special charted coach bus Believe In Yourself: service. Also note that more We all make mistakes, that’s part airlines are requiring children to of life! Try to avoid that cycle of travel as unaccompanied minors. negativity that holds people down, Check with your airline for details. instead focus on the positive and Please feel free to call us at remember that tomorrow is a new 201.612.5125 with any day! related travel questions. Invest In Yourself:

Hit the gym, read more, take a class. These are just some quick examples of how you can get off Please follow us of autopilot and live life to on Facebook! achieve your goals! Follow us @Camp_Wekeela on Twitter and Instagram! [email protected] The Wigwam, Volume 98, Issue 2 5Page 5 Page 5

Introducing Wekeela Wear: Our Inaugural Retail Store

We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of our very own Wekeela Wear store. We will be carrying fabulous, couture Wekeela clothing designs, bedding and bath essentials, accessories, and so much more! Campers, their families, and staff can order directly from our store. We will be offering the full camp ex- perience for everyone’s convenience and to help cut down on the stress of packing for camp. We will be labeling (labels can be ordered via the store), packing, and delivering items directly to your child’s bunk in anticipation of their arrival. The store will be fully operational during the camp season so your child can purchase what they would like directly at camp. If your child needs a swap on sizes - no problem - we will take care of it right away as we carry stock of everything. There is also availability for certain items to be shipped to your home (e.g. the duffel bags).

Please note that we are the only approved and authorized manufacturer of Camp Wekeela merchandise.

We have created a new packing list for 2020 and it can be found on the store website. You will notice a suggested list for 7 weeks. Please use that as a guide and adjust accordingly for your child’s stay. There is also a clear list of required items for each camper to have for their stay at Wekeela.

To shop at the store visit our website: www.campwekeela.com/shop Our customer service representatives are standing by so that they can help you with ordering, sizing and packing. Contact us at: phone: 201.444.0577 email: [email protected]

If you have any ideas for merchandise you would like to see us carry in our store, please feel free to make suggestions. This store will be your one stop shop for everything Camp Wekeela!

Wekeela Campers and Staff! Who's excited for summer 2020? WE ARE!!!! Start thinking of what costumes, face paint, and fun PJ’s you can bring to camp. Our suggestion - the sillier and wackier the better!

Wekeela Friendship Club! “At this Refer a friend to Camp Wekeela! When they camp, enroll, you will receive a special Wekeela everyone can!” "Crazy Creek style" foldable chair! Page 6 The Wigwam, Volume 98, Issue 2 The Hidden Value of Camp All parents want their children to become competent, independent individuals. The camp experience teaches these critical life skills with a side of s'mores. Please read on:

Your children want to go to camp for a variety of reasons: to swim, boat, craft, play games, sleep in a bunk, make up stories, sing songs, eat s’mores, and stay up late. Who among us wouldn’t want to spend many warm weeks of Alma Mater summer having fun with our friends? And while parents endorse all those endeavors, fondly (To the tune of recalling sing-a-longs around campfires, secret languages made up in the dark, and “Love Me Tender”) days on end spent in wet bathing suits, the real reason we send our kids to camp? It’s the independence. Far from cities, We have no choice but to be protective these days as parents. The dangers are all rushing streams, too real. Sending our kids to camp lets us give them the freedom we remember from our youth. Freedom to play and be adventurous, to explore and discover na- Far from strife ture and ourselves, away from the eyes of adults. Camp life is an alternate reality and care, that is controlled yet wild. We can trust that our kids are safe, being watched over by counselors and staff, but with space to get immersed in the outdoors, to form Lies the haven their own tribes, to go a little native in the deep woods of Maine. of our dreams, Campers know that Camp Wekeela is a special place. That it’s kind of a magical world that exists apart from and outside the one we inhabit the other ten months Wekeela Camp of the year. Campers are aware that it’s an escape from the pressures of the school so fair. year. What they may not realize is that they are acquiring skills, through play and everyday activities, that help them grow and develop, independent of parental guid- Wekeela Camp, ance. You are giving your kids the incredible gift of self-discovery and the confidence There she lies, gained through succeeding at tasks, whether a ropes course or simply getting up, Under skies dressed, and ready for the day all by themselves. The secret of camp is daily incre- mental growth intertwined with self-assurance. At the end of their weeks away, you so blue. will be so impressed by your small person, how proud they are, how strong they We shall ever sing have become. It’s a sort of paradox, and a wonderful one, that a summer away at Wekeela can thy praise, change your child in these two distinct ways. First, that they happily unplug and To thee we’ll e’re commit to play and the quiet study of the world around them you thought had been lost in the unblinking eye of technology. Second, that they have be true. transformed into a more capable, competent human being. More childish wonder and more independence, all at once. And it happened without them even knowing it. Camp teaches kids something every single moment of every day, even when we all are at play. #Wekeela Worldwide Take some Wekeela Wear the next time you hit the road and snap a photo of yourself and your friends! Then send the photo along with a description to capture the scene. Please email it to: [email protected] or send it to @camp_Wekeela on Instagram! The Wigwam, Volume 98, Issue 2 Page 7 The Power of Unplugging and the Great Gift of Camp Moving forward into the second decade of the 21st century children need sleepaway camp more than ever … their development depends on it. Summer camp builds character. Summer camp breeds affinity with nature. Summer camp forges bonds between children that last a lifetime. There’s nothing better than a camp friend. The child who goes to sleep-away camp makes real connections. In addition, camp provides principles such as: living in the moment, being present, and having empathy. At camp, children do not have access to electronics or technology. It gives today’s child an important opportunity to “unplug.” These days, sleep-away summer camp may be the last environment where a child can unplug and have quality facetime. Children feel more creative and have more time for reflection when they are given a break from technology. They are more present with each other. When you turn off electronics, you appreciate what’s in front of you. And sleepaway camp does that better than anywhere today!

21st Century Skills Preparing Children for Adulthood today requires 21st Century Skills. They are: ☺ Communication ☺ Collaboration ☺ Creativity Critical thinking ☺ Leadership

Parents that truly understand and value summer camp, and send their children to sleep-away camp have always appreciated camp’s educational potential. Yet the parent who never went to sleep-away camp may think summer camp as only recreational or skill develop- ment. According to Wendy Mogel, Ph.D., “parents today find it harder than ever to uphold their own values within their families, when they seem so at odds with those of our current culture. We seek security in a society that seems more and more dangerous, grace that thrives on competition, and gratitude in an age of ever-increasing materialism. How can this generation of parents raise self-reliant, compassionate, and ethical children?” The Camp provides answer is summer camp, where kids go outside and play. principles such as: living in the moment, Investing in Independence being present, and At summer camp, children learn to function independently, to work as part having empathy. of a cohort of peers, in an unparalleled setting of natural beauty. They gain independence in a place that is charmingly rustic, yet provides everything they could want. Camp Wekeela is nurturing, safe, and a lot of fun. Why send your child to camp? They can sleep under the stars. Catch a fish. Learn how to play piano. Paddle a kayak. Go wakeboarding. Make more friends. Build a campfire. Hike a mountain. Make friendship bracelets. Have a summer they will always remember. Camp helps nurture future successful adults. Our planet needs successful people to be peacemak- ers, healers, restorers, and storytellers of all kind. The second decade of the 21 st century is here! We appreciate all registered Wekeela 2020 families that and entrust us with their most precious cargo. Thank you very much for sending your child to Camp for the Twenty-Twenty season. It’s a great gift you’ve given.

WARNING: At Camp Wekeela you may enjoy yourself beyond all comprehension. We cannot be held responsible if you end up returning year after year after year after year after year ... but we will understand because we are all going back for another summer. May the new year be filled with health, happiness, and Directors/Owners: Lori and Ephram Caflun prosperity for all 979 Allison Court Ridgewood, NJ 07450-2201 Wekeela Pioneers and Phone: 201.612.5125 Fax: 201.612.9927 their families! [email protected] [email protected] www.campwekeela.com

Mini-Reunions and Wekeela Wednesdays ... Throughout the “off-season” in different cities in the US and in we have informal mini-reunions and meet and greets that take place. It’s a great opportunity to see camp friends and meet new ones! Please contact Wekeela HQ to find out when we are coming to your area. Each last approximately one hour and have different start and end times. We hope to see many Pioneers in the New Year! Wekeela “Wednesdays” 2020: 1/22: London, England 1/23: Paris, France 1/25: Dallas, TX 1/25: Darien, CT 2/1: Los Angeles, CA 2/26: Rye, NY 2/29: , NY 3/21: San Francisco, CA 3/28: Brookline, MA