|
ACA Receives Lilly Endowment Inc. Grant
ACA is proud to announce
that Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded a
Nature-Based Leadership Program grant to
establish the Camp 2 Grow program. This
$490,000 grant will support the distribution
of a leadership program and the development
and implementation of a national campership
program that will ensure greater numbers
of children and youth have the opportunity
to experience camp.
"We are thrilled
that Lilly Endowment Inc., a national youth
and community development foundation, has
invested $490,000 in the camp cause. During
this tough economic climate, this is not
only an honor; it also reaffirms our work
as camp professionals. The principals at
the Lilly Endowment Inc. recognize that
camp is essential to the development of
healthy, productive children and communities,"
said Peg Smith.
Camp 2 Grow will disseminate
educational materials that integrate best
practices in youth development with an
emphasis in environmental stewardship and
facilitate a national conversation with
caregivers highlighting the importance
of nature-based experiences for positive
child development.
Top of page
ACA's Partnership
With My College Options Offers a New
Resource for Parents and Students
My College Options is an online college
planning program that connects students
with the right college or university through
their individualized online College Planning
Profile. By visiting www.MyCollegeOptions.org and
updating their educational goals and aspirations,
students will receive a unique profile
listing several colleges and universities
that fit their needs and interests. In
addition, there are numerous planning tools,
calendars, FREE ACT and SAT prep programs,
and articles on topics such as financial
aid, debunking college myths, and how to
choose a major
that students can use to simplify and enhance
their college search. This program is designed
for ninth through twelfth-grade students.
All information is completely free to students
and families.
My College Options allows ACA to gain
relevant research on student thoughts and
opinions as well as have a better understanding
about the makeup of student members, including:
- The most popular career and college major choices
- The percentage of students
who are first in their family to attend
college
- What tools they believe will
best help them prepare for the future
Obtaining these data help ACA communicate
and better serve its student membership.
Parents and students can access the link
to My College Options directly from www.CampParents.org.
Let your ninth through twelfth-grade campers
and younger staff know about this
excellent college preparation resource
from ACA.
Top of page
Available for Pre-Order: May/June Staff
Training Issue of Camping Magazine!
The ever-popular staff training edition
of Camping Magazine is now available for
pre-ordering. Last year, we doubled our
orders of this issue, which is widely used
by camps for staff orientation and training.
We expect even more orders this year .
. . that's why it's critical
for you to pre-order early to guarantee
the quantity you want for your staff training
programs.
Reserve your copies today online at www.ACAcamps.org/campmag!
Top of page
Partnership with College News Directs
Thousands to ACA Employment Center
If you haven't posted your summer job openings
on ACA's Employment Center, then now is
the perfect time! ACA has recently partnered
with College News, a print and electronic
magazine that is distributed at 120 NCAA
colleges and universities nationwide. The
estimated print circulation is 200,000
(with an estimated readership of 800,000)
and there are 80,000 visitors to the Web
site each month!
In addition to an employment opportunity
ad, ACA has an article running in each
version of the magazine on the benefits
of summer camp employment, and two banner
ads online that direct students to the
ACA online Employment Center.
Top of page
Top of page
In Memoriam
Betty van der Smissen
A good friend to all of us in camping,
Dr. Betty van der Smissen, died
on November 6, 2008, after a valiant
fight with cancer. For more than
fifty years, Dr. Betty van der
Smissen dedicated her professional
life to excellence in research
and programming in the outdoors
and to the professional organizations
related to the outdoors.
True to Dr. van der Smissen's
style, she worked and was involved
in the profession right up to the
last week of her life. She was such
an icon to our field and her loss
makes us aware of the many places
of influence she occupied. She worked
with the American Association for
Health Physical Education & Dance's
(AAHPERD) outdoor programs beginning
with the Council on Outdoor Education.
She was instrumental in the development
of the Association for Experiential
Education (AEE); served on AEE's
original bylaws committee; and assisted
in the development of the AEE Accreditation
Program.
Her university leadership with outdoor
programs helped shape the development
of outdoor research and programming,
and she organized two national symposia
on outdoor research and evaluation.
At the root of these many contributions
was her love of camping and the outdoors.
Her early experiences in outdoor
programming were with church camps,
and she was an early member of Christian
Camping International. Her time with
ACA was incredibly influential as
evidenced by the fact that she was
the first research chair on the American
Camp Association (ACA) national board
and conducted research on the ACA
camp standards that resulted in the
first major revision. She made a
huge impact upon the American Camp
Association as national president
from 1980-1982.
Dr. van der Smissen was a giant
in the field, and we will miss her
intellect and vision. She was a model
of humility, ethical living, and
service to others. She was a strongly
committed, passionately involved
person who was logically solid in
her beliefs and actions. Betty believed
that quality outdoor programming
that makes a difference in the lives
of children and adults rests with
our ability to assess and validate
its benefits through research. To
continue Dr. van der Smissen's support
of research related to outdoor benefits,
an endowment in her name has been
established. For more information
on how to contribute, go to www.aee.org.
We honor her memory as a nation of
camp professionals who have been
touched in some way by her legacy,
and we are grateful.
Allen "Moe" Sigoloff
Allen "Moe" Sigoloff,
known to generations as "the
heart of Camp Thunderbird" and
in American Camp Association (ACA)
circles as "a champion for
the camp movement," died in
November at his home in Missouri
after a brief illness. He was sixty-eight.
Moe, his camp nickname, had been
involved with Camp Thunderbird for
Boys and Camp Thunderbird for Girls
in Minnesota since 1958, working
his way through the ranks from junior
counselor to director. He and his
wife Carol became the directors in
1971.
Moe's passionate voice and
spirit of volunteerism were an inspiration
within the camp community; he was
a role model for so many in the field
who wanted to emulate his concerned,
compassionate, and committed values,
which ran the gamut from caring for
individual campers to caring for
the environment.
Among his legacies are his staunch
support for the value of a camp experience,
as a member of the Public Awareness
Committee and as an advocate for
shifting a nationwide perception
from year-round school to year-round
education, of which camp is a vital
component. His advocacy began with
the organization of the first Private
Independent Camps symposium in Chicago
in the 1970s. His active involvement
in the Public Awareness Committee
led to the Joe Kruger Endowment,
leading ultimately to a new image
and identity for ACA.
Moe was involved in just about every
National and Association of Independent
Camps (AIC) conference since that
time. His was a face you just looked
forward to seeing, and his larger-than-life
presence did not belie that he was
a giant in the camp industry. He
is remembered for putting others
first.
Among the many recognitions for
his eight-year term on the Independent
Camps' National Advisory Board,
his term as president from 1978 to
1982, and two terms as national AIC
vice president, he recently received
the ACA Regional Leadership Service
Award and an ACA Honor Award by his
peers. He received the Speedy Altman
Award, the highest honor given by
the Independent Camp community in
1989. Besides the Public Awareness
Committee, Moe also was a member
of the National Insurance Committee
and was a trustee of the ACA, St.
Louis board for many years. He also
was active in ACA, Northland, where
his camp was situated.
Contributions can be made to the
Speedy and Honey Altman Memorial
Camp Foundation, which enables underserved
children to have a camp experience
that Moe nurtured and cherished for
every one of his own campers over
his lifetime of service to them and
to the camp industry.
Speedy and Honey Altman Memorial
Camp Foundation
2001 S. Hanley, Suite 195
St. Louis, MO 63021
Top of page |
|
 |
|
