ACA, Great Rivers Fall Conference

Early Bird registration is available through October 24, 2024

Registration Includes:

• Registration for November 19-21, 2024 includes the camp tours, full conference program, and meals (Tuesday dinner, Wednesday breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Thursday breakfast and lunch.
• Registration for November 20-21, 2024 includes the full conference program and meals (Wednesday breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Thursday breakfast and lunch).

For more information about lodging check-out the Wesley Woods Camp & Retreat Center tab. Participants are encouraged to register and select their preferred lodging as soon as possible for the greatest selection.

Join us on Tuesday, November 19 for a fantastic afternoon of touring camps and the opportunity to connect with others. We will visit Stowe Heights, Easterseals Iowa Camp Sunnyside, and Living History Farms Day Camp. Each tour will highlight different programs and facilities that are unique to their site.

• Stowe Heights Challenge Course: Stowe Heights Challenge Course is
  
  managed and staffed by Community Youth Concepts located on the East side of Des Moines, Iowa. Opening in 2020, Stowe Heights has a two-level high course, 6 permanent low course elements, and many portable challenge options to round out the program. SHCC serves a variety of youth and adult groups, guided by the principle of "Challenge by Choice". Half of the first level of the course and two of the low elements have been adapted to allow for participants that have mobility issues and/or use walkers or wheelchairs. In addition, they work with groups to be inclusive of any neurodiversity or other needs.
• Living History Farms Day Camp - Since 1975, Living History Farms has been offering summer day camps. Living History Farms is a 500-acre outdoor, living history, agricultural museum in Urbandale, Iowa. During your time here, get an overview of how the museum's camp program operates, tour one of the museum's historic farms, and participate in a couple of the camp related activities. 
• Easterseals Iowa Camp Sunnyside - Easterseals Iowa offers fun, healthy programs for children, adults, and caregivers to relax, connect with friends and engage in constructive activities - all necessary to living the best life possible. Our camp and respite programs provide skills and confidence building for our campers while giving much-needed breaks for caregivers. Children and adults with and without disabilities enjoy all that Camp Sunnyside has to offer including canoeing, an animal farm, horseback riding, archery, nature trails, the Variety Club Rec Center, an accessible indoor pool, and the Meredith Tree House. Programs offered include Weeklong Overnight Resident Camp for both youth and adults, Children's Day Camp, and Teen and Young Adult Day Camp.

Roz and Jed Buck are experienced former Camp Directors that continue to make a difference by speaking at conferences and training thousands of camp professionals every spring. From 2004-2016, they owned and directed Meadowbrook Day Camp, a large private day camp in New Jersey, where they trained a staff of over 400 each summer. 

Since launching Roz and Jed Training & Consulting in 2016 their innovative training techniques and energetic presentations have consistently generated outstanding reviews at a wide variety of conferences including many ACA conferences. They successfully provide Two Voices, Customized Content, and Real Experience. Session organizers receive comments like "Easily the BEST session of the day", "TONS of great ideas to share with our staff!", "Fun, active, going to use this immediately!", and simply "AWESOME". In total, they have presented in 31 different states and Canada.

Over the past 20 years, they have been active ACA Volunteers sitting on local boards, the SCOPE board, chairing conferences and events, and Jed remains an ACA Standards Visitor and Instructor. Roz and Jed were joint recipients of the prestigious ACA Thelma Hurwitz Leadership Award in 2016.

Opening Keynote - Love What You Do! Increasing Engagement for You and Your Team

When you start your day, do you think "I have to go to work" or "I get to go to work"? Getting to go to work means you understand the purpose of your job, feel appreciated, and have fun! This highly interactive session includes a mix of thought-provoking discussion as well as dynamic activities to empower individuals to increase their own engagement as well as encourage managers to increase the engagement of the teams they lead.

Full Schedule with Session Descriptions

Tuesday, November 19

• 12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.  Pre-Conference Camp Tours
  • 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Stowe Heights
  • 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Living History Farms Day Camp
  • 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Easterseals Iowa Camp Sunnyside 
• 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Conference Check-In
• 6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Dinner for Camp Tour Attendees and Early Arrivals
• 7:15 p.m. Social Activity

Wednesday, November 20

• 8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Breakfast
• 8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Conference Check-In & Networking Activity
• 9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Welcome to the Great Rivers Fall Conference!
• 9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Opening Keynote 
  • Love What You Do! Increasing Engagement for You and Your Team with Roz and Jed Buck
• 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Educational Breakout Session #1
• 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Lunch
• 1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Problem-Solving Roundtables
• 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Educational Breakout Session #2
• 3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Educational Breakout Session #3
• 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Educational Breakout Session #4
• 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Dinner & Great River Awards Ceremony
• 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Trivia Night!

Thursday, November 21

• 8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Breakfast
• 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.  Breakout Session #5
• 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Hot Topic Roundtables
• 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Expert Camp Panel: Nurturing Camper, Staff, and Personal Well-Being
• 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Grab and Go Lunch or Stay, Eat & Network!

• "Oh No the B Word". How to Handle Behavior Management in the Camp Setting.
• No Experience Required: Incorporating STEM into your Youth Programming
• Building SEL Skills with Intention
• WHO Wrote Your Pool/Lake EAP?
• Learn how to substantially increase laundry efficiency and throughput by installing commercial washers and dryers
• Organizing Documentation for an ACA Visit
• Geocaching 101
• Build Culture through Play
• Let's See if you're Charging Enough - A Workshop
• Development Planning for Small to Mid-Sized Camps
• Hatchet Throwing at Summer Camp: A hands-on seminar exploring this exciting new activity
• What is Happening?!?: A Camp Director's Guide to Making Better Decisions
• Implementing Restorative Justice - What We Learned

Full schedule with Session Descriptions 

Join us for the Fall Conference at Wesley Woods Camp & Retreat Center located in Indianola, Iowa. Wesley Woods was established in 1956, tucked away near Lake Ahquabi on 344 acres overlooking rolling hills in a woodland retreat. Wesley Woods is only 30 minutes south from the Des Moines International Airport and Downtown Des Moines. Whether you're coming in from out of town or just looking for a quick getaway, Wesley Woods is the perfect location for your next adventure. 

Lodging

Lodging is available on-site at Wesley Woods on November 19th and November 20th. Wesley Woods has a variety of lodging options for the conference. Single, double, and group lodging are available.  All rooms or cabins have twin XL beds and have heat and air conditioning. Participants will need to provide their own bedding and towels. Double occupancy rooms have bathrooms and showers either in the room or in the same building. Group lodging will have access to bathrooms and a shower house a short walk from the cabins.

Participants are encouraged to register and select their preferred lodging as soon as possible for the greatest selection. Lodging is assigned on a first come first served basis. When registering online, please select options in step 4.

Single Occupancy Lodging - $105/night

Double Occupancy Lodging - $60/night

Group Cabin Lodging - $30/night

Sponsorship opportunities:

• $3,000 Title Sponsor*
• $2,000 Keynote sponsor*
• $1,500 Meal sponsor*
• $1,000 Session sponsor
• $500 Snack/Break sponsor

All sponsorships come with a table, and logo recognition on signage at the event, and the events web page.

Sponsorships with an (*) also include two minutes to address the participants.

Please contact Kim Fitzgerald, kfitzgerald@acacamps.org with any sponsorship inquiries.