Results tagged “Kamp Kiwanis” from GSSA Leader Blog: The Virtual Volunteer

Summer Resident Camp information is now up on the web sitefor you to see.  With two amazing camps and many different sessions (including sessions focusing on horseback riding, swimming, boating and traditional camp), there is sure to be camping experiences that are right for your Girl Scout or troop.

We have Mom & Me sessions this year, two for Daisies and one for Brownies so our littlest Girl Scouts can bring a special female grown-up with them to camp.

We are also offering troop camping this year at Kamp Kiwanis. Bring your troop  and two leaders and set your own agenda and pace. We will provide archery, canoeing, arts and crafts directors and even do most of the cooking for you! You can also participate in many of the regular camp activities.

Come join the Fun! Learn to sail and have an AWESOME time. This program is to teach girls to grow in confidence, courage, and character through the skills of Sailing! Out of council Girl Scouts welcomed! Any girl 6^th grade or higher (C,S,A), who can swim 50 yards, and loves the water!

The weekends will cover introduction to sailing and sailing safety for the class 1 sailors, while more experienced (those who have attended Summer Sail Away or past weekends) will learn more advanced skills to possibly move to a higher class.

All other classes will be grouped by the level of experience each sailor has had. All classes are taught basic water rescues, parts and rigging a sail boat, points of sail, weather, knots and hitches, and navigation.

Class 1- Beginners Single Sailing and safety (tandem)

Class 2- Intermediate Sailing Open Water (tandem & single)

Class 3- Dingy Sailing (Mainsail, Jib,)

Class 4- Sloop Sailing (Flying Scot,)

Max. Enrollment 24 girls, Leaders come and help where needed

Cost: $35.00 per person attending 

For more information check out the specific weekend info:

October 21-23, 2011

May 4-6, 2012

We have had the chance this summer to spend time at both Camp Scoutshire Woods and Kamp Kiwanis watching those who attend have a great time!   We have seen the girls do fun things like learning to ride on horseback and mastering the intricate balance of a stand up paddle boat.    Because of a successful cookie sale, we were able to purchase a number of new boats, paddleboards and other equipment to enhance the camp experience for our girls. 

Although in February our camp numbers were ahead of where they were last year, when it came time for camp, the number of campers actually declined from last year.  We have been wondering why this has happened, and ask that, if you have ideas or suggestions, please let us know.  We assume many girls are saving their cookie bucks for 100th anniversary trips, but we are trying to determine if there are other things we can do to attract more girls to camp.  Kamp Kiwanis has five air-conditioned buildings, so beating the heat is easy to do.   There is a new camp director there this year Dana Jones, who is a familiar face to many and an experienced service unit manager from Citronelle.   The focus of that camp is aquatics, archery, environmental awareness and science.   Anna Marie Phelps returned as the long-time camp director at Scoutshire Woods.   Last year they built a huge teepee, and this year they intend to build a larger one.   We had open slots in the Camp Scoutshire horse camps, which is a very unusual thing, so we are wondering how to increase our enrollments.  If you have thoughts or suggestions, please let us know at communications@girlscoutssa.org.   Thanks.

We have re-established the Mariner troop, which has been inactive for many years.  This group of girls enjoys boating and being on the water.    Their main emphasis is on learning to sail and honing their sailing skills.   Last summer, the older girls raised funds all year and took a weeklong sailing trip down the Florida Keys.   What an experience!    Each spring and fall they have a sailing weekend; sometimes we use the Florida Panhandle facilities on Perdido Bay, other times we use Kamp Kiwanis.   I heard the sailing weekend this spring at Kamp Kiwanis had 31 participants, and Lake Martin was beautiful with all our boats out on it.   We have been fortunate that, as the word has spread, we have received donations of larger sailboats that people no longer use.
  
The Tukabatchee Boy Scouts from Montgomery gave us a Capri and Flying J.   Another person gave us a Flying Scot, which is a really neat little boat.   Two weeks ago, we had a physician give us a 27-foot O'Day sailboat that sleeps 6.   After the sailing resident camp this summer, we will work on getting the new sailboat available, so, if your troop wants a different experience, they can spend the night on a sailboat in the cove at Kamp Kiwanis.  Sailing is a lifetime sport and one that provides a great deal of fun and energy.   Hopefully, those girls who want to explore a different outdoor sport will consider joining the Mariners.   They are working on going out on the water more often, in addition to these structured opportunities.   For additional information, contact Liz Carnahan at ekcarnahan@comcast.net.   There are still slots open for the sailing resident camp, but you must be able to swim and comfortable canoeing.

Camp Scoutshire Woods is in need of a wonderful nurse, who would love to be at camp for a week or two! Dates needed are: June 19-June 24, and/or June 26-July 2. You have the option to be paid staff (pay is modest) or you can volunteer as the camp nurse, and bring one camper (daughter/granddaughter) free for each week that you volunteer. We are looking for an RN, LPN, or emergency first responder licensee. Other positions open are:

• Boating Director/counselor 17 years or older

• Lifeguard/counselor 17 years or older

• Assistant to Horse Director 17 years or older, experienced in working with children and horses

E-mail Woody at pbjk@peanutbutter-n-jellykids.com  
 
Kamp Kiwanis is also looking for nurses. Dates needed are: June 19-June 24, and/or July 3-8. You have the option to be paid staff (pay is modest) or you can volunteer as the camp nurse, and bring one camper (daughter/granddaughter) free for each week that you volunteer. We are looking for an RN, LPN, or emergency first responder licensee.
Additional volunteer opportunity:

• Kitchen Assistant: if you volunteer for a week you can bring a camper for free

E-mail Bossy at kiwanis@girlscoutssa.org

Dear Friends,

The last two weeks have been challenging for both our state and some of our communities here in southern Alabama.  Many of you have asked for updates about the area around Kamp Kiwanis and want to know how our sister council in North Alabama weathered the storm. You also have been wanting to help.
 
I am happy to report that the power is back on at Kamp Kiwanis and many of the surrounding areas, and the cleanup effort is in full swing.  Kamp Kiwanis has reopened and will available for all of its planned activities in the coming weeks.  The needs in that area are many, but specific things we are asking for include: water, furniture (many of the trailers being brought in to house families are unfurnished), general household items and clothes.  If you would like to contribute to the relief effort, we will collect items at both service centers and make sure they are delivered to those in need in the Eclectic area.
 
Also, Montgomery's Service Unit 914 is conducting a tornado relief drive at the Montgomery Service Center tomorrow (Saturday, May 7) from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.  They will collect non-perishable food items, cleaning items, etc.  

Troop 7238 was already scheduled to host a recycling event at the Opelika Parks and Rec Center on Denson Drive, Sat. May 14 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. as part of the Junior troop's Bronze Award activity. However, they would like to extend the event to also help collect clean, gently used clothes, toiletries, and school supplies to help tornado victims. Any troop who would like to contribute are invited to come and drop off items during that time. These donations will be sent to the Montgomery office. Monica Frazier, Junior Troop leader and Julie Sosebee, Troop Leader

Please support them if you can!
 
Sadly, Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama had significant damage in 31 of their 37 counties.  We understand that one Girl Scout lost her life and countless others have seen their homes destroyed.  However, the council will not know the full impact of the damage until power and communication lines are restored throughout their jurisdiction. You can also visit the North-Central Alabama website for details on what you can do to assist them.

Please join us in keeping those affected by the tornadoes in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Karlyn Edmonds
Chief Operating Officer
Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama

I grew up close to the Kansas state line in Missouri, so I understand the power of the weather.   As some of you may know, I split my time between the Mobile and Montgomery offices, so I'm in and around the Montgomery area frequently. I'm there so much that, a couple of years ago, the ranger from Kamp Kiwanis tore out a bathroom and put in a shower for me, and I inhabit my "dorm room" in the Volunteer Center when I'm there.   I have a television in my office because I often work late when I am in residence. 

Last week, I was in Montgomery on Wednesday because we had Civic Education Day for Girl Scouts from around the state the following morning.    Melinda Wilson and I were in our offices, trying to get ready for Civic Education Day, and I had the evening news on.   As the newscast started, it showed the storm live from Tuscaloosa via the weather video cams they have stationed throughout the city.    I called Melinda in, and we watched in stunned silence as it was clear, with the flying debris and power of the tornadoes.  Clearly, this was a horrible experience for those on the ground. 

The difficult element of our improved, up-to-the-minute media is that we often see and experience events that are painful and frightening to watch.  I can't imagine how scary that would be to watch as a child, since as an adult I find it scary.  This real-time coverage continued throughout the local news, with the tornadoes building in intensity as they cut through Birmingham.  

All evening I was glued to the television while thinking through my emergency plan.  Both the Montgomery buildings are brick with some windowless interior spaces, and I do have some emergency equipment there, but not lots.  As I listened, one of the tornadoes was headed toward our COO's house.  It was clear, as I watched until late in the night, the power of Mother Nature is formidable. 

Civic Education Day was cancelled, and early the next morning I called our ranger at Kamp Kiwanis.   It was clear from his voice things weren't good.  He said the camp was fine, but he had lost two cousins in the storm, and his monument business literally was gone.  He indicated he needed a generator, so I assured him I would take care of that.  I bought a generator and en route was stunned at how everything where the description of the storm was looked fine.  Not until we got to 200-feet from the turn on to Mount Hebron Road did we see any indication that it had even rained the night before.  Then, as we turned on to Mount Hebron, we saw the devastation.  

It looked as if a bomb had been dropped.  Trees down, twisted, snapped off 15 feet in the air with nothing left but toothpicks, splintered half way down. The scene was like something out of a horror movie.   We delivered the generator and drove on to Kamp Kiwanis.   That day camp was eerily beautiful, not even a limb was down, and the lake was stunning.  It looked so serene with all the violence from the storm, not ¼ mile from camp.   It is good to be reminded of all that we take for granted.   Many perished that day, and the death toll is still climbing.   We are afforded the opportunity to experience the glory of nature in the work that we do.   On the drive back to the office, we decided cancelling Civic Education Day was such a small price to pay, as we mused on what many others are confronting, that day and in the foreseeable future. 

Photos of devastation near Kamp Kiwanis (click picture for full size image):

We are offering four additional fun Resident Camps at Kamp Kiwanis this summer -- click on the session title to check them out!

Mom and Me Camp: July 3 - 8 (Daisy, Brownie, Junior)
Ever wanted to go to camp when you were a girl and didn't get a chance?  Maybe your daughter really wants to try summer camp but doesn't want to try it without you.  Here's your chance.  Come spend your Fourth of July holiday at Kamp Kiwanis on beautiful Lake Martin.  Moms and girls will get a chance to experience all the fun of  kamp including arts and crafts, swimming, canoeing, riding in the banana boats, experience the magic of the last campfire and have many other adventures.  Best of all...you can do it together.

Mom and Me Camp Short Term: June 26 - 29 (Daisy, Brownie, Junior)
This session is the same as our regular mom and me camp session just on a smaller scale.  If you want to have the camp experience, but you don't want to stay the week try this camp session. You'll still get to try all the fun things at camp such as swimming, canoeing, arts and crafts and banana boating; and you'll get to share the experience together.  Come and see how much fun summer camp can be.

You Can't Do That At Camp: June 26 - July 1 (Cadettes)
If you want to come to Kamp but not leave the fun stuff home this is the Kamp session for you.  Not your traditional Kamp session, but with all the traditional camp fun.  In this session you'll do all the traditional kamp activities including swimming, canoeing, campfires and much more but....bring your stuff to camp with you.  In this session you can have your iPods and mp3 players and other electronic stuff (no cell phones please).  We'll raid the kitchen for a late night snack and watch a late night movie or two. Come enjoy camp with a twist!

Alumnae Weekend - July 1 - 3
This is your chance to come back to camp and have the enjoy some of the experiences from "the good ole days".  Come in late Friday and stay up late visiting with old friends and make some new ones.  On Saturday, we will do a project to improve camp and then spend the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying some of your old favorites.  Have a campfire on Saturday night and head out Sunday morning.  Some of the camp fee will go toward making improvements at camp.  There are a minimum number of campers, so bring your friends.
Who: Girl Scout Alumnae over the age of 18

Are you a nurse who like the outdoors?  Does your daughter want to attend camp for free?  Kamp Kiwanis is looking for nurses for summer resident camp. We need one registered nurse per week, June 13-July 8, 2011, to serve as camp nurse.  Duties include dispensing medication to campers, assisting campers who are ill, etc.  In exchange for your time volunteering, your daughter will be able to spend one week at Kamp Kiwanis free of charge. If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please contact Dana Jones, Kamp Kiwanis resident camp director, at djones@girlscoutssa.org.

2010 was a tremendous cookie sale.   And that was in spite of the fact the cookie baker never delivered our initial cookie order.    It is amazing how good the cookie sale was with that impediment.    We had enough funds after the cookie sale and paying the bills this year to do the following:

Camp Humming Hills: spraying and replanting

Camp Sid Edmonds: purchased 4 jon boats with oars, easier for the girls to use, purchased 10 used aluminum canoes to increase boats available

Camp Scoutshire Woods: negotiating to lay crushed limestone on some of the roads, installed ceiling fans and electrical outlets in Gypsy Glen, replaced ranger's lawn tractor

Kamp Kiwanis: replaced dining hall roof, moving from shingles to metal for longer durability, purchased 4 person towable for pontoon boat, replaced ranger's truck, purchased 4x4 Big Red for ranger's use

Mariner's program: purchased Boston Whaler chase boat that can be used at Kamp Kiwanis and on Perdido Bay, purchased zodiac to serve as a smaller rescue boat

 

Thanks for all the hard work, and hopefully, your girls will enjoy all the new equipment purchased for their use.

Program Level: Cadette, Senior, Ambassador

Learn the basics of sailing on beautiful Lake Martin using our flotilla of sunfish. Our experienced instructors will provide a positive learning atmosphere for students to build confidence and develop skills. You will get hooked and join us for more instructional weekends!
(And feel free to join us at Mariner Weekend.)

No previous sailing experience required

October 23-Oct. 24, 2010

Time: Check in 8-8:30 am CDT Saturday
Check out 12 noon CDT Sunday (For those traveling a good distance, you can come Friday night.)

Where: Kamp Kiwanis near Eclectic, Al.

Fee: $25 - includes lodging, food Saturday evening and breakfast on Sun. (Bring a sack lunch for Saturday) and program materials.

A list of what to bring will be e-mailed to you upon registration.

Deadline to register Oct. 7th, 2010

Contact "Woody" at pbjk@peanutbutter-n-jellykids.com for further information

Would you like to go to the Auburn football Scout game October 2, but aren't sure where to stay?  Stay at Kamp Kiwanis on beautiful Lake Martin!  The camp is about a 40 minute drive to the football stadium, and you can't beat the price.

 

We've already reserved the campgrounds for the whole weekend (October 1-3, 2010) just for the troops and families planning on attending the game.  For families attending the game, we will have a unit reserved for men (if there is sufficient interest). 

 

To reserve your spot, all you need to do is fill out the Kamp Kiwanis Reservation Form, and submit it to the Montgomery Service Center.  The cost is $5 per tent or cabin per night.  Accommodations are available on a first-come, first-served basis.  If you have any questions about reservations, contact Nina Davis at extension 2902.

 

A whole weekend on the lake, and a football game with all your fellow Girl Scouts... Sounds like a perfect fall activity!

Camp Registration Still Open
Resident Camp Sessions are still available! Some of the camps are full, but you can still attend Resident Camp this summer. Check out our Camp page for more information.

 

Have you looked into two of our new camps this year?  We're offering Circle of Friends at Camp Scoutshire Woods, and Camping 101 at Kamp Kiwanis. 

 

Circle of Friends

The Scoutshire Woods Circle has grown so big we need to have our own weekend, where we can give back to the camp that has given us so many fond memories!

Friday we will welcome back old friends, and induct new friends. Saturday's activities will include a great camp service project for camp improvements. Saturday night we will have a huge gathering and feast to celebrate the Circle of Friends! Come and join our circle of friends, the only prerequisite is that you have attended Scoutshire Woods' Summer Resident Camp five different years! Join us in service and friendship.

Cost: $120 Includes six meals and helps defray the cost of the service project.

Who: girls in grades 7-12, and adults who are past campers!

SSW Session: July 2-4

 

Camping 101

Come to Kamp Kiwanis with your troop! These sessions let you explore everything KK has to offer, with the comfort of your troop leader. We offer half weeks and whole ones, and troops of all ages are welcome! During troop camping, you will have time to explore KK as a troop, as well as participate in traditional camp activities like swimming, canoeing and arts and crafts. All of your activities will be guided by two of our experienced staff members.

Troops must have a responsible leader (who will serve as the primary care giver for the girls) attending the session with them in order to register.

KK Session: June 20 - 23; Cost: $120

KK Session: June 23 - 25; Cost: $120

KK Session: June 27 - 30; Cost: $120

KK Session: June 30 - July 2; Cost: $120

KK Session: July 5 - July 9; Cost:  $190

We'd like to clarify a couple of things about summer resident camp.  The date for the camp open houses is incorrect in the brochure - the open houses are Sunday, May 2 from 2 - 4 p.m.  You still have time to register to attend for the early bird price, $3.  What a steal!

 

Please use the Camp Scholarship Form, not the generic Financial Aid form, to request a scholarship to attend summer resident camp.

 

The summer resident camp registration is open, so send your registrations in!  We'll update you on GSSA Weekly as sessions fill up. 

 

There was also some confusion about June 1.  On June 1, we'll begin taking registrations for 2010-2011 camporees (completely separate from resident camp).  If you want to start planning your camporee, the Camporee Book is a great resource!

 

Now, back to the open houses... Hope to see you there!

 

Kamp Kiwanis and Camp Scoutshire Woods Open House

May 2, 2010 (Sun) 2 - 4 p.m.

Are your girls excited about attending summer camp? Maybe they are feeling a little anxious? Then this is your day to visit Kamp Kiwanis or Camp Scoutshire Woods and find out all the details of resident camp. Help ease their nerves (and their parents' nerves) by letting them get a taste for what goes on while they are at summer camp. This is their chance to visit camp and get registered before sessions start filling up. Guests can stop for a snack in the dining hall, visit the craft hut, check out the cabins! All girls who are going to be in first grade or above are welcome to bring their parents and explore camp for the day. 

Early Bird Cost: $3 per person

Cost: $4 per person

Early Bird Registration/Cancellation Deadline: April 9, 2010

Registration/Cancellation Deadline: April 23, 2010

Earth Day is April 22, and we have a program April 17 that is all about the outdoors!  Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts can attend at Camp Scoutshire Woods or Kamp Kiwanis.

Activities include old-fashioned hayride, nature discoveries, crafts, face painting, games, picnic lunch and hiking. Visit the flower garden for storytelling and select a plant to take home in a decorated clay pot. Snack, picnic lunch and a patch are provided.

Registration/Cancellation Deadline: March 31, 2010 

Make sure to get all of the important details on our Events and Programs Calendar.

It's time to start planning those camporees for the fall of 2010 and the spring of 2011.  The council will begin taking reservations on June 1, and as usual, we anticipate that slots will fill up quickly.  To reserve Camp Sid or Camp Scoutshire Woods, contact Barbara Davis (extension 1902), and for Kamp Kiwanis and Camp Humming Hills, contact Nina Davis (extension 2902).  Please note, there is a $50 deposit required to reserve camp for a camporee.

 

Information and reservation forms for each of our camps is on our Camps and Properties page.  The Camporee Book has information on all the camps, as well as great recommendations for planning a camping trip.

 

 

Give your Girl Scout the great outdoors this summer! Girls grow in confidence when they learn new skills and have new experiences away from home. With two camps to choose from, you just can't lose! Summer Resident Camp is offered at Camp Scoutshire Woods and Kamp Kiwanis; two special camps, each with a distinct personality of its own, offering a variety of summer resident camps there's sure to be one (or more) to intrigue your Girl Scout!

 

We have many exciting new additions to our summer resident camp sessions, and we are pleased to introduce them to you!   Some of the changes include camp scholarships (formerly called financial aid), Circle of Friends camp, troop camping and a multi-council sailing camp at Camp Kugelman.

 

Camp registrations for girls who sold more than 600 boxes of cookies (girls who earned cookie camperships or cookie bucks) will be accepted starting March 22. Camp registrations for all other girls will be accepted beginning March 29.

 

All of the camp information can be found on the Camps and Properties page of our website.

This is the second article in a series by our public relations intern, Evie.  She's new to Girl Scouting, and as she participates in different Girl Scout activities, she'll share her fresh perspective with us.  Evie is an unpaid intern, and this her last class before she graduates from Auburn University in August.  We appreciate all that Evie (pictured with a camper) is doing for Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama.  

 

I've been interning with Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama for five weeks now and already I feel like part of the team. I wonder if they would make me a special Internship badge?

I have begun traveling to Kamp Kiwanis in Eclectic every Monday to take pictures and videotape the campers. So far, I have been to the first three camp sessions and I went before camp officially started to interview a few of the counselors. Everyone is so nice and accepting, and I've already been coined with a camp nickname, "Chevy."

At first I was nervous about going to Kamp Kiwanis. How was I going to find my way around this place I had never been to? How were these girls going to react to some stranger taking their picture? But the girls were great! They didn't mind at all and fortunately some of them became hams and posed for me.

I have loved watching these young girls learn how to canoe and learn new swim strokes because it has been a long time since I have done anything like that.

I traveled to Camp Scoutshire Woods in Citronelle, Ala. last week to record some videos there and loved it. It is a little different than Kiwanis, for example, there is no air conditioning! But other than swimming and canoeing, Scoutshire has a stable with horses that the girls ride every day. The best part about my visit to Camp Scoutshire was that I got to go "creek stompin'" with a group of girls. I learned about the surrounding wildlife and was eaten up by mosquitoes.

I am excited about going back and also about traveling to Camp Sid Edmonds. My internship is half-over and I feel like I've just begun!

We've got more video from Kamp Kiwanis for you this week!  Chevy (also known as our intern Evie) came down to Camp Scoutshire Woods Wednesday, June 17, so we'll have that video up next week. 

Also, be sure to check out the camp photos from this week.  It's been a hot week, but that hasn't stopped the girls from having a great time!

 

Girls are at camp, and they're having a fantastic time!  Each week of resident camp, we'll upload pictures from Kamp Kiwanis and Camp Scoutshire Woods.  We even have video from Kamp Kiwanis this week.

The photos are on the Camps and Properties page of the website at http://www.girlscoutssa.org/properties_camps.php#CampPhotos.