Flat Rock Times - Flat Rock River YMCA Camp

The
Flat Rock Times
UPCOMING
DATES:

F A L L
2 0 1 5
Message from the Executive Director
Halloween Family
Camp - Oct. 9-11
Dear Flat Rock Family,

Fall Break Camp Oct. 14-18

Winter Camp Dec. 27-Jan. 1

Open House @ Camp
- March 20

Open House @ Camp
- May 1

Mother Daughter
Weekend - May 6-8
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Message from the
Executive Director
1
Call for Teen Leaders
1
Family & Break Camps
2
What’s Cooking?
2
Alumni Spotlight
2
Adventure Trips
3
Groups & Conferences
3
Outdoor Education
3
Annual Campaign
Update
4
Just for Kids
4
Staff Contact &
Advisory Board
5
As the leaves begin to turn, and the black walnuts rain down from the trees here at camp,
we can officially say it is fall. The changing of the seasons and unique natural beauty of
our camp home in each one is truly something to behold and I hope that you will consider
one of our fall program offerings to take it in for yourself. I would like to start by first
congratulating our entire Flat Rock Family on a remarkable year thus far! A few items
that everyone contributed to and that each of you should take great pride in are:

A Safe Summer Season: Everything we do at Flat Rock starts and ends with the
safety of our campers and guests. I am proud of our staff and campers for
conducting a safe summer camp season here at Flat Rock.
 Growth in the number of children we serve for Summer Resident Camp: The word is
getting out about what a remarkable place Flat Rock is for fun and development and
we experienced a 15% year to year growth in children served, selling out 2 Sessions
completely and 4 Ranch Camp Sessions! Thanks to everyone who continues to share
the value and importance of camp with their friends and family.
 New Partnerships: Thanks to a new partnership with Camp Kesem we were able to
support more than 150 children whose families are impacted by cancer having a
summer camp experience. Our groups and conferences services have grown
dramatically as more church, civic, and corporate groups use our wonderful facility
and programs to support their mission.
 Our annual campaign set a new record with over $130,000 raised for camp
scholarships!
 Our Outdoor Education programs have grown dramatically and brought more
students and guests here to share in the magic.
The majesty of nature, a focus on how to develop positive relationships with others, the
YMCA core values, great camper families, awesome volunteers, and a commitment to
excellence are the recipe for the Safe, Fun, and Transformational experiences we provide
at Flat Rock and each of you are an essential ingredient. Thank you for being a Flat Rock
Family and your continued participation in making this the #bestcampever!
Call For TEEN LEADERS!
Flat Rock Teen Leaders Club is for any campers age 13-17 who
want to give back to our community. They meet at least once every
other month and volunteer their time doing service projects at Flat
Rock and across the Indianapolis area. Flat Rock Teen Leaders also
have the chance to take part in an Adventure Trip during the year.
Anyone who is interested in joining
the Teen Leaders Club may email
teenleaders15@gmail.com for more
information on upcoming meetings
and project schedules. You may
also text @flatrockt to 81010 to
get reminders for upcoming
meetings. The Teen Leader officers
are Grace Sperry, Nicole Klinger,
and Sydney Craig.
The
Flat Rock Times
F A L L
Family and Fall
Break Camps
Camp is a busy place this fall! We have
family camps and break camps throughout
the month of October. October 2-4 is our
annual Father/Son Weekend. October 9-11
is our Halloween Family Camp and October
14-18 is our Fall Break Camp. Fall Break
Camp has mini-camp options and campers
who register will also get to take a trip to
King’s Island for Halloween fun! We would
love to have you join us at Flat Rock in
October to enjoy fun activities and beautiful scenery. Please contact us to get
registered today!
Winter Camp is also approaching quickly.
The dates are set for December 27 –
January 1. We have mini-camp options for
Winter Camp and the children who attend
2 0 1 5
which is $75 off of registration if you get
registered by December 31! We had record
numbers at camp in 2015 and already have
a record number of pre-registered campers
for 2016. Don’t miss out on the session
you want because you waited to register.
A $100 deposit will hold your place for
summer 2016!
If you have any questions on the upcoming
camps please call 765-525-6730 or email
anickel@indymca.org
will get to participate in a trip to Perfect
North to snow tube or ski. Last year was a
lot of winter fun and we look forward to
having even more this winter!
Also, don’t forget about next summer! You
can still enjoy our Tier 1 Early Bird rate
What’s Cooking?
This yummy Fall recipe comes from one of our Food
Service Employees, Anne. Anne, has made this
peach cobbler for some of our groups and they
have been begging for the recipe!
Anne’s Yummy Peach Cobbler
½-cup butter, softened
1-cup sugar+ ½ cup sugar
2-cups flour
4-tsp baking powder
½-tsp salt
1-cup milk
2-30oz. cans of peaches
Drain peaches, reserve juice. Add ½ cup sugar to
peaches.
Mix together butter and sugar until fluffy, stir in dry
ingredients and poor milk in slowly, beat until smooth.
Spray 11x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into
pan, pour preaches over batter, sprinkle with sugar, and
pour the peach juice over the top of peaches
Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes serve warm with ice
cream
Fall Alumni Spot Light:
Mike Wilson
Years at Flat Rock: Summer
2004-2009, Volunteer 2010Present
Jobs held at Flat Rock:
Counselor, “Burgermeister”
Where do you live now?
Fishers, IN
What do you do now? High
School Math Teacher at Irvington Prep Academy
Why did you decide to become a
counselor? I knew full well that I
would become a teacher. Flat Rock, more than anything,
helped me to see the world through the eyes of those I
would be counseling and teaching later on.
How did Flat Rock change your life? It’s the realization
that kids, campers, or students put me on a pedestal
and I have to live up to that. If I did that well, it didn't
matter what clinic I lead or the class I taught.
What is your favorite memory at Flat Rock? Black Bart
with Andrew Scarburogh, rang toss with Sarah Pennal,
“Respect is a Wonderful Thing” by Josh Richardt, and the
worldwide lifelong friends we all made In the summer of
2006. It will never get any better than that.
The
Flat Rock Times
F A L L
2 0 1 5
Lets go on an Adventure!
For Summer 2016, Flat Rock will be offering 2 exciting new Adventure Trips. This will be the third summer that
Flat Rock has facilitated safe and fun Adventure Trips.
Groups & Conferences
Women’s Getaway Weekend was a great success for
2015! WGW 2016 will be August 19-21, 2016.
Flat Rock is an excellent place to hold a retreat for
your business, sports team, church, or any other
group. Weekends are fully customizable and there
are special winter rates as well! Contact Bobby at
bthomas@indymca.org for more info.
Outdoor Education
Update
Fall Outdoor Education is in full swing. Our
staff are working hard to teach outdoor
education classes to thousands of students
throughout Indiana.
With the addition of our Starlab inflatable
planetarium, our astronomy programs are
booming! Flat Rock will soon be offering
traveling Astronomy and Rocketry classes.
Our staff will go to schools, afterschool
programs, and day camps to make sure all
students have an incredible Astronomy
experience.
If you are interested in Outdoor Education or
an Astronomy program for your school,
please contact Bobby at
bthomas@indymca.org.
Flat Rock YMCA Camp
Annual Campaign
Annual Campaign to Provide Camp
Scholarships:
WE DID IT!
Flat Rock River YMCA Camp
6981 W. County Road 650 N
St. Paul, IN 47272
Phone: 765-525-6730
Fax: 765-525-2265
E-mail: rlyoc@indymca.org
The Flat Rock Family has raised over
$130,000 which is well over our
$110,000 goal this year! Thanks to YOU
we will be able to provide more
scholarships and financial assistance than
ever before!
If you would like to help us get a
jumpstart on next year’s annual campaign,
contact camp or visit our online giving
page at http://
indymca.thankyou4caring.org/camp.
Just for kids
Ready! Set! Color!
WHOOO Am I?
The
Flat Rock Times
F A L L
Flat Rock Staff Contact
Don Sheppard
Executive Director
Ext. 200
Dsheppard@indymca.org
Bobby Thomas
Program Director, OEE & Groups and Conferences
Ext. 204
Bthomas@indymca.org
Ashley Nickel
Program Director, Summer Camp & Family Programs
Ext. 202
Anickel@indymca.org
2 0 1 5
Camp Advisory Board
Kevin Ayers, Chairman
Bret Sperry
Jay Barclay
Leona Woody
Jeff Newnam
Jeff McLeod
Bob Carmony
Ian Manning
Frank Berry
Dan Church
Ken Finkle
Kim Redmon
Food Service Director
Ext. 212
kredmon@indymca.org
Jenny Hamner
Administrative Service Director
Ext. 205
jhamner@indymca.org
Brian Martin
Buildings and Grounds Director
Ext. 280
Bmartin@indymca.org
Who do I Contact?
Volunteering Opportunities: Jenny Hamner
Outdoor Education: Bobby Thomas
Group Retreats and Conferences: Bobby Thomas
Summer Camp: Ashley Nickel
Family Camps: Ashley Nickel
Adventure Trips: Bobby Thomas
School Break Camps: Ashley Nickel
facebook.com/flatrockcamp