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Camp Kamaji’s
RAINBOW CONNECTION
A Publication of Camp Kamaji for Girls
Volume XXX, Number 2
October 2009
Camp is a place where everyone’s true self
comes out — where everyone is real.
Togetherness here is constant so camp
friends know things about each other that
most would not. As many of you may
know, Lucy Behn, Sarah Bronson, and I
are extremely close and I bet I know some
things about them that a friend from home
may not. For instance, Lucy is terrified of
honeydew and has an abnormal obsession
with her stuffed animal named Alex, and
her middle name is Pearl. Sarah comes to
camp every year loaded with a first-aid kit
big enough to care for the entire camp, and
will eat anything no matter where it has
been. Although they may have their quirks,
those are some of the things that I love
most about them.
G
reetings from Camp Kamaji!! The
following Camper Farewell was written and
presented at Kamaji on July 14th by Pine
Manor camper KATE BOWKER (Chicago, IL
‘04-‘09):
“Just a few days ago, some of my closest
friends and I were talking on the stone
steps. The same stone steps that we sat
on apprehensively waiting to take our swim
tests at the beginning of the session. The
same stone steps where I cheered for the
Mundahmins on Tribe Day countless times.
The same stone steps where we will stand
tomorrow morning, watching the sunrise as
many of the Pine Manor girls end their
days as campers. My friends and I sat
making our own new camp memories as
we talked about how much we value the
time we have spent here at Kamaji. As we
reminisced, I began to think about personal
experiences at camp. Every small
accomplishment is what makes each day
special. Whether it is being able to skipper
for the first time in sailing, getting a bulls-
eye, catching a fish, finishing the first
portage on the Canadian, or even winning
a horse n’ goggle — each accomplishment
adds to the Kamaji experience as a whole.
All of these important moments, however,
would not be nearly as exciting if my
friends were not there to share them with
me. Think of the first time something you
did was recognized in the dining hall during
announcements. The loud cheers, the
banging on the table — all of you. Six
years ago, I found my best friends here at
Kamaji. They are the friends cheering the
loudest for me in the dining hall, the friends
who will set their alarms for late at night
just so we can look at the stars together,
the friends who laugh at my weird ways but
love them just the same. Camp friends
share a special bond, unlike any other, and
a major part of that is the mutual love for
Kamaji. I think it would be hard to find
another place where you can see hundreds
of girls finding entertainment by spitting
watermelon seeds into the lake to see how
far they can make it, or singing at the top of
their lungs on top of benches at meals.
I find myself standing at a crossroads
tonight of many sorts: I am facing my last
session at Kamaji as a camper; I am
staying behind as so many of you will be
boarding the busses tomorrow, and I am
even contemplating whether or not I will be
back in this Lodge next year, transitioning
from a camper to a CIT. And even though
this is my last summer as a camper, I know
that I will always have the memories I
created here, including those I created on
the stone steps.
So whether it is your first summer, your
fifteenth summer, or anywhere in between,
I hope you will take the opportunity
sometime tonight or tomorrow to reflect on
all of the great memories you have made
this summer, and think about what makes
this place so special to you. And even if
you only take one thing away from your
experience at camp, I hope it is the
friendships, like the many I have made
here.”
Kamaji’s RAINBOW CONNECTION
October 2009
Page 2
RETURNING 2010 KAMAJI CAMPERS
2010 NEW CAMPERS
Since the last issue of the Rainbow
Connection was published, the following
veteran Kamaji campers have re-enrolled
for the summer of 2010: second session
campers include SHULIE WEINBERG
(returning for her 2nd summer) of Chicago,
IL and SARAH SPIRO (3rd summer) of
Deerfield, IL.. WELCOME BACK!!
Since the September issue of the Rainbow
Connection went to press, LEXI MARKHAM
(2nd grade) of Canton, GA and ELISE
HOCKING (4th grade) of Wyndmoor, PA
have enrolled as first session campers; and
MOLLY WEINBERG (4th grade) of Chicago, IL
has enrolled for second. We welcome Lex,
Elise and Molly into Kamaji’s 2010
summertime family!!
THINGS WE CAN’T FORGET
First Four Weeks: “You bet your buttons” . .
. Canadian Borderline . . . Metro Station
‘Shake It!’ . . . Manano-grams . . .
cheesebob . . . Raven-Symoné . . . T-Rex
style . . . Mr. Obertrauster . . .
SECOND FOUR WEEKS: Nels-jamimea . . .
Hallo, Herro . . . . “HOORAY!” . . . ‘Keep
on Moving’ by 5ive . . . B-room . . .
whooknew . . . Banana-grams . . . zigity . . .
KAMAJI CAMPER ENROLLMENT 2010
Given that is only October 1st – less than
two months since the Summer of 2009
ended and better than 9 ½ months to go
before Kamaji’s Summer of 2010 begins,
over 100 campers have already enrolled.
Which means it really is not too early to
enroll for next summer!
CONTENTS
INSIDE EVERY ISSUE
PAGE
Address List Changes
Birthday List
Campers — New 2010
Campers — Returning 2010
Enrollment 2010, A Word About. . .
It’s a Small, Small World
Kamaji’s Current Address
Newsbits
Poem
Randy’s Ramblings
Things We Can’t Forget
Where in the World Is?
THIS MONTH’S FEATURE ITEMS
2009 Camp Kamaji Video
Kamaji Paparazzi Kaptured
Reunion Schedule
3
7
2
2
2
5
3
4
5
4
2
5
PAGE
3
5
3
Choosing which session to attend is not
always easy. Mind you, we don’t think one
session is “better” than the other; it’s simply
a matter of personal-choice, family decision
or school-calendar-dictated as to which
session to choose. And the Great Spirit
knows, one can’t base her decision based
upon the belief that second session is
warmer than first — especially when
thinking of this past summer!!
While second session does tend to fill up
more quickly – and, in fact, has slightly
more campers already enrolled over first
session numbers, we don’t anticipate one
or the other session to fill up more quickly
than the other.
With all this in mind, the choice of which
session to attend is entirely up to you —
just be sure to hurry up and decide before
there is no room left at Kamaji 2010!!
CAMP KAMAJI FOR GIRLS
SUMMER ADDRESS
32054 Wolf Lake Road
Cass Lake, Minnesota 56633
Phone 218.335.6612
WINTER ADDRESS
7436 Byron Place
St. Louis, Missouri 63105
Phone 800.7KAMAJI
800.752.6254
314.721.0475
www.kamaji.com
Mike and Kathy Jay, Directors
mike@kamaji.com, kathy@kamaji.com
Kat Martin, Assistant Director
kat@kamaji.com
Kamaji’s
RAINBOW CONNECTION
Page 3
October 2009
KAMAJI REUNION SCHEDULE
KAMAJI’S CURRENT ADDRESS
Effective immediately all camp snail mail
should be sent to
Our email addresses –
We are just beginning to work on
scheduling dates for this year’s Kamaji
reunions. OUR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER
SCHEDULE – WHICH FOLLOWS – IS TENTATIVE
AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
mike@kamaji.com,
CAMP KAMAJI FOR GIRLS
7436 Byron Place
kat@kamaji.com and
kathy@kamaji.com
St. Louis, MO 63105
– will remain the same.
Phone: 314.721.0475
2009 ADDRESS LIST CHANGES
Address Information for KAT MARTIN, KIYAH
& NIA SMALLEY and JENNA KORETZ has
changed. Please contact
kathy@kamaji.com for updated
information.
REMINDER: We do not print anyone’s
address – be it snail mail or e-mail – in the
Rainbow Connection edition that is
posted on the website. If you need an
address for anyone, simply write us at
info@kamaji.com.
If the information on your mailing list
(including e-mail address) needs to be
updated or corrected please let us know
and we will list any changes in future
issues of the Rainbow Connection.
As much as we would like to schedule a
reunion for every city and town Kamaji’s
campers live in, we can only hold reunions
in those cities where we have a hosting
family. So if you and your parents would
like to open up your home to a group of
Kamaji campers, staff members and Ye
Directors for a premiere showing of Kamaji
2008, please contact mike@kamaji.com
(314.721.0475) immediately. Thank you!!
CITY
Minneapolis
DATE
Sunday, November 8th
Chicago, IL
Sunday, November 15th
2:00 pm
Community House
620 Lincoln
Winnetka, IL 60093
Kansas City
Sunday, November 22nd
Denver, CO
Sunday, December 6th
St. Louis, MO Sunday, December 13th
We’ll work on fine-tuning the exact dates
and times and locations as well as other
city dates as quickly as possible. Look for
a complete schedule in the November
issue of Kamaji’s Rainbow Connection.
CAMP KAMAJI 2009 VIDEO
By October 15th all the video footage taken
this past summer will have been logged
and Kat will head off to Milwaukee where
she’ll be spending a week+ in a production
studio editing what-had-been over 20 hours
worth of video into a one hour “scrapbook”
of Kamaji’s Summer of 2009! As always,
to keep the element of surprise, we will not
pre-mail videos; rather we will give you
your copy at your area camp reunion.
Many of you have pre-paid for a camp
video – we have a complete list of those
who did so if you want to make doubly sure
that you will receive a 2009 Kamaji video,
feel free to write email mike@kamaji.com
to see if you are one of those who preordered.
For those of you who did not pre-order, it is
not too late. The cost to order before
November 1st is $40. If you wait until the
reunion, the cost will be $50. Those of you
who would like to order a copy and have
not done so as of yet should mail us a
check payable to Camp Kamaji for $40.
As always, if you have a song you would
like to suggest for the camp video (we
need a total of 4 more in addition to
“Friends are Friends Forever” by
Michael Smith), please email
kat@kamaji.com to let her know your
suggestions. If you are the first to
recommend a song that we select, you will
receive a free 2009 video.
Kamaji’s RAINBOW CONNECTION
October 2009
Page 4
RANDY’S RAMBLINGS
Okay I must confess: Mike and his son
Nathan and I have played a little hooky —
taking off from work to play golf. I am not
certain just who wins but I do have to say
that Mike — who is my boss — is a very
good golfer; I, on the other hand, could use
some lessons and practice. It sure is fun
— and even the boss can’t complain when
I miss work to play!!
“September has been a beautiful month in
many ways. First the weather has been
absolutely beautiful and working outside at
Kamaji has been just wonderful! I have
been spending most of September
renovating the staff living quarters in the
upstairs of the Lodge. It is definitely taking
some time to install new pine ceilings and
walls . . . but I am hoping it will be much
like a northwoods hotel by the time it is all
completed. It is already looking very nice!
The month did end on a very sad note for
me: my father who has lived a very long
and wonderful life passed away last week.
Even though it is sad and my family will
miss him a lot, we know he is in a
wonderful place that is probably a lot like
Kamaji. That thought brings me comfort.
Well that’s enough rambling from me, until
next time.”
— Randy and the Boys
(Patch and Oreo — & Bailey, too!)
My trusted assistants — Patch and Oreo
— have kept busy doing what they do best:
running and playing; Patch now-and-then
stops long enough to take a swim in Wolf
Lake.
NEWSBITS
This section of the Rainbow Connection
is devoted to special events in current
campers’ and staff member’s lives. So if
you have any NEWSBITS, please email
info to kathy@kamaji.com.
“Congratulations!!” to . . .
. . . LEAH STAR (Lexington, MA ‘05 -‘10) on
her upcoming October 10th Bat Mitzvah.
Mazel Tov!!
. . . ELIZABETH NEMEROVSKI (Snowmass
Village CO ‘05 -‘09) on her September 5th
Bat Mitzvah.
. . . LAUREN ROBINSON (St. Louis, MO ‘07‘09) on not only making honor roll for
Whitfield School’s first grading period but
also for being chosen team captain of the
8th grade volleyball team and being
selected as manager of the girls’ varsity
basketball team!!!!
. . . BRIANA PARKS (Chicago, IL ‘08-‘09) was
accepted into the Providence St. Mel
School orchestra where she is playing the
Viola.
MEGAN RIVKIN (Lincolnshire, IL ‘08-‘10) is
performing in two musicals this fall. She’ll
be playing Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and
the Chocolate Factory, and she’ll be
playing Lucile and acting in the ensemble
in Thoroughly Modern Millie.
AYAL KAMEL (Concordia College, MN —
staff 2009) is studying abroad in India this
semester where she is helping to build a
school in Koppal.
Kamaji’s
RAINBOW CONNECTION
Page 5
IT’S A SMALL SMALL WORLD
October 2009
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS. . .?
This section of the Rainbow Connection
is reserved for “chance encounters”
between Kamaji-ans. Please let
kathy@kamaji.com know if you,
unexpectedly/by chance, run into someone
from Kamaji in an unlikely place.
AMY GOULD, PAIGE BAYLESS, MAGGIE FRIED
MARIEL VAN LANDINGHAM (St. Louis, MO
‘05-‘07, ‘09) writes: My school’s JV and
Varsity field hockey teams travel to Kansas
city every other year to for two days to play
the teams at Pembroke Hill School. Instead
of staying in a hotel, we are each assigned
a Pem Hill player as a host and then
groups of 4 or so Pem Hill girls and 4 or so
Burroughs girls spend the night together at
a Pem Hill player’s home. Though she
wasn’t my assigned host, purely by chance,
ELIZABETH HELZBERG (Mission Hills, KS
‘06-‘09) and I stayed at the same home for
the overnight over the September 25th –
27th weekend.”
MAGGIE FRIED (Leawood, KS ‘99-‘03)
writes: “Hello from Upstate New York! The
picture above is of PAIGE BAYLESS
(Denver, CO ‘00 - ‘03, ‘07), AMY GOULD
(Mequon, WI ‘00-‘02) and me. After our
Pine Manor year at Kamaji, Paige and I
unknowingly ended up at Colgate
University together and a year later, ended
up in the same sorority. Last year during
sorority recruitment, I was sitting and
talking to a potential new member when
Amy Gould ran into the room screaming,
"MAGGIE, MAGGIE — DID YOU GO TO
KAMAJI???" Now, all three Kamaji alum
are in the same sorority. Recently during
sorority recruitment, our theme was
summer camp (because we raise money to
send girls to camp) so Paige, Amy and I
thought it was the perfect time to take a
picture of the three of us and send it in! “
OCTOBER POEM
I remember like a picture
You’re frozen into time
A figure in my memory
From the days we left behind
All the laughter, the smiles
You are still to me a child
And I hear you, I hear your voice
I remember the smiles
I remember your tears
All the dreams we’ve shared together
I remember our years.
A touch or a breath
A laugh or a tear
You are now so far away from me
But memories kept you kept you near
It was so long ago
We are so far apart
You are living inside my heart.
I remember the smiles
I remember your tears
All the dreams we’ve shared together
I remember our years.
When I think of all the faces
They slowly fade away
And maybe I’ll see yours again
You’ll be real to me someday
Though pictures sometimes dim
What we have will never fade
We’re together now forever.
I remember the smiles
I remember your tears
All the dreams we’ve shared together
I remember our years.
Written by Arielle Levin Becker
Kamaji Camper ‘93-‘00
KAMAJI PAPARAZZI KAPTURED
Spotted out-and-about:
Kamaji’s RAINBOW CONNECTION
October 2009
Page 6
IN CLOSING . . .
“All good things must come to an end” . . .
And so it is with great sadness we leave
Camp Kamaji . . .
. . . and migrate south to Kamaji’s winter
office in St. Louis, MO! (Gotcha
!!)
We have spent an additional 8 full weeks at
camp since the 2009 Kamaji camp season
ended on August 11th. Wondering ALL
camp season long (from June 1st through
August 11th) “Whatever happened to
summer??” we finally found summertime
(or rather it found us) just as the camper
busses were kicking up roadway dust on
August 11th — the very last day of the 2009
Kamaji season. The temperature climbed
to 85° that day followed by a couple of
days of 90+° followed by 6½ weeks of
glorious summer-like weather . . .with
“Indian-Summer” arriving on the 20th of
September.
As September now comes to an end,
Mother Nature has laid a blanket of goldenhued pine needles – which like Autumn
leaves – drop off the trees and begin their
slow spiraling descent to the ground below
— daylight hours are shorter with the sun
rising at 7:15 a.m and setting at 7:06 pm —
daytime temperatures now hover in the
mid-50s with the nights dipping down to
just below freezing — the hardwood trees
are late in showing off their fall colors
although slowly-but-surely leaf-by-leaf
gradually tinges yellow, red, orange or
gold: all are surely signs that winter is not
far behind. And so we, as are the geese
and the loons and the blackbirds, anticipate
joining that southward trek for Kamaji’s offseason.
October promises to be a busy month for
the full-time year ’round Kamaji staff: After
moving into her new apartment, Kat will
begin logging, editing and producing
Kamaji’s 2009 Kamaji video which means
spending quite a bit of time in Milwaukee
working at the editing studio Kamaji has
always used. And later this next month Kat
will join Mike at the annual Camp for All
Kids Board Meeting in St. Louis.
Here at camp, caretaker Randy Nyberg is
working on a complete overhaul of support
staff living quarters on the second floor of
the Lodge –- just about Camp Kamaji’s
Dining Hall. (Once that is complete Randy
will keep busy over the wintertime as he
begins complete renovations on two
Administrative Staff cabins in ‘Cubeville’ . .
. which no doubt will keep him super busy
for quite some time . . . And IF time and
budget allows, then perhaps the Swamp
will also be rejuvenated in time for 2010
Meanwhile, Mike and I will spend this
upcoming weekend in Lake Nebagamon,
WI where we, with generations of Camp
Nebagamon campers, will celebrate the
camp tenure of Nardie and Sally Stein who
directed Nebagamon from 1960 through
1989. It was Sally and Nardie who
mentored us in our early days at Camp
Kamaji, who talked their son and daughters
into sending granddaughters Sarah Kerr,
Elena Stein and Natalie Stein and Daisy
Diamond to Kamaji, and whose recently
published book — KEEPING THE FIRES
BURNING A History and Memoir of
Camp Nebagamon
(http://www.campnebagamonbook.com/200
9/05/hello-world/#comments) — will no
doubt be a format we’ll follow when
compiling Kamaji’s pictorial history for
Camp Kamaji’s 100th year birthday in 2014.
After the weekend we will return to Kamaji
to load up the U-Haul and compass it
towards our ‘home away from home’ (St.
Louis and Camp Kamaji, respectively)
where we will spend October “balancing
the Kamaji books” as camp’s fiscal year
comes to an end; planning our Kamaji
reunion travel circuit (again if your family
would like to host a reunion in your
hometown, please email
mike@kamaji.com); working on our annual
Kamaji Alumnae News(letter), and
keeping up with the day-to-day Kamaji
correspondence and office work.
(Editor’s Comment: Trust me! Outside of
visiting with Kamaji campers at reunions
and prospective campers during Kamaji’s
off-season, what we do this time of the
year is not nearly the fun we have during
the summer months when we’re with you
up at camp!!)
Truly, it seems so strange to spend every
day with each other at camp and then, to
all of a sudden, not be able to be with you!
Do know that, as always, you are in our
thoughts. . .and our hearts!
Campingly yours,
Kathy and Mike
and Kat, too
P.S. The October Birthday List appears
on Page 7.
Kamaji’s
RAINBOW CONNECTION
Page 7
October 2009
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
1
Claire Marvet
14
Claire Millett *
1
Maggie McGannon
14
Maudie Brown
1
Jenny Foy
17
Rachel Schor
7
Sophia Miller
17
Rachel Posener
7
Eva Weinberg
19
Katie Hides
7
Izzy Newmark
21
Katie Ciaglo
7
Megan Zanders
21
Ashley Smith
8
Chad Wandrie
22
Sarah Hechtman
9
Jenny Braverman
22
Hannah Monson
9
Evamarie Alessandroni
22
Izzy Critchfield-Jain
9
Lilah Blond
23
Claire Moss
9
Maggie Handler
24
Emily Braverman
9
Marjena Sloan
24
Ana Laura Resines
Leah Star
27
Katie Lefton
11
Meg Armon
30
Jason Gilbert
13
Raina Levin
31
Jasmine Saunders
10
* — New Camper in 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY