The summer is fast approaching and that means it’s almost time for the first session of Hermann Sons Life Camp for 2019.

Before long we will be working with your most precious possessions. I will be assuming the ultimate responsibility for each and every child enrolled at Camp. I do not take the weight of this responsibility lightly. Our primary goal at Camp will be our campers’ HEALTH AND HAPPINESS!

I’d like to discuss a few things happening at Camp at the moment in preparation for the summer.

Staff being hired

Hiring is happening on a daily basis! While hiring is going nicely, and from what I’ve been told slightly ahead of schedule, we do have positions available for counselors, maintenance and kitchen staff members. If you know anyone who is looking for employment this summer, let me know! The minimum age for counselors is 18. The minimum age for maintenance and kitchen staff is 16. You do not need to be a member to be employed by the Camp. Spread the word!

The great news is that most of our nursing positions have been filled. I’m still looking for a volunteer for our medical staff for the Grief Support Session and a position for Session No. 7.

Time to get some work done

When a facility is not used on a daily basis, it needs more “tender loving care” to get it back to the level we want for our campers. For that reason, our new President and CEO Eugene Zollinger during a tour of the facility suggested a work day! We’re inviting our members (and non-members) to Comfort on April 27 to help us give the facilities a jump start to being ready for the summer.

We’ll still be bringing in staff to help us during the immediate pre-season, but there’s more than enough cleaning, yard work and painting to go around! Please join us!

 If you plan on attending, we’ll be meeting on the Riverside Camp at 140 Altenheim Road at 7:45 a.m. After a morning’s hard work, we’ll have lunch (hot dogs and hamburgers and the fixins’) to prep us for the afternoon’s work. Middle and high schoolers can earn eight community service hours. Please RSVP to ianb@hermannsonslife.org.

Generous donations received

The Hermann Sons Life Camp family has been extremely generous in helping the Camp prepare for the summer. The Board of Directors has been fantastic and has responded greatly in providing the Camp with some excellent assistance in the off-season. The work has included a new sidewalk to the Eagle’s Nest, bat proofing the facility and bat houses for both sites and revamping and paving the tennis courts on Riverside. We have purchased new warmers for both kitchens and new steam tables for the dining halls. We’ll be getting a new popcorn machine for a Tuesday snack for both Riverside and Hilltop and so much more!

Thanks to the Kurtz family, there will be two brand-new rocket launchers on both campuses. Thanks go to the Kelly and Sorbel families for providing new furniture for the Riverside staff lounge. Thanks also to Fort Worth Lodge for providing the funding for painting the Riverside dining hall.

While there’s still more to do, I’m excited for what’s to come this summer.

Registration going well

WOW! You guys are excited based on the initial enrollment in the past couple of weeks. While the initial application process is longer than in previous summers, it will save time in subsequent years and when many of you enroll in both Camp and the Dance classes.

To the many parents who have enrolled their children in Camp for this upcoming summer season, thank you for the trust you have placed in me. For those of you who have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of lodge meetings to talk about Camp and I’d be happy to visit even more!

Casino Night coming May 4

We’ve also had a healthy response to our May 4 fund-raiser to raise money for the Grief Support Session this summer. I had the pleasure of visiting the Children’s Bereavement Center for their Spring Break Camp in San Antonio. The Children’s Bereavement Center does fantastic work with the children and I’m delighted to be working with them. Offering this session is truly a great thing that Hermann Sons Life does for the community at-large. We couldn’t do it without you.

Any help you or your lodge can provide will be greatly received. The Casino Night fund-raiser will be a fun night! I hope you can join us for the evening. Each participant will get a steak dinner and $1,000 in chips to play with. There will be many door prizes and game prizes to be won. The main winners however will be the campers in attendance this upcoming summer. Please join us!