Greetings from Comfort!
We are busy again preparing for a wonderful summer for our junior members. Hiring is in full swing with many of your camper’s favorite counselors planning to return for another summer!
I’m also excited that most of our kitchen staff will be returning to Camp in 2022. Last summer was certainly a big challenge in the food service area and a full compliment of cooks returning is great news for our campers.
Medical Staff Needed
I will be needing medical staff. This is a great opportunity for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, emergency medical technicians and certified nursinge assistants. If you, or anyone you know, is a nurse, please have them reach out to me at 909-362-9058 or ianb@hermannsonslife.org. The medical staff position is a paid position at Camp and includes paid tuition for their child(ren). They do not need to be Hermann Sons Life members for a paid role at Camp.
CIT Program
In 2021 we revamped our Counselor-in-Training Program. Roly-Poly did a wonderful job this past summer and that has resulted in an extremely high number of junior staff applicants especially at Riverside. While there is still time for our 17-year-old CIT-2 graduates from Riverside to apply – a few of our sessions on Riverside are already full.
Feb. 28 is the last day for CIT-1 candidates to complete their application and schedule an interview with me. The process is easy. Go to https://www.hermannsonslife.org/counselor-training-application. All details and the application are listed!
CIT-2 campers will be receiving an email mid-late February detailing the enrollment process for them. CIT-2s will also be offered an opportunity to earn archery and lifeguarding certifications.
The CIT program is a wonderful bridging program. The CITs are taught basic leadership skills, are given responsibility and opportunities to showcase these leadership skills by preparing for and running one of our campers’ favorite evening events – the Game Night. Our CITs are role models who all our campers look up to. Our CITs spend time in the younger camper dorms playing with and helping the kiddos enjoy their Hermann Sons Life Camp experience.
TWO WEEKS AND 14-YEAR-OLDS!
Camp registration will be open in March and will stay open through the summer and close two weeks prior to a session’s opening day. To allow for the Camp to run at capacity and for campers to enjoy at least five sessions with us, we will again be offering a second week to those campers who wish to participate in more than one week of summer fun! A camper may enroll for their second week after May 15. This ensures that our members have at least two months to enroll in their first session. In 2019, we did have a waiting list in a couple of sessions, so I advise you to enroll early to avoid the disappointment of not getting the session of your choice.
In 2022, we will again allow our 14-year-old junior members to enroll in Camp.
MINI-CAMP
We are excited to offer our youngest junior members the opportunity to attend Camp in 2022. A mini-camp solely for 8- and 9-year-olds will be held for both boys and girls at the Hilltop campus.
The dorms are single gendered and the Camp will be coed. We will be offering a wide selection of the Camp’s most popular daily activities along with the very best evening activities. We’re super excited about this and hope you can join us!
ZOOM SESSIONS AND A PARENT HANDBOOK
This is a special year and one that we believe requires us, as a Camp, to provide parents as much information as you possible could want. A Parent Handbook is in the process of being updated to provide our parents instructions, directions and information. From drop-off to pick-up, we really want to work with our parents in helping provide the safest summer camp available for our junior members.
We will be conducting Zoom sessions as a forum to provide valuable information for our parents along with an opportunity for parents (and campers) to ask questions. We have currently scheduled three Zoom sessions at different times and on different days to hopefully allow you to attend at least one of them.
Friday, Feb. 18, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26, at 10 a.m.
Sunday, March 20, at 10 a.m.
Please email Ian Brassett at ianb@hermannsonslife.org to get on the mailing list for one of these Zoom calls.
YOUTUBE PAGE - VIDEO CAMP TOURS
The Hermann Sons Life YouTube page offers wonderful videos to help our parents and new campers know a little more about our Camp. There’s short video tours of both Riverside and Hilltop Camps. Also on our YouTube page you will find instructional videos of some of our more popular line dances and you’ll be able to hear, see and practice some of our Camp songs. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRhtPPY88bAaXmk1OjI2KCg
UPDATES ON FACILITY
The Board of Directors, President Eugene Zollinger and Vice President of Member Benefits Cecily Kelly have been great in helping me get what we need to run an exceptional camp for our campers. This is just a partial list of the improvements we have made and will be making this year before Camp begins. This is certainly not a complete list.
Fort Worth Lodge donated money to help us improve the Hilltop campus. Clay is currently in the process of hanging curtains in the Hilltop dorms. The curtains will certainly help with privacy in the dorms, and they will also hopefully help prevent the AC units from overheating.
Bandera County Lodge donated 10 picnic tables which will be evenly split between Hilltop and Riverside camps. I had a lovely time visiting with the members when they dropped off the tables.
Gary Jaimes is working wonders and the Camp is in great shape for the Boerne ISD students scheduled to attend through February and March on the Hilltop campus.
We love having the facility used year-round and would like to thank Katie Miller for choosing Hilltop to host this program this year.
RENTING THE FACILITY
As mentioned before, we are renting the Hilltop and Riverside facilities. We have a wonderful facility, ideal for family reunions, church youth groups, vacation Bible school, scouting activities, youth camps and so much more. Please reach out to me at ianb@hermannsonslife.org or 830-995-3223. We have hosted Camp C.A.M.P, the girl scouts and the Golden Age Center of Comfort for varied usage and look forward to serving your group’s needs.
HELPING HANDS
I’ve received a few calls from lodges asking if there is anything they can help us with. I love this sense of community and appreciate whatever the lodges can do. If any of your members are planning on updating furniture, I’m looking for some gently used couches for our staff lounges. We can pick up. Also, we are adding golf to the program on Riverside and will need some pitching wedges, 7 irons and drivers. If your members are upgrading their golf equipment, we can certainly use the help in that area.
Our annual volunteer work day is scheduled for April 23. Any and all are welcome to come by and help us get the Camps ready for our campers. Lunch and dinner will be provided. Many hands make light work. More information will be coming in the next issue.
VISITING THE LODGES
I have had the pleasure of visiting with many lodges to discuss Camp and our plans for the summer. I hope to visit with many more lodges through the winter and spring. PLEASE INVITE ME. I’d like to attend your meetings to discuss the Camp program and why Camp is such a special and important part of Hermann Sons Life.
CAMP SCHEDULE
Week 1 - 6/12/22/-6/18/22 – Theme: Hawaiian
Week 2 - 6/19/22-6/25/22 – Theme: Halloween
Week 3 - 6/26/22/-7/2/22 – Theme: Disney and Marvel
Week 4 - 7/3/22-7/9/22 – Theme: Red, White and Blue
Week 5 - 7/10/22-7/16/22 – Theme: Neon
Week 6 - 7/17/22-7/23/22 – Theme: Christmas in July
Grief Support Session - 7/25/22-7/28/22 – Disney and Marvel
Mini-Camp - 7/28/22-7/30/22 – Hawaiian
QUESTIONS?
I’m here to serve our campers and parents. If you’d like to ask questions in a more private forum, do not hesitate to call me at 830-995-3223. I’m always available to discuss Camp.