Camptown Board of
Directors
Allen Still
Board Chair
Clifton Larson Allen, LLP
Jessica Krug
Vice Chair
Office of the Attorney
General
Jeff O’Barr
Secretary
NCAA
Andrew Quinnette
Treasurer
BKD
Don Schafer
President
Camptown, Inc.
Bob Adler
Comprehensive Pharmacy
Services
Bob Clark
Taft Law
Kent Grubaugh
Custom Cast Stone
Nichole Haberlin
Noblesville Parks &
Recreation
Brent Holmes
Huntington Bank
Andy Litke
Wilhelm Construction
Mike Mumau
SEP
Erin Pattee
IU Health Riley
Eric Richmond
ICW Group Insurance
Greg Schrage
Church Church Hittle &
Antrim
Brett Schwab
Element Tree
May 2017
Off the Beaten Path—Grit by Don Schafer
Last month we hosted an Indiana Youth Institute lunch at our CRUX facility. We
had 45 youth workers in attendance who were there to hear the speaker talk
about the importance of Grit. What is grit the speaker asked? It is good old
fashioned hard work and determination. His presentation was based on the
book and research of Carol Dweck. The book is Mindset: Teaching a growth
mindset. What Carol and her research team found was that grit had more to do
with success than IQ, economic status, or education. While the research was
mostly targeted at post-secondary education, it could be applied to any area of
success. As I was listening to the presentation, I was thinking to myself this is what Camptown
does! We help develop grit in our participants. Things like Confidence, Teamwork, Leadership,
and Respect. These are the key impacts of what our participants walk away with at Camptown.
For example last year 93% of our participants reported growth in their
leadership skills, 97% reported improved teamwork skills, 95% reported
improved confidence, and 95% reported a better respect for their peers. In
addition, 75% reported that they had been moderately or greatly physically
challenged during their Camptown adventure. This grit
development also comes through the testimonials our students
write; I learned I am a leader, I can do more than I thought, I can
do anything I put my mind to, I learned to be more confident in
myself, I learned I can be very helpful, this trip is really hard, I learned to be
more patient, One thing I would do different is my attitude, I learned I control
my actions better.. So how does Camptown develop grit into our participants? We use the
outdoors as our classroom. Here students are taken out of their comfort zone,
away from the pressures of home and school, and outside their norm in an
unfamiliar surrounding and environment. Ideas and attitudes formed through
these direct experiences are a greater influence on choices and behaviors in the
future than those formed through indirect experiences. The intensity of a
wilderness experience creates an ideal environment to influence attitude
formation and to teach these skills. All of these skills are essential for learning
how to thrive with life no matter what the circumstance. Last year Camptown
served 2,953 unduplicated youth, of those 71% came from impoverished homes,
85% came from urban Marion County and Camptown provided financial
assistance to 88% of our participants. Imagine a world where our children grow
up confident, respectful, cooperative, and willing to step up and take a
leadership role. That is what we at Camptown are striving for. We appreciate all
of your support. Thank you for joining us in our mission to lead youth to a better
path.
Thank You to our Denali and Mt Everest Sponsors
2
Camptown Compass
Taking the Lead By Bailey Lune
On Thursday morning of a week long backpacking trip to the
Big South Fork this spring, Elizabeth, one of the students,
was chosen to be our navigator. As the navigator she would
have the responsibility of guiding the group thought the
woods to our destination by using a map and compass. She
had some ups and downs during our trip, but overall kept a
positive attitude and was eager to explore the trails.
Elizabeth had disclosed some details about her past
throughout the week, including
her time in juvenile detention
and her adoption. Her teachers
wanted to challenge her so
they handpicked her to lead
the group on our last day of
hiking. She was not very
pleased when we gave her the
job of navigator in the
morning, she struggled with
feeling confident. We spent a few minutes looking over the
map together and reviewing how to use a compass and
orient the map. She was hesitant to start the hike, but after
some time on the trail I could see her beginning to grow in
confidence. Her pace picked up, she continued checking the
map, and stopping to make sure the group was together
and in good spirits. She successfully got the group to our
destination and was all smiles. That evening during debrief
she shared her feelings of accomplishment and the group
built her up as well. It was great to see someone grow so
much in just one day and to have other students notice her
achievement.
Meet Riley
Riley Fore, Development Assistant
Riley joined
Camptown in the
spring of 2017. After
graduating from
Indiana University’s
Lilly Family School of
Philanthropy, he served two years as a
Peace Corps Education Volunteer in the
Southern African country of Lesotho. Riley is
glad to be back in Indianapolis where his
love for youth development and service
began. As a former Sam H. Jones Service
Scholar with IUPUI’s Office of Community
Engagement, Riley was able to connect with
youth development organizations in the
Near Westside communities of Indianapolis.
These experiences have furthered his love
for service, nature, and youth development.
Keep Pushing By Zach McNulty
Camptown believes that all students deserve an outdoor experience. No matter the student’s ability, race, or
gender – every kid needs outdoor adventures. Brian, weighing almost 300 pounds, is one of those students who
would not have had an outdoor experience without Camptown. He is from a broken home – father is in prison,
mom is not involved. Brian is currently living with his grandmother. On our first day hiking together, he said “I
can’t walk very far, maybe only a few miles.” On the first day, we hiked 5 miles which was 2 miles further than
he said he could walk. The exhausted Brian was beaming with pride. On our second day
of hiking, he said there is no way I can hike 5 miles again and I’m afraid of heights. So we
walked 6 miles and did the “Devil’s Backbone” (an elevated hike with big drops on each
side). On the third day, he said that he could “never climb our wall.” He never made it to
the top of the climbing wall, but he did get a little higher each time he tried. On our
camping overnight – he said “I can’t fit through wolf cave or sleep on the ground.” Much
to his surprise but not our staff’s – he did both. On the last day of Brian’s Spring Break
trip, he noted that he had accomplished a lot that week and that he would have normally
just sat around all spring break. I pointed out to him that he had set a limit for himself
every day and subsequently beat his expectations. His eloquent reply was “well that was
dumb of me.” What he meant was that he challenged himself and grew in confidence. Brian is graduating high
school this year and I believe that he now has just a bit more confidence before heading out on his own.
Camptown Compass
Camptown relies on contributions from individuals,
churches, businesses, and foundations to complete its
mission. Camptown is a 501(c)(3) and your gift is
100% tax deductible. Thank you to all of you that
have supported us this year!!!
Individuals
Jeff Beck
Jim Bosserman
Cathy Carter
Sean Cody
Andrew Crask
Charles Daugherty
Scott & Lorraine Davison
David Day
Andy Devoe
Ryan Enlow
Kent Evoy
Brent Freeman
Kent & Kelly Grubaugh
Randall Hewitt
Brent Holmes
Kirk Horn
Pete & Teresa Howard
Tim Jansen
Matt Konopka
John & Jessica Krug
David Lafiosca
Steve Lankton
Beata Lehman
Andy & Valarie Litke
John Lunsford
Marc Magnussen
Daniel McNulty
Barry & Ann McNulty
Dayton & Trudy Molendorp
Bill & Deb Molisee
Mark Murphy
Kyle Nagy
Dana Nakanishi
Jeff & Sarah O'Barr
Patrick & Joyce O'Connor
Juan Ongay
Weston Overturf
Jill Pattee
Erin Pattee
Adam Peat
Don & Mary Petrulis
Eric Richmond
Mike & Lisa Russell
Julia Saltsgaver
Phil & Karen Samuelson
Don & Cynthia Schafer
Jim & Sandy Schaller
Brett Schwab
Daren Shoemaker
Michael Still
Courtney Sullivan
Jeff & Benita Thomasson
Bob & Leanna VanVoorst
Businesses
Brandt Construction Inc.
CoBank
DEEM
Huntington Kroger
Kronos
National Bank
Park Indy
Churches
Calvary United Methodist
Church
Thrive Christian Church
Foundations
Children's Bureau, Inc.
McMunn Family Foundation
Indianapolis Foundation
Indy Sports Foundation
Pacers Foundation
The Hosanna Foundation
Inc.
3
14th Annual Tom Lehman Memorial
Golf Tournament
Monday, June 5, 2017
The Trophy Club
11:00 Lunch Begins
1:00 Shot Gun Start
5:30 Dinner Buffet& Awards
Presented by Mike & Mary Devlin in memory of Dr. Joseph I. Tenca
All proceeds go directly to support Camptown programs. Entries are filling up. We have 4 more
foursomes open. All entries include lunch and dinner, driving range, prizes and a good time.
Consider sponsoring a foursome or become one of our course sponsors. It is a win-win, you get the
opportunity to entertain clients, network at a truly well-organized event, and support a great
organization working directly with youth right here in Indianapolis.
Fee $225 per player or $800 per foursome
Sponsorships Available: visit us at www.camptown.net or contact Don Schafer
at [email protected]
The great outdoors has the power to give perspective, clear the mind,
inspire, and change lives.
Many of us have had these The Camptown Core is your opportunity to
join a group of like-minded individuals who
types of valuable
want to ensure that programs like
experiences with nature
Camptown’s continue. On average, it takes
and, in all likelihood, most $150 to introduce a young person the outof us had that experience doors through an overnight camping trip.
That cost rises to $500 per student on one
sometime during our
of our week-long backpacking adventures.
youth.
With your annual commitment to give $20,
Camptown was formed as $50, $100, or $200 per month, you be making trips like this possible for children in
the need became obvious
need. www.camptown.net/donate
that many of our youth
are not able to access the
outdoors. We began partnering with schools, youth groups,
community centers, churches, and other youth-serving organizations
to provide them with this option when their students would likely not
be able to afford it on their own. In 1991, Camptown served just 60
students. Camptown now serves more than 3,000 under-privileged
young Hoosiers every year through outdoor adventure and nature
programs that change lives.
4
Camptown Compass
Sometimes the Path Presents Itself By Trey
Clayton
In March Camptown hosted our yearly Trailblazer’s Breakfast.
This fundraising event is meant to educate and inspire attendees
to support our mission. That said,
the event may come across as not
very exciting for some of the youth
that attended and certainly wouldn’t be considered a direct lifechanging opportunity…but this year
the Trailblazer Breakfast may have
just done that!
We invited a program partner from
Sheridan Youth Assistance Program,
along with two of their youth, to
attend the breakfast. They were
seated at my table. I asked the oldest girl, in her senior year of
high school, what she planned on doing after graduation. “I’m
college-bound, but I don’t know what I want to do yet,” was her
reply. I explained how my career path had progressed and another guest at the table also explained how he got into his field.
Later that day I received a call from my mother, who is a secretary at the same school as the girl who had been at the breakfast. She told me the girl came back from the Breakfast excited
and fired up! She said she couldn’t believe kids have never been
hiking or fishing before and wants to go to college to work with
youth now. You just can’t plan this stuff. Sometimes impact is
nothing like what you planned or even imagined!
We Need Volunteers
June 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th
We need volunteers to help at our Natural Wonders Day
Camps on the dates above. Launched in 2008, this program
allows larger groups of various ages to have an introductory
nature experience. Held at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park
and Eagle Creek Park, Camp Days consist of a variety of
outdoor activity stations, allowing the students to explore
outdoor recreation in a safe
environment. Activities include:
fishing, a nature hike, games, and
canoeing. We need volunteers to
help lead the various stations. No
experience is necessary we will
train you for your assignment.
Climbing Birthday Party
At the CRUX
It is time for your child’s birthday
again! Climbing at The CRUX at
Camptown will create a memory
they will be talking about for years.
With your completely PRIVATE
rental of the CRUX you also get the
use our party room for cake and ice
cream. Request your reservation at http://indycrux.com,
[email protected] or 317-471-8277.
SAVE the DATE
Annual Dinner & Silent Auction
Date: November 17, 2017
502 Event Center, Carmel IN
Join us for an evening of fun, good
food, and friendly bidding. Our featured entertainer this year is David
Dean. God has blessed David with
the gift of making people laugh on a
full-time basis for over 22 years.
Comedy that is family friendly, fast
paced and most
important...clean. Not corny, but
clean. His early days of training found him on the stage of
Second City in Chicago which eventually led to working
clubs, festivals, cruises, churches and other venues across
the country. David has entertained troops at military
bases all over the United States, Germany, and Cuba.
David and Saint Betsy, his wife of 28 years, live in
Huntington, Indiana. They are the parents of two young
adults, Alex & Hannah.