Rat Patrol: A Birthday Benefit for Camp Ondessonk

By Emma O’Brien

Camp Ondessonk turned 51 this year, and celebrated in style! On Saturday, February 26th, 2010, the Thaxton Speakeasy in St. Louis hosted the first biennial young friends’ event: “Rat Patrol: A Birthday Benefit for Camp Ondessonk.” At this staff alumni reunion for 1990s and 2000s staff members, guests were asked to bring a gift from Camp Ondessonk’s Target or Amazon wish-lists instead of paying a fee to attend. The crowd enjoyed free food, themed drinks at the bar such as Ahasa-tinis and Lake Echon Iced Teas, while catching up with each other! About one-hundred people contributed over $2,000 in cash donations and gifts to directly support Camp’s programs. We’re still looking to compile a more complete invitation list for the next gathering, so please keep us posted with your current information by emailing ratpatrol@ondessonk.com ! This event will be celebrated every other year (opposite the Gala), so be sure to mark your calendar for the next gathering in February 2012!