The 2011 CAMP ONDESSONK WILDFIRE

It started as a spark. Well, maybe a couple sparks.

Shannon S. and a classmate had an idea. If they wrote letters to 44 of their family and friends and asked each to donate just $10, they figured they could raise enough money to send a less-fortunate child to Camp Ondessonk in 2011.

Shannon wrote: “Camp O has become like a second home to me because I have been going to camp for seven years.  It is the highlight of my summer … (it) is a very close thing to my heart and I believe it has made me a better person. “

Shannon’s spark grew into a flame. When members of the Lodge heard about Shannon’s idea, they banded together for their own letter-writing campaign.

All the while, a friendly wind breathed life into the fire. The Jeanne M. Newton and Thomas R. Cromwell Campership Challenge Grant inspired old and new friends to  contribute to the Campership Drive. The flames burned hot.

The results were breathtaking: in just 6 weeks, Shannon and many kind friends gave more than $12,500 to the Campership Fund, and dozens of families in need were able to send their children to Summer Camp 2011. By the end of the year, the Campership Fund reached new heights — more than $63,000, a new record.

Shannon’s spark was just one of many who inspired us in 2011. So many Camp O friends created their own sparks to help the Camp they love. They hosted Trivia Nights, inaugurated the first Moccasin Gap Trail Run, served up pancake  breakfasts, walked in parades and handed out brochures, quietly asked their former classmates for support, built barns…..so many sparks of love and support  that it seemed like a wildfire!

This fourth Annual Stewardship Report celebrates all those who helped create the 2011 Camp Ondessonk Wildfire. HEEPWAH!