These are a few of my favorite things @ Camp Ozark...Tribal Initiation!

As we begin Summer 2011, Sessions 1 & A are off to a great start!  After all the campers arrive on Opening Day, check in with the Office, Health Center and Store and take the famous swim test, we all head up to one of my favorite Ozark dinners; Chicken Tenders, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Homemade Rolls and Apple Crisp!  Then it is off to Opening Night LifeLine with what we call the "Big Five" Camp Ozark songs, a few skits and a warm welcome to Camp Ozark.  The next stop on the schedule is TRIBAL INITIATION!  The Campers march out of the gym up to the fishing pond with the CADDO on the right and the OSAGE on the left! The ambiance is awesome, we have torches to light the path (even though we finish way before it gets dark, it totally sets the mood).  We have our Top Staff members dressed in Headdresses, beating old fashion leather drums to a traditional Indian cadence and two of our Wranglers are dressed in full Indian gear mounted on our Paint Horses proudly displaying the CADDO and OSAGE victory flags.  As the kids reach the top of the hill, each tribe lines the banks of the Fishing Pond, as the Tribal Chiefs, a girl and boy counselor from each tribe, row out in a canoe to light a floating bond fire with torch in hand, the entire Camp enjoys the "The Legend of Lilly White" which describes the history of both tribes and their interaction with each other!  Next, as each of the "Three Flames of Tribal Competition" are recited, they are each reinforced with a single booming firework.

THE THREE FLAMES OF TRIBAL COMPETITION

1.  MAXIMUM EFFORT - Learning how to give everything you have in everything you do!

2.  TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP - Learning how to respond when you win, learning how to respond when you do not win!

3.  MAXIMUM ENTHUSIASM - Learning how to be fired up in all that you do!

After Tribal Initiation, the kids go to the Field House with their cabins for some great bonding games and then head back for showers and their first Cabin Devo!  Opening Day is always so special and Incomparable at Camp Ozark, whether it is your 1st year or your 10th! 

These are a few of my favorite things @ Camp Ozark...Spiritual Emphasis

I plan to do a series of blog posts on different programs and areas around Camp Ozark.  I think it will be fun if you join me throughout the summer for an insider’s view of what makes Camp Ozark incomparable! 

Spiritual Emphasis

At the heart of Camp Ozark is our desire for kids to know God’s love for them just as they are.   The verse of the summer for 2010 is Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:". 

Tonight, like each night at Lifeline, our worship begins with the campers and counselors dancing and singing to the song of the summer.  This year it is “Live Life Loud”by Hawk Nelson.  Perhaps you, like the mother of Jack & Julia (two great campers from Tennesse) should download it to your iPod for the road trip home from camp.    Hope your kids love it as much as mine do! 

Song of the Summer- Live Life Loud- Hawk Nelson

Someone throw your hands up
If you wanna take a chance then
You gotta sing a little louder
Let's wake this crowd up

I got a hankering for something special
Tonight's the night it becomes official
Don't stop the rock, hold both your hands up
Sh-sh-show these people how to shake things up

I'm not sitting down 'til I'm older
And I'm not shuttin' up 'til it's over
Raise your hands and shout if you're with me
Once we start, it won't make a difference

If you wanna live life loud, throw your hands up
If you wanna scream and shout, let me hear you
Takin' all the fakers out if you're with me
Everybody work it, just keep living

Ready, Set, Go!

A lot has happened here at Camp Ozark in the last few weeks, we have trained, certified and oriented 500+ summer staff members and finished all the final details preparing our facilities.  We wrapped up our Orientation with two well deserved treats for our counselors; a special concert by Robbie Seay and a little time off!  Then this afternoon at 1:00 pm, we opened our gates for First Session 2010!  It is so exciting, after weeks of preparation by our summer staff and months of preparation by our permanent staff, summer is finally here!  

Here are a few more helpful hints as you prepare your camper:

1.  Don't send your child's nicest things to camp!  In addition to the possibility of losing the item, we play hard, outside and clothes get dirty!  If you have a camper that loves the Craft Center as much as our children, they will difinitely come home with a creative master piece and more than likely dried paint on a few articles of clothing!

2.  If your first time camper is younger, practice doing all basic hygiene by themselves, like brushing their teeth, hair and showering without assistance.  Counselors are always their to help and supervise.  This can be a great time to reinforce independence and the importance of good hygiene.

3.  Pack stationary and pre-addressed, stamped envelopes to increase the likelyhood your child writes you.  I even know some parents that have gone as far as writing out the letter with some key blanks like "Today my favorite thing was ___________."  

Don't worry if your child is not a writer, we will have them send you one postcard!

Packing Up, Summer 2010 Is Almost Here!

This off season was very eventful for the C. Torn Family! After almost one year of construction, our house which was damaged in Hurricane Ike, was completed in mid-September, so a few short weeks after returning from Camp, we moved back into our house in Houston! Then this Spring, only a few weeks before heading back to Arkansas for the summer, we were blessed by the arrival of #5, Charles Henry Hudson Torn, on May 3rd. As we packed up the family and headed to Camp, I couldn't help but think of the excitement and preparation going on right now, for all Ozark families, as they look forward to an Incomparable one, two or three week session at Camp Ozark.

For those of you attending for the first time, here are some helpful hints:

1. Start packing now, or at least make a list of the specific items your child would like to bring. You may find it hard to find a Santa Hat in the middle of July! Check out our website to review "What to bring"  (it is an electronic copy of what you have received in your packet). http://www.campozark.com/pdf/2010/general_information_sheet_2010.pdf

2. Speaking of Special Event costumes, you child does not need an elaborate outfit for each night. Just a few items to go with the theme, for example boots and a bandana or hat are perfect for Western Night or a Lei or beach hat for Water World works perfect. The most important thing is for their costume to be comfortable, so they can enjoy all the activities that are associated with the event. See my previous blog entry on Special Events for more information! 

Stay tuned for more helpful hints...

Meet the Camp Mom Team for Sessions 4, 5, E and F!

Meet the Camp Mom Team for Sessions 4, 5, E and F! I am so excited these ladies can serve you and your children! They are all remarkable, godly women here to meet the needs of our first time campers, first time camper families, children who are homesick, families who may have a special situation or anyone who may just need a hug! They are all amazing and I can’t wait for you to meet them. Please see their pictures and bio’s below.

If you have a question or concern, you can contact us by calling the Camp Ozark Arkansas office at 870-867-4131 and asking for the Camp Moms or via email @ campmom@campozark.com. You may also want to follow us via Facebook or Twitter for Camp Ozark updates during your child’s session!

Grace and Peace to you,

Ceci Torn

Camp Mom Coordinator

 

 Ceci Torn - Ceci serves as the Camp Ozark Director of Camper Care, the Camp Mom Coordinator, and the Editor of Ozark Family, a publication of the Camp Ozark Foundation. She met her husband, Chris, a Camp Ozark Director,on the Camp Ozark soccer field while they were serving as college summer staff members.Theystay busy chasing their four wild indians, Caroline (7), Caitie Sue (5), Mary Claire (4) and Christopher (2).

Hilary Schultz - Hilary serves a Camp Ozark Director, working on the Camper and Staff Relations Teams, the Camper Recruiting Team and the Camp Mom Team. She also serves as the Top Staff Boss, the Lifeline Leader for the youngest kids worship service and is in charge of Cabin Requests and Cabin Placement, which makes her very popular. She met her husband, Carson, the Camp Ozark Program Director, her first summer as a staff member in 2000. After graduating from the University of Texas, Hilary joined the Camp Ozark staff full time. Hilary and Carson love spending time with kids and just took their first trip to Africa with Buckner Mininstries and Camp Ozark’s very own Super Dave. They don’t have any kids of their own (yet), but they truly consider the campers at Camp Ozark family.

Katie Kasmiersky – Katie joined the Camp Ozark family in January 2007 after graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in Recreation, Park & Tourism Science.Katie serves as the Camp Ozark Assistant Director of Administration, working closely with Camp Ozark owners, Sam and Susan Torn, on daily operations and with the Camp Ozark Foundation. Katie also uses her creative talents for purchasing and merchandising for the Camp Ozark Store. Katie lives in Houston, Texas in the off-season and likes to spend her free time traveling with friends and family and playing with her 3 nieces and 2 nephews.Katie’s favorite things about working at Camp Ozark are the friendships she has developed with the staff members and the kids she serves.

Andi Owen just recently returned from the Dominican Republic where she was doing mission work. She spent her spring semester there after graduating from the University of Texas. She will be teaching 7^th grade Math in Katy, Texas starting in August. Andi has spent many summers at Camp Ozark. It all started when she was a camper, then she went on to be an LIT, counselor, and served on Top Staff last summer. Camp Ozark has changed her life in several different ways. She loves coming back to meet new, amazing kids, as well as staff. She is excited to be able to work with the wonderful families that make Camp Ozark run.

Becca Ainsworth is a former Camp Ozark camper, counselor and top staff member and has spent many summers at camp. She grew up in Houston, attended the University of Texasand just finished her first year of medical school at the University of Texas at Houston. She is so excited to be able to serve at camp this summer for a couple of weeks and she absolutely loves 5th session and hasn't missed it in ten years.