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Davon Bailey, with Wildwood Hills, gives Jakia Pendleton a look at pictures on his camera display. Jakia's brother, Cameron, is part of a group departing Monday for a weeklong summer camp for at-risk youth at Wildwood Hills Ranch in St. Charles, IA.
(BRANDON POLLOCK/Courier Staff Photographer)
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Happy campers: Longfellow students spend week at Wildwood Hills Ranch
By AMIE STEFFEN and MORGAN HAWTHORNE, Courier Staff Writers
CEDAR FALLS --- You could tell by the questions thrown out of the bus windows that at least some of the dozens of kids were thrilled to go to camp.
Arms dangling out of the windows as they boarded buses at Cedar Valley Community Church, they asked things like, "When do we get to swim?" and "Do we get to ride horses today?"
Onjay Nelson, 11, knew what to expect. He was one of the lucky 20 Longfellow Elementary School students who went to Wildwood Hills Ranch in St. Charles for a week last summer. He joined 60 others who have never been.
"The fun part (about last year) was meeting people. And the counselors --- I like the counselors," he said. "I'm looking forward to everything."
Others weren't so sure. One girl, going away to camp for the first time, got a thumbs-up and a quick "I love you" from her mother.
"The majority were excited," said Pamela Edwards, a staff member at Cedar Valley Community Church. "There was a small percentage that were very worried and concerned and sad. Most of them have never been away from home."
But Lori McConville, spokeswoman for Barmuda Corp., one of the trip sponsors, said those feelings soon subside.
"When they first go there, I think that they're really caught off guard and insecure," McConville said. "When they leave (camp), they're very confident. They feel like they're worth something."
Lisa Fry, director of development at Wildwood Hills Ranch, said administrators at Longfellow noticed the difference in the 20 students who attended camp there in 2007.
"When they went back into the school, the principal and others saw the change in those kids," Fry said. "They came to us and said, 'How can we get more kids in here?'"
This year, 20 students from each of four Waterloo elementary schools --- Longfellow, McKinstry, Lincoln and Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence --- boarded buses bound for Wildwood Hill Ranch and five days' worth of activities. The 80 students participate in a camp experience that mimics the Character Counts program in Waterloo schools.
"It takes what Waterloo Community Schools is already doing with Character Counts and puts it in a camp setting," said Maribeth Boeltz, a volunteer at Orchard Hill Church and Longfellow Elementary. "It's real, and it's applicable."
But they couldn't go without the support of the community. To raise the money, McConville and Jodi Verbraken, Waterloo chairperson of the Greater Cedar Valley Chamber of Commerce, are co-chairing "Wild About the Child," a fundraising dinner and barn dance later this year.
"This year, it is a really big effort to get more children there from the local area," McConville said.
The most popular descriptor given when asked about Wildwood Hills Ranch was "love" --- that is, the counselors and staff made sure the campers had plenty of it.
"I think every kid needs a camp, personally, especially a good one," Boeltz said. "I think it's gonna grow (in popularity) for sure. It's just a good thing."
Davon Bailey, 15, who was once a camper and now works in maintenance at the camp, agreed.
"It's just like, everyone down there loves you," he said. "It's another home."
Contact Amie Steffen at (319) 291-1464 or amie.steffen@wcfcourier.com.
Arms dangling out of the windows as they boarded buses at Cedar Valley Community Church, they asked things like, "When do we get to swim?" and "Do we get to ride horses today?"
Onjay Nelson, 11, knew what to expect. He was one of the lucky 20 Longfellow Elementary School students who went to Wildwood Hills Ranch in St. Charles for a week last summer. He joined 60 others who have never been.
"The fun part (about last year) was meeting people. And the counselors --- I like the counselors," he said. "I'm looking forward to everything."
Others weren't so sure. One girl, going away to camp for the first time, got a thumbs-up and a quick "I love you" from her mother.
"The majority were excited," said Pamela Edwards, a staff member at Cedar Valley Community Church. "There was a small percentage that were very worried and concerned and sad. Most of them have never been away from home."
But Lori McConville, spokeswoman for Barmuda Corp., one of the trip sponsors, said those feelings soon subside.
"When they first go there, I think that they're really caught off guard and insecure," McConville said. "When they leave (camp), they're very confident. They feel like they're worth something."
Lisa Fry, director of development at Wildwood Hills Ranch, said administrators at Longfellow noticed the difference in the 20 students who attended camp there in 2007.
"When they went back into the school, the principal and others saw the change in those kids," Fry said. "They came to us and said, 'How can we get more kids in here?'"
This year, 20 students from each of four Waterloo elementary schools --- Longfellow, McKinstry, Lincoln and Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence --- boarded buses bound for Wildwood Hill Ranch and five days' worth of activities. The 80 students participate in a camp experience that mimics the Character Counts program in Waterloo schools.
"It takes what Waterloo Community Schools is already doing with Character Counts and puts it in a camp setting," said Maribeth Boeltz, a volunteer at Orchard Hill Church and Longfellow Elementary. "It's real, and it's applicable."
But they couldn't go without the support of the community. To raise the money, McConville and Jodi Verbraken, Waterloo chairperson of the Greater Cedar Valley Chamber of Commerce, are co-chairing "Wild About the Child," a fundraising dinner and barn dance later this year.
"This year, it is a really big effort to get more children there from the local area," McConville said.
The most popular descriptor given when asked about Wildwood Hills Ranch was "love" --- that is, the counselors and staff made sure the campers had plenty of it.
"I think every kid needs a camp, personally, especially a good one," Boeltz said. "I think it's gonna grow (in popularity) for sure. It's just a good thing."
Davon Bailey, 15, who was once a camper and now works in maintenance at the camp, agreed.
"It's just like, everyone down there loves you," he said. "It's another home."
Contact Amie Steffen at (319) 291-1464 or amie.steffen@wcfcourier.com.
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