Happy Holidays to every Blue & White camper past, present and future. I hope this newsletter finds each of you healthy, smiling and enjoying the holiday season.  As I look out my camp window a dusting of snow blankets the ground and a thin layer of ice covers Blue Lake. We are busy with a handful of projects including remodeling the kitchen girl’s cabin. The new cooking cabin is almost finished and proudly sits where the dumpsters once where.  There are always endless projects to be completed and never enough time. Before we know it the summer of 2013 will be upon us. We only have 180 days until the counselors start singing “The buses rolled into camp”. 

In November, I was able to make a trip to Cincinnati to visit some of our Ohio camp friends. It was so good to see the Fisher, Miller and Vigran girls, Caroline Abel, and Phoebe Zawatsky.  I missed seeing Natalie Korach, who lives in Shakers Heights which several hours away.   I also had the chance to meet Caroline Routh a new camper from Ohio.  The Fisher family provided a wonderful setting for our mini-reunion.  After Ohio it was off to Houston to visit the Halperin family, Bailey Slawin, Rachel Totz and new camper Alexis Paull.  The Halperins greeted me at the airport late with a tired but smiling Gracie Halperin. What’s truly special about these small gatherings is that I get to spend some quality time with my campers without the interruptions of a busy day at camp.  A big THANK YOU to both the Fisher and Halperin families for hosting these Agawak get togethers.  In the months ahead more traveling is on the camp schedule. I will be traveling to Michigan in January, Mexico in February and still hope to squeeze in a trip to Indiana and Florida.
 

Our assistant director, Stephanie Tasman, will be traveling to a camp fair in Missouri in January and activities director, Suzi Pierce, will fly to California in February for a mini-reunion and camp fair in Los Angeles. 
 

As always much of the winter season is spent visiting new campers and gathering an experienced and quality staff. I’m thrilled to announce the following staff will be returning once again to share their passion & love of camp with campers this summer.   Veteran counselors, Jamie Gorchoff, Jennifer Rosenwasser and Jenna Spathis will be heading up our Blue & White program.  Our wonderful arts & crafts director, Andi Wojnowski, will be back equipped with great new projects.  A few more international counselors have committed to returning, Leanne Hewson and Laura Meadows.  Senior Counselors – Jessica Granick, Allison Grosky, Karissa Hamblet, April Simpson, and Valerie Woods will all be back.  Junior Counselors (which include our new JC1s) Samantha Bernsen, Dia Chaimovitz, Lauren Fowler, Stefani Gutmann, Marley Isaacson, Jacqueline Kaplan, Jordyn Kass, Marissa Lachman, Casey Malman, Jamie Pascal, Sloan Oblonsky, Nicole Rosenwasser, Stacey Rhum, Meredith Rush, Emily Small, Samantha Soloway, Julia Spathis, Alissa Warsh, Jordan Weiss, Marni Widen, Emily Wilensky and Julia Zazove are all looking forward to showing campers a terrific time.  Quite a few of our lovely kitchen staff from Mexico are also making the trip back to Wisconsin next summer.  Joining them will be Lauren Woods who be working on her Spanish as well as whipping up tasty things for us to eat.   Stay tuned for more staff updates later.   Please keep Asst. Cook Tim Larkin’s wife, Candice in your thoughts and prayers as she is experiencing some health issues.

I’d like to remind all first year campers, returning campers and staff about the new camper orientation and Chicago reunion scheduled for February 10, 2013 at the Renaissance North Shore Hotel in Northbrook.  The new camper orientation will be from 11:00-12:00 and from 3:00-5:00 will be our Chicago reunion.   There is so much video footage (12 hours) from last summer which makes it hard to keep the reunion video under 35 minutes. How does one capture all the memories and fun we had last summer in 35 minutes. Not any easy task by any means.

The Agawak Alumnae Foundation has begun planning the 2013 Agawak Reunion.  The reunion will run from Thursday, Aug. 15 through breakfast on Aug. 18, 2013.  Check in time will begin at 4:30pm.  Cabins will be open at 6:30pm.  The reunion aptly titled, "Coming Together" will bring past and present Alumnae together.  All past Alumnae, 24 years and older, won’t want to miss this unforgettable event. 
 

Enduring friendships and shared camping experiences have led to the creation of our Agawak Alumnae Foundation. The Foundation has created a “campership” program which sends various campers to camps throughout the Midwest. Through this program, the Alumnae Foundation hopes to provide a meaningful and cherished camping experience for young girls who otherwise might not be able to attend summer camp.  The Foundation encourages people who might not attend the reunion to send a donation, so they can continue to pass on the "Gift of Camping".  
I’d like to thank the following Agawak Alumnae Board members for their hard work and commitment:
Rhonda Deutsch Abramson
Nancy Fleischman Borzak
Emily Coleman Nagler
Abbey Deutsch Cross
Louise Abell Holland
Liz Weinstein Kleifield
Lauren Mehlman Litchfield
Diane Leaf Mehlman
Amy Adler McGowan
Sara Mehlman Mervis
Carole Millman Rosenberg
Margaux Silver Sayer
Karen Schwartz Sutker
Stephanie Becker Tasman

Reunion invitations will be sent out shortly.   Please keep checking our website for other updates.  If you have any questions for the committee or about the reunion you may reach Nancy Fleischman Borzak by email at agawakalum@aol.com.

To all our new families I want to say thank you for choosing Agawak for your daughter.  New campers add new life and keep the legacy of Agawak alive for a new generation of Agawak campers. Without my returning campers, Agawak would not exist and the traditions dating back to 1921 would perish. Thank you returning campers for loving your camp and keeping her spirit strong.  I’d like to welcome the following new campers into our camp family: Ilana Beilinson, Logan Borre, Isabella Diamond, Molly Gold, Ryann Goldsmith, Sophie Halperin, Emma Herzog, Bea Kaufman, Lexi Keller, Stella Kessel, Erika Kider, Avery Miller, Katie Morgan, Catherine Pappas, Alexis Paull, Norah Polonsky, Caroline Routh, Julia Schwaeber, Audrey Smith, Sadie Werman, Chloe Wolk, Cecelia & Victoria Zanoni, Anais Zoub, and Katie Zurek.  

Whether you’re a new or old camper, this summer we will form lasting memories together.  For all of us, Agawak will leave an impression on our hearts and a smile on our faces.  Wishing you health, happiness and peace this holiday season. Tightest of camp hugs.
Mary