Seven, Bonsai, Howie, Alpine, Willow, Grizzly, Ducky, Kombucha, Cheddar, Phoenix
This year, Camp K welcomed our 18th National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) AmeriCorps Team. This amazing team of 10 was a valuable part of our Summer Camp Staff during the months of June and July.
We are grateful for the service that they provided for our campers this year. We also appreciate the unique perspective that they bring to Camp K, as part of their year of service.
Amanda, the team’s leader, told us that “Camp K genuinely serves as a place of growth, not only for the campers, but for every person who serves there. Our experience serving as AmeriCorps members there was no different. We laughed, we supported, we cried when the campers left at the end of the week, and we grew. What more could we ask for in a service project?”
Other members of the team also spoke of their experiences here. Parker said, “Camp K is a place where campers with varying abilities can be themselves and not feel different. That’s why my favorite part of every week was the talent show, where campers were encouraged to express themselves in front of a caring audience. It was great to see them so happy.” Christina especially liked working with the campers, and said, “My experiences and adventures while serving with Camp K were meaningful and worthwhile.”
Larry plans to return to Camp K. He said that Camp K was the best part of his AmeriCorps experience, and that it was “the perfect way to end an all around great year.”
About AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 Americans in intensive service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, community and faith-based groups. Since 1994, nearly 1 million AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1.2 billion hours in service across America. For more information about AmeriCorps, please visit: www.NationalService.gov.
Camp K has enjoyed partnering with several organizations in the community for our “Partner Camps”. Each week, we have welcomed campers from these organizations, including the Natural History Museum, Tanner Dance, Bad Dog Arts, and the University of Utah Youth Programs, and Red Butte Gardens.
The campers have the opportunity to participate in our classic Camp K activities, including swimming, horse back riding, high and low ropes course, fishing, hiking, water games, arts and crafts, skits, and making s’mores at the campfire. They also participate in some activities with Camp K’s Day Camp program, which gives them a unique opportunity to interact with our campers with special needs. We have seen some amazing success stories come from this interaction. Part of Camp K’s mission includes educating our community about the needs and special abilities of people with disabilities. Through this interaction at Camp K, these children are fortunate to learn that people with disabilities are just like them – everyone wants to have fun, be included, and just be a kid at camp.
In addition to participating in Camp K Activities, these campers were able to participate in activities designed by the partner organizations. Tanner Dance and Bad Dog Arts each offered an opportunity for the camper’s parents to visit Camp K at the end of the week, to see first-hand what their campers had learned during the week. Tanner Dance showcased their new skills in a dance performance, and Bad Dog Arts displayed all of the art projects.
The University of Utah Youth Programs offered “specialty weeks” at Camp K. The first was “Horse Camp”, where they spent extra time in the barn, and were able to groom, bathe, and ride the horses. They also learned about equestrian anatomy, and were able to paint some of our horses.
The next week was “Science Camp”, where they used binoculars and magnifying glasses to explore the nature and wildlife that visits us at Camp K. They also learned about the layers of the soil, and the anatomy of the leaves around us. They also were able to learn about fish anatomy by observing the dissection of a fish from our pond.
We look forward to seeing the campers from Red Butte Gardens in August.
Camp K would like to thank Daniel’s Fund for their generous grant, which allowed us to purchase a new Sprinter Van. This van allows Camp K to provide transportation for more participants, including those in wheelchairs.
Safe transportation is critical to fulfilling the mission at Camp K. This van has been equipped with a wheelchair lift, which enables us to safely load and transport campers who are in wheelchairs.
During Summer Camp, we provide transportation for Trip Camp, and to near-by Little Dell Reservoir for canoeing experiences. During the rest of the year, we provide transportation for all of our participants to attend our Community Based activities.
We are grateful for this van, and it will be used and loved by our campers for many years to come!
Mircea Divricean and Spencer Neeley, Modern Woodmen
Camp K would like to thank Modern Woodmen for their generous donation to the programs at Camp K.
In addition to making a cash donation to support our programs, Modern Woodmen has also contributed supplies to be used within our programs. Spencer Neeley attended Camp K’s Gala, and has visited Camp K several times this summer.
Thank you, Spencer and Modern Woodmen of America!
About Modern Woodmen of America: Modern Woodmen of America is a member-owned fraternal financial services organization. We secure futures with financial guidance and products. We touch lives with fraternalism. Since 1883, Modern Woodmen has brought people together, supported families and strengthened communities nationwide.
Summer Camp has arrived! We are three weeks into it and we served close to 250 campers already. Many happy laughs, smiles and unforgettable moments have been shared already here at Camp K. Success stories are created every day. As I said many times, at Camp K there is no ”can’t”, at Camp K everyone “CAN”. It is our firm belief that everybody with trust, encouragement, support and the right attitude can do anything that they want, or are set to accomplish. People with disabilities grow up being told along the way that they can’t or won’t be able to do certain things, however, they have proved wrong many scientists and doctors in showing them that they can do those things. Our philosophy here at Camp K is to encourage, motivate, grow self-esteem, build self-confidence and self-control, teach persistence, flexibility and adaptability, we instigate curiosity and initiative, and foster communication and collaboration in order to build a “Can Do” attitude. The world is full of excuses. It doesn’t matter where you come from, or what has happened to you. At the end of the day you choose your actions, and how you treat others.
Summer camp is an opportunity for children to be exposed to the best of human character. Camp K would not be possible unless every year we would find carefully selected role models dedicated to showing your children how to have fun, learn from others, and make friends in person rather than online. Camp allows kids to meet people with different abilities, from different places, different races, cultures and socioeconomic levels. Camp K staff is coming from all over the country and the world. This year, we have staff from 18 different states and two European countries. I am very proud and humble to have such a diverse team. The number one quality that they have is integrity. They are honest and trustworthy, they are here at Camp K willing to sacrifice and serve. They see work as a cause – as a way to change the world and dedicate themselves to social change – rather seeing it as just a way to get a paycheck.
Our team is comprised of 99% Millennials. There has been a lot of talk about Millennials. What should we expect from them? Are they hard workers? Do they care about their communities? Do they care about social impact? After working with them I can tell you that we have nothing to worry about. They are hard workers, with the intention of doing good, focused on solving problems and helping people rebound more effectively from them. They are dedicated team players that care deeply for their communities and social impact. As more Millennials will enter the workforce they will challenge the status quo which is what we need in order to foster great leadership. They are very concerned with our political system, education system, and very interested to bring social change.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our amazing staff this summer for their sacrifice and dedication to a higher purpose than themselves. They are all amazing! Thank you!
Mircea Divricean with Carly Fiorina
On Saturday, one of my friends, Cindie, invited me to spend an evening with Carly Fiorina, Presidential Candidate and Former CEO of Hewlett Packard. She delivered an inspirational speech. She talked about the key ingredients in people’s success – which are the same skills we foster here at Camp K. She said that at the beginning of her career, while she was a secretary for a small real estate business, somebody noticed her hard work and dedication, and promoted her. Somebody believed in her. That was all she needed in order to catapult her onto a great career path. That is all we need, for somebody to believe in us. That ultimately gives us wings to fly. She said that she believes we are all equal, and we can achieve anything we want with hard work and dedication.
I had the honor of sitting at the same table with Carly Fiorina, and I had a very good conversation with her. She said that the best leadership quality one can have is to question the status quo. I agree with her 100%. The only way that we can bring change is to question the status quo. We do that here at Camp K with all of our participants. Like I mentioned in the beginning, there is no “can’t” here at the camp. Both our staff and participants are challenged to learn valuable life, social, and “21st Century” skills, including self-confidence, self-control, persistence, flexibility, adaptability, curiosity, initiative, communication, and collaboration. At the end of the evening, I wished good luck to Carly on her journey to become the next President of the United States of America; she said help is better than luck. She is right – we all need help in order to achieve great things in life!
Here at Camp K, we believe in both our staff and in our participants, and we provide them with the help that they need to succeed. We believe that they can achieve great things. Although it is not always easy, they rise to the challenge, and achieve amazing things. We have endless inspirational stories from both our staff and campers. For example a recent story comes from Rachel, Ryder’s mom. She said “Ryder loves his horseback riding lessons. He is Autistic and since he has been riding, he started singing while in the horse saddle. He is now starting to say words. Something magical happens when he’s on his horse. Taylor, his instructor, is phenomenal and is wonderful with children. I can’t sing high enough praises. We will bring Ryder for lessons for as long as we can. I love Camp Kostopulos. Its God sent.”
Another note I received from DeSean’s mom: “I just wanted to take a moment to thank you again for the AWESOME adventure day at Camp K!!!!! Our group had a day we will remember for a very long time. As we were driving home DeSean said, “I wish everyday could be Camp K day!!!!”
Finally this note comes from Carol, Marti’s mom: “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Marti had one of the best weeks ever at Camp K and cannot stop talking about it. There were so many parts that were new for the staff and they handled it all very well. She is looking forward to coming back.”
In the last 50 years, our society has not done enough for people with disabilities and special needs. 50 years ago, Dan Kostopulos noticed that the people with disabilities are marginalized in our community, and didn’t have opportunities to learn and grow like we do. 50 years later, we have barely scratched the surface in regards to what we need to do for people with disabilities, in order to unlock their full potential to live meaningful lives and to be active contributors to our society. UNICEF released the most recent statistics, and over 1 billion people in the world live with a form of a disability. Disability is number one cause for poverty. Until we provide them with the tools they need, help them to develop skills in order to have jobs and contribute to our society, we are missing a huge untapped potential. Camp K now is more relevant than ever before. Camp K is not the cause – children are the cause. Camp K is the solution.
In the past all talent was directed to for-profit corporations. I believe that, as more Millennials enter the workforce with the intention of doing good, the nonprofit sector will be a magnet for top talent, creating a pipeline of future leaders who are skilled at integrating social and environmental goals with the bottom line. I also believe we will be more diverse than ever, not just in terms of women and minorities in leadership positions, but in terms of inclusion. I am very hopeful that we will find solutions to bring forward the untapped potential of people with disabilities and have them be active contributors to our society. This will have a huge impact on saving taxpayer money, and solving Medicaid and Medicare budgetary issues.
We have worked very hard here at Camp K in the last 50 years to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and special needs through recreation, education, and growth opportunities. We have come a long way since the first summer camp. At that time, there were no paid camp workers, and all of the food was donated. Volunteers and parents used private automobiles to transport participants daily. The volunteers were at great insurance risk transporting campers to and from the camp site in their private vehicles. The camp had a station wagon that served as the vehicle that would gather up supplies, and to take the campers to a nearby swimming pool at the VA Hospital. The campers traveled back to their homes each evening after camp. However, one night each week, they slept overnight, outdoors on the campground’s hard ground. Some of the participants needed to be carried to different activities. The food was prepared at a volunteer’s house each night, and transported to camp each morning. There are no appropriate words to give thanks and express the depth of gratitude to those volunteers who gave up their summer to help. From those humble beginnings, we have built beautiful facilities, we now have great staff and volunteers to help further the dream and vision of one man: Dan Kostopulos.
You might be tempted to say: We did it, we are done with our work. I say: No, my friends, we have more work to do – hard work, uncertain work and unending work, work that may test us, work that may defeat us, work for which we may not get credit for, but work for which our participants and our whole community depends on. Because we live in a very fast paced technological world, the time is short and the odds are long. But I believe we are ready nonetheless, with the love of those who raised us, with the lessons of those who taught us, with the strength of those who stand beside us as we face what lies ahead.
My leadership philosophy can be summed up in one quote by Paulo Coelho: The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion. I say: Let us begin!
We would like to thank Progrexion for being a Premier Sponsor of Camp K. We are fortunate to have Celeste Edmunds, Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications, on Camp K’s Advisory Board. We appreciate all of the help and support that Celeste gives to Camp K. We also appreciate the support of Jeff Johnson, CEO at Progrexion.
Progrexion recently opened its new corporate headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City. Progrexion is the leading provider of credit report repair services in the United States. Progrexion was named by Utah Business Magazine as one of Utah’s fastest growing companies. To learn more about Progrexion, visit their website: www.progrexion.com
Mircea Divricean, Jeff Johnson, Mike Divricean
Mike Divricean, Celeste Edmunds, Mircea Divricean
Camp K would like to thank Red Rock Brewery for sponsoring our VIP Concert on May 29, 2015. They provided a wonderful dinner and drinks, which helped make the event amazing!
Mike Divricean, Bob Jensen (Owner, Red Rock), William Lowe, Mircea Divricean
Please check out all of the photos and videos from the event.
We would like to thank Scott Helmer, and our sponsors for helping us make this a memorable event! We would also like to thank Craig Paller for the sound system, Cactus & Tropicals for the flowers, and Aimee McConkie of Milcreek Venture Out for the stage.
John Noorda
1953-2015
John was the Trustee for the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation, and was always concerned about making the right decisions, and making the biggest impact on the community. He was an advocate and supporter of education, technology, and engineering, as he believed those disciplines were what drives our economy. He got involved with a lot of different education programs. He also supported Camp K, and for that, we are extremely grateful.
John was an amazing man. He was gentle, humble, honest, and selfless. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him – including all of us at Camp K.
John will always be in our hearts.
John’s obituary can be viewed here.
Camp K would like to thank our Board Member, David Metivier, for building and donating our new gate. The beautiful, new, automatic gate will help us ensure that our campers, staff, and property are kept safe.
Mircea Divricean and Joe Sorenson
David is the President of SkyTrac/HillTrac. He joined Camp K’s Board of Directors in 2014, after being in the same cohort as Mircea Divricean in Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses program. One of the first questions that he asked Mircea was, “What percentage of the donations at Camp K go to programs?” Mircea told him that Camp K had received the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator (4 stars), and that 87.2% of our total expenses are spent on programs. After that, David fell in love with Camp K’s Mission and programs.
We thank David for being a huge asset to Camp K, and for his continued support.
Each year, Camp K designs a new t-shirt for Summer Camp. Every camper receives one of these shirts at the end of their stay at Camp K. Our campers look forward to receiving their shirts, and proudly wear them year after year.
This year, Mountain America Credit Union donated these shirts for Summer Camp. We appreciate the relationship that we have had with MACU over the years.
We are also proud to announce that Nanette Graviet, VP Public Relations/Marketing has joined our Advisory Board. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Mountain America Credit Union. Thank you for your support!
On June 6, families from Hill Air Force Base enjoyed an “Adventure Day at Camp K.” Military families with Special Needs were able to enjoy everything that Camp K has to offer, including fishing, swimming, horseback riding, climbing wall, and more.
After leaving Camp K, one of the participants told his mom that he “wished every day could be Camp K Day!”
We would like to thank the Northern Wasatch Association of REALTORS for sponsoring the Adventure Day, and Tammy Custer from Hill Air Force Base for coordinating.
On June 18, KSL’s Doug Wright will be broadcasting live from Camp K. Volunteers will gather at Camp K, as part of the “Utah Gives Back” initiative to help beautify Camp K’s facilities, and make them safer for our participants.
Camp K sits on 25 acres in Emigration Canyon. Our facilities include a lodge, fishing pond, grassy field, lodge, 5 camper cabins, 3 yurts, ropes course, equestrian center, horse corral, walking/hiking trails, flower beds, and more. If you can believe it, Camp K has only 1 full-time custodial/maintenance staff member. We rely heavily on service projects such as this throughout the year to help us maintain our property and to ensure that we have a safe environment for our campers.
Camp K was spotlighted in a radio ad, leading up to this event.
If you’d like to participate, please visit www.utahgivesback.com and fill out the form.
Thank you, SelectHealth and KSL for making this day possible!
Camp K is excited that SelectHealth and KSL NewsRadio have selected Camp K for their Utah Gives Back initiative, where they spotlight Utah organizations making a difference in the community.
Click Here to listen to the Spotlight about Camp K
Camp Kostopulous will host a Utah Gives Back Event on Thursday, June 18. From 9:00 a.m. until noon, volunteers will gather at Camp K complete various projects.
If you’d like to participate, please visit www.utahgivesback.com and fill out the form.
Thanks, SelectHealth and KSL!
