We’re really jazzed to see you for the Fall Harvest Festival – and to show you what we’ve accomplished, facilities-wise, since camp ended. That said, we’re also keenly aware that every child doesn’t have the opportunity to benefit from a Coleman Country experience. And while we know our campers appreciate that reality and are grateful that they are among the fortunate, we also want to make sure they remember others and “do the right thing” on their behalf.

When you come to The Ranch on October 30, would you consider bringing with you “One Warm Coat” to donate to a child (or adult)?  It’s a tangible way to say, once again, “Follow Me,” as we demonstrate together as a community that actions speak louder than words.  We all want to encourage our children to have what we call “habits of the heart,” and with this drive, we can say it’s “warm habits of the heart!”

Here’s the plan: have a family conversation about making a difference, and ask your child(ren) to be as involved as they are able, based on their age, by helping select a gently used coat they have outgrown.  Then take the coat to the cleaners, and bring it with you to the Fall Harvest Festival. There, we will have a collection station where campers will be able to deliver the coat themselves to us – and we will take care of the rest!

All donated coats will be given to the Nassau – Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless. Coats of all shapes and sizes are welcome, so parents are also encouraged to look through their own closets and identify coats they no longer wear!

One Warm Coat is a national nonprofit organization that supports and encourages the donation of coats, having distributed nearly 3 million coats at no cost since the project began 10 years ago. (You can even download a tax receipt from the website onewarmcoat.org.)

We think “One Warm Coat” serves as a great metaphor for reminding each of us how lucky we are to have physical warmth as well as the emotional warmth we feel from being a belonging and contributing part of a loving community. It’s the least we can do on the eve of a glorious family day of pumpkin-picking and face-painting…. Let’s rekindle that warmth.

Thanks in advance for hopping on the “Follow Me” bandwagon, and

Until we meet again…

Happy Trails!

10-for-2. It often feels like we live 10 months for 2 months! The Coleman family.  Campers.  Staff.  (And dare we say parents, too?).

Sadly, those precious months are drawing to a close. This week will undoubtedly seal our memories forever. I like to think of Olympics, Rodeo, and Closing Ceremonies (with the “burndown” of the numbers 2011) as one giant zip-lock bag. These traditions and rituals allow us to preserve the fun, the growth, the challenges, and the triumphs.

You can expect a letdown of sorts when it’s all over. After all, we’ve been on quite a high for the past 8 weeks! It’s exhilarating to come to camp every day – be yourself, be appreciated for who you are, know that no one is judging you, and feel liberated to leave your comfort zone and expand your stretch zone.

The good news is that campers are taking all that with them as they go back to school! In fact, they’re leaving The Ranch with so much more than what they came with.

Campers have truly reinvented themselves this summer, whether they are 3 or 13.  Ask them to describe themselves – I think you’ll hear some pretty authentic and empowering labels they have attributed to themselves. “Follow Me” has become more than a slogan – it’s a compass that points true north.

Courageous. Compassionate. Cooperative. Creative. Considerate. Charitable.  Caring.

These are just a few of the qualities that describe our campers, your children.  Today, we’re giving them a Coleman Country backpack to carry these traits with them (okay, and a few books or markers, too!) when they go through the barn doors into the “outside world.” We want them to remember, year-round, what it feels like to “Dream Big.”

This time the words have an even deeper meaning:

Until we meet again…

Happy Trails!

“We’re having camp tomorrow, aren’t we?!” You would expect a camper to say that, or a parent, upon hearing that we had a major flood at camp on Sunday. But I heard those words yesterday from a staff member – a staff member who, if there were no camp, would have been paid for the day’s “work” regardless.

Why, you might wonder, were they even here on a Sunday, anyway? Unrelated to the flood, two teams of Red and Tan Sheriffs, Marshalls, and other leaders had decided on their own to spend the day here practicing their Olympic Breakout routines! Never mind that one of the team’s props, banners, and shirts, which had been meticulously crafted on their own time last week, had been destroyed – they just regrouped –  re-creating, without complaint, all their hard work. Mostly all former campers, they didn’t miss a beat – not even on the wet Grand Playhouse flooring on which they were practicing.

Your children are the beneficiaries of these amazing people’s attitudes.  Our campers are being influenced by counselors who possess terrific values: resilience, responsibility, and resourcefulness.  These are the other 3R’s, the foundational components of social and emotional education.

So when you see the photos soon of Breakout festivities and even of the flood (those can be viewed at facebook.com/ColemanCountry), think of the backstory. Think of all those staff members who were determined to get here yesterday despite closed roadways and driving rain. Think of the can-do attitude they displayed in the face of adversity. Think about the fact that no one told them they had to put all that effort (twice) into their presentation.

Think of the life lessons that they are modeling for your children.

And join our family in saying a rousing “thank you” to the undaunted staff of Coleman Country.

This is what it means to “Discover the Spirit.”

Until we meet again…

Happy Trails!

The countdown has begun. When we came to camp this morning, many observant campers noticed that the flags atop the Dream Dome were missing! (I have to confess that they pointed it out to me!) They were watching, because they know that, according to Coleman Country ritual and tradition, that means that Olympics is around the corner. The veteran campers are on the lookout for “breakout,” and word is spreading fast.

It could be any day now. Much of the fun is in the anticipation. Will there be a “fakeout?” How will Olympics 2011 break? When? What will the names of the teams be? One thing we know for sure – whatever and wherever and however it turns out to happen, we’ll remember it always.

And yet in a strange way, we don’t even want it come: we don’t want summer to end, and we know that Olympics signals that closure.

The good news is that camp never really ends – it becomes a part of us forever, an element of who we are. A just-published study states what we already know:  “Young people reinvent themselves through the camp experience by escaping the negative impressions of others and revising their self-identity at camp….[At camp] campers have opportunities to explore different social roles and build social capital.”

The flags are missing – it’s the “stuff” that camp is made of.

As one camper said to me at the end of his time at Coleman Country, not realizing of course that he was speaking in code,

“Happy Trails!”

We outdid ourselves today! If there’s a meter that measures spirit and teamwork, we exceeded its limits. Kudos to all who embraced Group-themed Dress-Up Day. From the Pioneer counselors who went all out making costumes for their campers – (there were Mama Duck and her ducklings, glittery Cubs, hopping frogs, etc.) – to the nurses who each represented everyday maladies (we won’t name them but you can guess!) – to the parents who creatively jumped in with group dressing motifs – to the campers who cheerily sported their group-centric outfits – it was a sight to behold.

There is nothing that says “I belong to a community” and “I am committed to you” more than suspending your everyday dress code, engaging in enterprising brainstorming, and dressing in an outfit you might not choose for yourself. Just ask me, A.K.A. Tinker Bell!

Indeed, I didn’t need a wand to sprinkle fairy dust today – it permeated the air!

That’s the magical stuff that children take with them into the “outside” world when they leave camp. Their invisible armor. The self-confidence and self-respect and resourcefulness that come from having friends, big and small, that you know are there for you.

So thanks to every adult who helped create that protective film – the intangible umbrella that Pardners carry that says, “I’m from Coleman Country.” You showed our children today what “Follow Me” really means.  Actions do speak louder than words.

As one camper said to me, “I love this [Coleman] country!” Is it any wonder?!

Ross (Peter) Pan and Captain Hook join me in thanking you for helping us show our campers how to DREAM BIG!

Until we meet again…

Happy Trails,

“Coolest and nicest guy ever.” That’s the consensus on The Ranch. But Ike Davis sees himself differently: “I’m tall, not athletic, gangly-looking,” he told campers. Pretty humble for a guy who made national headlines yesterday at Coleman Country!

• ESPN: Ike Davis resigned to likely sitting
• LI Herald: A Met stops off at Coleman Country
• Newsday: Ike Davis: Probably won’t play until 2012
• SNY GEICO SportsNite Video

The children were entranced as they asked questions that Ike answered so honestly that he actually had to call a press conference later in the day, because this unassuming guy told campers what the media has been trying to ascertain for months: he probably won’t play until next season because of an ankle injury.

That’s because Ike is true to his words: ”I’m more than a baseball player; I’m a good person.” There couldn’t be a better example of “Follow Me,” illustrating that actions speak louder than words. Ike was truthful; simple as that. His heart told him what to do: When he was asked by a Scout, “When will you play again?,” he didn’t dodge the truth. He couldn’t. He grew up doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.

When asked, “What toothpaste do you use, “ he answered, “Aquafresh.” When another camper wanted to know what kind of underwear he wore, he was initially stumped, but he thought hard about it and was pretty sure it was Tommy Hilfiger!

Is it any wonder, then, that our Coleman Country Press Corp (A.K.A Pardners) asked questions so tough that they made national news?!

Ike posed with us, hugged us, gave us advice, and said over and over that he wished he could have had the opportunity to go to Coleman Country. (You should have seen his eyes light up when he stepped out of his car in front of Mega Mesa!)  He also asked campers lots of questions about GaGa, and he hopes to come back to visit when his ankle is better and try his hand in The Pit!

Isaac Benjamin Davis, son of former Yankees pitcher Ron Davis, left us with inspiration to identify and reach our goals: “If you are going to commit to something, don’t put one foot in, put both feet in.”

Until we meet again…

Happy Trails!

Coleman Country’s tagline is “Discover the Spirit.” As the 49ers would say, “Oh yea.”

We’ve been gushing spirit all week. In fact, I’d say that we really hit paydirt in that department! Many of you saw it with your own eyes during  parent visiting (the rest of you will witness it next week during your visiting, I’m sure).

It’s a shared commitment, a tacit understanding, the feeling of having inside knowledge of traditions and rituals – and it shows up in the unlikeliest of places, like when Ross calls “Dance Party!” at the Visiting Night Pow-Wow or when Anna calls “Give a” and the Pioneers shout back, “Get a” during Morning Lineup. It defies definition. The best I can describe it is to say that it’s an attitude of belonging, contributing, and loving.

“Follow Me.” It has truly become the drumbeat of Coleman Country. The Pioneers understand it as “filling your bucket” with good deeds (yes, each group has a physical bucket!). The 49ers translate it into a fashion show with pizzazz, where they enter their stretch zones as they strut down the runway. The Scouts spell out the word “teamwork” by showing each other what qualities such as enthusiasm (that’s the “e”) look like. The Explorers organize recycling and food drive projects….

Today, when campers and counselors arrived on The Ranch showing their school spirit, it struck me that Coleman Country provides the overarching theme of connectedness, the glue that binds us as a community.

We come together in this failure-proof land. We transcend the challenges of the outside world. We are willing to shed our labels and reinvent ourselves: We sing out on the mic, sashay down the runway, try a new club, dive into water over our heads, fill someone else’s emotional bucket.

That’s what it means to “Discover the Spirit.” Today, on School Spirit Day,  I’m bursting with camp pride.

Until we meet again…

Happy Trails!

It feels like camp has just begun – that is, until you walk around The Ranch and see that campers and staff are strutting around like they’ve already been here for a year! You’ll see what I mean when you come for Parent Visiting, which is either next week or the week after, depending on your child’s group (unless your camper is a 49er, in which case s/he’ll have an additional night of Coleman After Dark instead of visiting!)

Our Pioneers through 4^th graders can’t wait to have you visit their own special world: to show you what they’ve learned, to share their group pride, and to introduce you to their friends and counselors.

Traditions and rituals are the glue that bind a community, and Parent Visiting is brimming with both, as Ross convenes the Circle of the Pow-Wow at the conclusion of the evening’s activities. For Scouts and Explorers, that circle, where everyone is equal and a part of the greater whole, is a sacred place to gather. Campers will dance and sing their hearts out – you should feel really good about that, because I think it’s their way of saying thank you to you for enabling them to be at Coleman Country! They’ll also demonstrate to you how, as a contributing member of the camp community, they are doing their part to have others “Follow Me.”

When you first arrive for your visiting time, the children are anxious to spot you; once they do, they get into the groove with their activity. While it might instinctively feel better to come over to them, it’s really more comfortable for them if you stay with the parent group and allow the counselors to work with the children as they do every day.  Your job is to smile, clap, and take photos –  and jump in if invited by the counselor. If an activity is one that includes parental participation, please remember this is the children’s night, so let the kids win! (We promise to have evening activities at another time for you to hit the ball out of the park!)

Looking forward to welcoming you to The Ranch. Until then…

Happy Trails!

Are you starting to hear new language from your Coleman Country camper? I’m wondering if, after a long weekend, you’ve noticed more “thank yous” or “pleases.” Has the concept of “stretch zone” entered the household vocabulary yet?

“Follow Me” is in widespread action as we model positive behaviors on The Ranch. I was really gratified when I walked around last week and consistently heard counselors coaching campers to say “thank you.” I saw staff members labeling qualities like “patient” and “caring.” I watched activity counselors “meeting kids where they are” to coax them out of their comfort zone and into their stretch zone.

Stretch-zone is the new buzzword around “these parts.” It’s the place where children go after they decide to leave their comfort zone! Everyone’s stretch zone is unique to them, but our job is to help each camper get into that learning  (stretch) zone and ultimately gain mastery to the point that it becomes part of their comfort zone.

When you visit The Ranch next week or the week after for Parent Visiting, watch for that. I’m quite confident that you’ll see your own child expanding her own comfort zone, your own camper hurdling confidently into his stretch zone. I think you’ll also hear a lot of supportive labels being identified for character traits that we want our children to think about themselves, and quite a bit of coaching around polite behaviors.

Meanwhile, try it at home! Use our language about comfort and stretch zones, model conduct you want to see and label it, and use a pre-emptive “thank you” when you expect compliance with a request you’ve made (more about pre-emptive thanks in a future blog post).

Until we meet again…

Happy Trails!