Click the album below to go to Picasa and look through the photos at your own pace.  Keep checking back, we’ll upload more photos as we get them from our community members: 

2012 Reunion and Fundraiser

Campers of all ages learn archery at Camp Unalayee

Love archery?  Can’t wait to get out there and shoot some arrows? We love archery at our summer camp for kids too!

Cody Hallenbeck, our archery supervisor, learned to love archery in 1997 when he attended our summer camp as a camper for the first time.  Cody later trained in indoor Olympic Archery at Foothill College, and afterwards was a technical archery instructor at King Mountain Archery Club.  But his favorite place to do archery is in the beautiful Trinity Alps wilderness of course!

When learning archery, safety always comes first, and Camp Unalayee is very proud of our unmatched safety record. When it comes to Archery, our ACA accredited archery program makes certain that every kid at summer camp has the most fun possible while learning how to shoot a bow and arrow safely. 

What are the three most important commands in archery? 

Do you know these ones?

“load” —  prepare your bow to shoot

“fire when ready” — shoot arrows. Campers put bow on ground when finished

“retrieve arrows” – campers get arrows only after all have finished shooting 

See more pictures of Archery at Camp Unalayee in our Activities Albums!

Camp Unalayee was founded in 1949 because the Quakers were concerned that the next generation of youth were not going to get outside enough.  It’s hard to imagine that was seen as a problem 60 years ago (although apparently it was). However, with the influx of technology in our youths’ world today, it is more of a concern than ever.  Camp Unalayee, as it did in 1949, strives to break the ever growing trend in today’s youth to stay inside. Our mission is to get EVERY child back into the wilderness. Let’s get our kids outside this summer and let them “Play Again!” 

Check out the film’s website for much more info on how to view it, it’s mission, as well as it’s many awards!

Every year more and more information becomes available about “Nature Deficit Disorder” as it was dubbed by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods and it’s effects, such as childhood obesity, on today’s youth.  Join Camp Unalayee in the fight against Nature Deficit Disorder: get your kids to summer camp and into the mountains this summer!

Mariah and her cousin Meppy at Unalayee

Help out one of our campers with her school project!

Here is is Mariah’s request:

My name is Mariah Trinity. You may know my parents, Elise Billingsley and Keith Beard. I may have met you when I came to Family Days at Camp Unalayee of to camp on one of the lots.

I am asking you for help for a report. I am in 4th grade and our class has to do a report called “extensions” of our own choice. I chose to learn about the history of Camp Unalayee.

I know a few things about this topic. I know that it is a sleep-away camp that originated in the Santa Cruz mountains, and that is WAS only for boys. Now, it is an the Trinity Alps. It has a lake, a creek, places to camp, a place called “campfire” and much much much more.

You probably know my grandma, Mary Beard, and my grandpa, Paul Beard who helped start Camp Unalayee. I know there are many other people who know both the history and the stories. I am hoping you would be able to share yours.

My report needs to be both a written report and a poster-type display of things from Camp. My mom has some photos and silk-screened t-shirts. My dad has MORE photos and historic items like buttons and songbooks. My brother Haysten even has an arrow head he found that he will let me borrow. If YOU have items I can borrow and stories you can tell me, I would be very grateful.

I hope to be at the Camp Reunion at Camp Krem on May 12th. If you let me borrow anything for the display, I can pick them up there. Everything will be returned in perfect condition once my project is finished.

My deadline for my class is the end of May. I will be writing and putting it together for the two weeks before that. So if you can help me, please email me back by the end of April.

Thank you so much for your help. and please feel free to share this with anyone else you know that might be able to help. I really appreciate it.

Mariah Trinity

Our Director, Lowell Fitch, Our Outreach Specialist, Sarah Camp, and Dennis Rael will be interviewed by three Humboldt County radio stations on Tuesday April 17th.  

Tune-in to hear what we have to say about Unalayee’s summer camp for kids:

KHUM - 7:30am – 8:30am

KWPT The POINT – 8:30am – 9:00am

KXGO – 9:00am-9:30am

We will be hosting tables and informational meetings not only in the Bay Area, but also in Arcata and the Rouge Valley.

If you’ve learned quite a bit about our program from the website and would like to have some personal interaction with our community and staff, or have more questions, please come to one of the following events:

Thursday April 12th – Jacksonville Elementary School, Oregon – 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Saturday April 14th – Berkeley REI – 11:00am – 2:00pm

Saturday April 14th – Mountain View REI - 12:00pm – 3:00pm

Sunday April 15th - Ashland Public Library, Oregon – 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Monday April 16th and Tuesday April 17th – Banf Mountain Film festival – Arcata Theatre Lounge, Arcata – 6:00pm

Wednesday April 18th – Dennis Rael’s House - 2437 Graham Rd, Bayside, CA 95524 – 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Saturday April 21st - Corte Madera REI - 10:00am – 2:00pm

Sunday April 22nd – Ashland Public Library, Oregon – 4:00pm – 6:00pm

Saturday April 28th – Arcata Farmer’s Market – 9:00am – 12:00pm

If you can’t make one of these events, maybe you could attend one of our Camper Play Days or Meet the Director Events.  Also contact us at friends@gocampu.com and we can set up a time that works for you and your family. 

This is your chance to meet Lowell Fitch, our director of over 25 years, as well as some of our other long time staff members.  If you are already a Unalayee community member and have friends who are interested in our summer camp, please let them know about this opportunity to learn more about our program!

We will have a 10 minute slideshow presentation and then answer questions and address any concerns you might have about our organization or our summer camp program.  See you there!

The meetings are as follows:

If you would like to meet our director or staff members, but neither of these dates or locations work with your schedule, consider attending one of our Camper Play Days; many Unalayee staff members will be on hand at these events and would be more than happy to answer your questions.  

Or, contact us at friends@gocampu.com, and we’ll set up a time and a place that works for you and your family!

Can you believe the Spring Equinox is less than two weeks away? The winter sure has flown by here in the sunny Bay Area.

Springtime is a very active season for Unalayee; we’re busy in the office signing up all those campers, the reunion is just around the corner, and we are out and about every weekend spreading the word about our programs and fundraising for our campership fund.  

It’ll be time to gather around the campfire in the Trinity Alps before we know it; we can’t wait!  Read on for all the news about how you can be involved in the Unalayee happenings this spring.  

Hope to see all of you at the reunion!

Camp Unalayee

Announcing:
Unalayee’s 6^th Annual Fundraiser and Reunion!

Can you believe it’s already time to put the 2012 reunion on your calendar? 
 
This year’s event will be May 12^th and 13^th at Camp Krem in Boulder Creek. 
 
For more information see the reunion event page.

Expect an official reunion invitation next week as well as reminders as we get closer to the event.

Hopefully you’ve already heard, but if you haven’t, we’re in the middle of doing a big raffle! If you can’t attend the reunion, the raffle is a great way for you to participate in fundraising for Unalayee.  To get your raffle tickets today (or get some to sell to your friends) see our Raffle Blog. 

As we mentioned in the last newlsetter we’ve got a bunch of events going on this spring, so if you can’t attend the reunion, don’t fret. You can see your friends in Santa Cruz, Blue Lake, Palo Alto, Berkeley, or Ashland.  See our events page for everything that is going on this season!  We will be sending you reminders about the events that are applicable to you!

Vote for us in Bay Area Parent’s Best of the Best!

Because of all your generous support, Unalayee was the Gold Medal winner on the Peninsula and Silver medal winner in San Francisco for best sleep-away camp in Bay Area Parent’s 2011 Best of the Best contest.

It’s time to vote again! Let’s get gold two years in a row! We can’t do it without your help.  

Voting is super easy:

1. Go to: http://sanfrancisco.parenthood.com/bestofbest.php
2. Choose Peninsula as your region.
3. Scroll to the bottom of page 1 and enter “Unalayee” in “Sleep-Away Camp” (It’s the last box).
4. Click “Continue the Survey” on page 1 and 2 (no need to fill out the other fields if you don’t want to).
5. Enter your zip code and e-mail address on page 3.
6. Click “Submit.” 

 We are also trying to get 665 likes on our facebook page by April 1st. So tell your friends to visit our page and click like!

Hey, aren’t we a Summer Camp?

With all these spring events, fundraisers, and ways to be involved with Unalayee online, it’s easy to forget what it’s actually about: Summer Camp!

So without further ado… 2012′s summer camp dates:

• Session 1: June 30th – July 8th
• July Family Days: July 9th – July 13th
• Session 2: July 15th – July 29th
• Session 3: August 1st – August 15th
• August Family Days: August 18th – August 23rd  

Scholarship Opportunity in Santa Cruz!

Great News! The Matt’s Climb Scholarship, hosted by the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz, has decided to provide the opportunity for a high school student, who is currently a Sophomore or Junior in Santa Cruz County, to attend Camp Unalayee again this year.

Last year Marcus Matthews, from Cypress Charter High School, took advantage of this scholarship and had an experience with Unalayee that he describes as “one of the best of my life.” 

For more information on how to apply, visit the Matt’s Climb Scholarship website or call Robin at (831) 662-2061.  Apply today!  The deadline for this great opportunity is March 30th!

Photo Contest

And the most important part of the newsletter: last month’s photo contest answer. That lake was Fox Creek Lake.  We only had one correct guess! We’ll try and make this one a little easier… or maybe not.

It sure doesn’t look like spring or summer, but this photo was taken at the very beginning of staff training, but in which year?

Be the first to respond with the correct answer to friends@gocampu.com and you’ll get a special prize this time: five tickets for our big raffle fundraiser!! You could win an iPad 2, a Kindle Fire, or Photoshop Extended software for 3D graphic design package! Want a better chance of winning these great prizes? Get tickets here. Good Luck!

Didn’t recieve this newsletter in your e-mail inbox?  Fill out the “Sign Up for the CampU Updates” box on the right hand column of this page to opt-in.  Click on the link in the follow up e-mail to complete your newsletter registration!

Spring is almost here, and summer camp comes next! If you live in the Rogue Valley and don’t want to wait till July to see your camp friends and just can’t make the drive to the bay area for our annual reunion, come on down to Garfield Park and catch up with us this May! 

This is your chance to reminisce about Unalayee without straying to far from home.

Come spend the afternoon with Mae and Anja

If you have heard of Unalayee, but haven’t had the chance to meet us yet, this is the perfect opportunity for you to learn more about our summer camp programs and meet some of our staff and community members.  If you can’t make this event, but would still like to meet a Unalayee representative in the Rogue Valley, Contact Us today and we’ll set up a meeting that works for you. 

All generations enjoy the reunion!

Every year our fundraiser and reunion is so much fun.  This weekend filled with food, friends, music, and prizes is your opportunity to support our organization while catching up with summer camp friends you haven’t seen in months (or maybe years!).

This is a great event for your friends from outside the Unalayee community as well.  Bring them along so they can get to know our organization and what we do, as well as win some great prizes, all while supporting a good cause!

If you are already booked for this year’s reunion weekend but still want to support Unalayee and it’s campership fund, please participate in our raffle, no need to be present to win!

When: Saturday May 12th & Sunday May 13th 2012

This year’s scintillating schedule:

Some of our performers from last year

2pm-4pm: Come take a dip in the swimming pool and cool off before the event starts!

4pm: Let the party start! Get your tickets for the door raffle and leave with a t-shirt, mug, or some other fun trinket! 

4pm – 7pm: Silent Auction, delicious Hors D’Oeuvres, photo sharing, mingling, photo booth, and live music by Nataraj.

7pm – 8pm: Dinner accompanied by live music courtesy of Kevin and Mona McDowell.  Red raffle Drawing!

8:30pm – 9:30pm: Campfire - We expect you all to participate!

Bunk Cabins and Tent spaces available for Saturday Night! Reserve yours today!

Sunday, 8am -10am: Continental Breakfast

Suggested Donation:

This year we are offering a special discount if you make your donation and reserve your spot before the event! 

Once of last year's silent auction tables

Pre-Event Donation:

$40 – Saturday and Sunday – The whole shebang! Music, dinner, camping or cabin space, and sunday breakfast.

$30 – Just Saturday – Still a good time. Live music, dinner, and campfire.

$15 – Children age 10 -17

E-mail us at campu.reunion@gmail.com, call us at (650) 308-4453, or send us your donation in the mail to reserve your space today!

At the door Donation:

$50 – Saturday and Sunday

$35 – Just Saturday 

$20 – Children age 10 -17