Meet Members of the 85th Birthday Celebration Planning Committee...Charlie and Mary Ellen Outlaw Graham

Mary Ellen began her tenure at Camp Thunderbird in 1989 as a seven-year-old camper.  She was a staple at camp through 2004 as a camper, CIT, counselor and head counselor.  As a counselor, Mary Ellen worked at sailing, skiing and the pool.  She loved water activities and even served as co-chief and chief at the pool and sailing.  Charlie began his time at T-Bird in 1999 as a younger boy’s counselor while working at the ropes course.  He followed that up as the Outpost Coordinator and then three years as the younger boy’s head counselor.  After a short stint away from camp he returned for two summers as the Program Director from 2005-2006.  The closing ceremony of 2005 marked a special moment for the Grahams as Charlie proposed to Mary Ellen on stage.  Bo Thompson announced the first Diamond Bandana that night!  Charlie and Mary Ellen now live in Mt. Airy, NC with their two children, Beau (7) and Libby (4).

Meet Your 85th Birthday Celebration Committee Member...Sloane Frantz Mayberry

German chocolate cakes. Her least favorites were Saturday night OD, Carowinds Thursdays and the sewage clean out station by Cabin 27. Sloane stays involved with camp working on the alumni committee and is on the Thunderbird Board of Managers. 

Thunderfest

     Annually, camp raises over $300,000 to provide camping experiences to children who would otherwise be unable to access camp.  These experiences can be transformational!  This fall, camp is sponsoring a couple of different events to help raise funds to scholarships.  One of these, Thunderfest,  is right around the corner.  Interested or have questions?  Feel free to give the office a call:  704-716-4100.  We will be glad to talk with you about the event.  We hope to see you on September 14!

Farm to Table Event Scheduled for October 5, 2019

    Friends of camp are invited to attend the Farm to Table Event at camp.  The event is scheduled for October 5, and will afford attendees an opportunity to experience camp in a unique way.  For more information, please give the office a call at 704-716-4100.

John Gray Chairs 85th Birthday Celebration

The planning committee for camp's 85th Birthday Celebration is busy brainstorming ideas to make next summer's (Aug. 22, 2020) an amazing event. From time to time, we would like to introduce some of the committee members to you. John Gray is leading the committee. If you know John, then you know a man who loves T-Bird! If you don't know John, I hope you will get to know him at the 85th! 

John Gray was a camper and counselor from 1996-2005 at Camp Thunderbird. He spent time in East Camp as a camper as well as a counselor, finishing out his stints as camper and counselor both in Cabin 22. As a CIT he worked Canoeing and Sailing, as a staffer he worked Archery/Riflery as a junior counselor, Sailing twice and his final year was as Special Ski chief. John lives in Charlotte with his wife Raleigh Anne, also a former Thunderbird camper.

Summer Picnic

  Throughout the year, we work to put together opportunities for Thunderbird alumni staffers to gather.  This summer (August 24, 2019) we will be hosting our second picnic on the point at camp.  This year, guests can elect to attend the picnic, spend the day and enjoy activities as well as the picnic, or even spend the night.  We are hoping to register attendees so that we can be better prepared for the event.  The registration portal can be found here:

https://www.ymcacharlotte.org/events/detail/c43c30456af748a985ba5dfde636e9f0/alumni-reunion-weekend/info.aspx

I hope you will consider registering and will make plans to attend.

Alumni Events

Hope to see all of you at both Camp's 85th birthday on August 22, 2020 as well as on August 24, 2019.  More details on both of these events will be shared as they become available.

Flashback to 1981and Beyond With Betsy Candler Harvey

Camp Thunderbird Alumni Blog Post

Betsy Candler Harvey

On the first day of 3^rdsession of 1977, I arrived for the first time at Camp Thunderbird as a rather shy, bookish just-turned-13-year-old camper. Although my younger sister and older cousins were also campers that session, I otherwise didn’t know a soul and was horribly homesick, despite my cabinmates and counselors being fun and friendly. My senior counselor, in particular, was kind and patient and spent significant one-on-one time listening to and advising me. Nevertheless, I remained very homesick and recall retreating to my cabin to be alone in the middle of a Saturday night camp dance, triggering a “lost camper” search. I’ll never forget the evident relief on the face of my counselor when she tore through the cabin door to find me lying on my bunk reading a Tiger Beat magazine my mother had sent in a care package.

Despite this inauspicious start to my camp career, something happened to me after those three weeks in the summer of 1977. My camp experience had changed me. It made me more confident. It made me more outgoing. It made me more willing to take risks. After having been a camper again in 1978 and 1979 and a CIT in 1980, I worked as a junior counselor in a cabin with the littlest campers (6-7 years old) and on the sailing staff the summer of 1981. As much as I loved and was passionate about camp, fostering friendships with people with whom I keep in touch to this day, I wasn’t a particularly effective first-year counselor. After I returned to school, I received a letter from Camp Director Bill Climer asking to meet with me during the off-season to talk about how I could “up my game” for the coming summer. Boy, did that correspondence light a fire under me and make me determined to prove what a good counselor I could be!

Fast forward to the end of summer 1985: I had just finished my 9^thand final summer at Thunderbird, this time as the Girls’ Camp Head Counselor. I had spent three years on the sailing staff from 1981-83, and I served as a Head Counselor Assistant the summer of 1984, all as a cabin counselor for the older girls in Cabin 33 (coincidentally, the same cabin in which my counselor found me during the lost camper search in 1977). 

Camp continued to mold me as a person during my years on the staff. I continued to become more outgoing, developing leadership and team-building skills as I worked and played with my fellow counselors. Over my five years as a TBird staff member, I made literally lifelong friends with whom I laughed (and laughed and laughed) and cried and played and goofed off and worked (and yes, misbehaved, from time to time). To this day, my best friends from my high school and college years are not necessarily my schoolmates, but my camp friends, with whom I:

1.    Sat in the dining hall on Friday nights writing newsy letters to campers’ parents,

2.    grilled burgers on Wednesday nights so the dining hall ladies could have the night off, 

3.    made runs to Cav’s (the convenience store across the street from camp) on “short nights” off to eat sub sandwiches at 10 p.m., 

4.    went to the laundromat in Charlotte on days off,

5.    cruised in “tenders” around campers in Sunfish when there wasn’t a breeze to be had on Lake Wylie, 

6.    administered eardrops at “flagpole”, 

7.    wrote and performed silly skits (which we thought were brilliant), 

8.    policed the cedar trees surrounding the Older Girls’ Camp on the way back to the cabin after evening program to make sure no would-be Romeos were lurking,

9.    watched fireworks over Lake Wylie on the 4^thof July, 

10.  skied in the pre-dawn hours before Reveille, when the lake was placid and glassy,

11.  ate those wonderful sweet rolls on Sunday mornings at breakfast,

12.  delivered cleaning supplies and inspected cabins as Head Counselor Assistants,

13.  sat on the banks of the athletic fields outside our cabins after Taps to decompress after a busy camp day,

14.  chaperoned a bunch of sweaty, sticky campers on excursions to Carowinds, 

15.  danced to James Taylor’s “You’ve Got a Friend” at the end of every camp dance in Johnson Hall, and

16.  experienced hundreds of small, special moments that I’ve long ago forgotten but which nevertheless molded me as a person.

My own children, now grown, were never campers at Thunderbird, although we enjoyed going to Labor Day Family Camp for many years when they were young. However, my 17-year-old niece, Grace Williams, has been spending her summers at camp since she was the age of those littlest campers I counseled in 1981. She was a CIT last year, and will be a first year junior counselor - on the sailing staff, no less, like her aunt - the summer of 2019. 

In my 55 years, no place on earth has been more special to me than Camp Thunderbird. I can honestly say that I would not be the same person I am today if it weren’t for my camp experiences and my camp friendships. My hope for Grace, which I am certain will come true, is that she will make lifelong friends and memories as a Thunderbird counselor – just like her Aunt Betsy. 

Heartland...Written by Alumni Staffer, Ben Gross

As summer approaches, it is often difficult to put into words the impact camp can have on staff.  Following summer 2008,  Ben Gross shared the impact camp had had on his life...

27 August 2008

My Heartland

            As the sun sets on a Carolina lake, I take a moment to examine my position. Children laugh and joke, begging for one more story or a few more minutes with their friends. I find myself surrounded by my closest friends, old and new, who all share the same mission of growing, teaching, and touching lives. I am a fortunate person, because I have a heartland. 

            For the past nine years of my life, I have had the privilege of attending YMCA Camp Thunderbird at Lake Wylie, South Carolina; I was a camper for seven years and a counselor for two. I did most of my growing under the heavy Carolina air; days were spent in the lake or at the pool, and nights were filled with the chirp of crickets and the swanky steel styling of an acoustic guitar. Camp is beautiful, an oasis of peace and nature among an ever-pressing onslaught of development. I will never forget the sight of a Lake Wylie sunset or the sound of the waves lapping against the shores, but it is the people, the relationships, which store the magic of summer in the deepest corners of my soul.  The land is near to my heart, but the people are the heart of the land. 

            Camp is a place where spirits grow, friendships form, and youth of all walks of life realize the deepest of love. Camp is home. Where else in the world can a seventeen-year-old kid be mistakenly called “dad” by his eight-year-old camper? Where else is it acceptable, even encouraged, to be as messy, dirty, loud, and immature as possible? Where else is it possible to understand the deepest meanings of dependence, acceptance, and love just by staring hard enough into someone’s eyes? 

            I may not be from South Carolina, but my heartland is the place that is dearest to me. I once consoled a fellow counselor about departing from this place. She was new to the camp experience, and devastated that she had to leave the friends, the people, and the love that she had just come to accept. She was afraid of the emptiness, the void it would leave in her life. I explained it simply: “this place can never leave you; you’ll never be empty again.” My heartland will never leave me.  Carolina has cast a spell on me that cannot be broken. 

Zach Wilder, Who Knew....

   I hope you will enjoy reading about Zach's transition from a camp counselor to college mascot.

Hello everyone! My name is Zach Wilder, and this is the story of how going to Camp Thunderbird led to me becoming an NCAA mascot. 

When I was 12 years old, I started my camp journey at YMCA Camp Thunderbird. I grew up in Charlotte, and I had friends who had been to camp. The way they described it made it seem like an awesome place. I could go kayaking, wakeboarding, and mountainboarding all in the same day?! Consider me sold! I spent three out of my next four summers as a camper at Camp Thunderbird. I became a CIT, a junior counselor, senior counselor, and even an activity chief. Camp Thunderbird was my very first job, and I absolutely loved it!

As a counselor, I tended to work predominantly with campers in the 12-15 year old range. The older campers were great. Generally speaking, they were responsible, independent, and cooperative. The one thing that stunk about working with them was the occasional “I’m too cool to have fun” attitude. I hated this.

To me, camp was always about acting like a goofball and trying new things. So whenever I saw a kid who was “too cool” or too shy or too nervous to let loose and dance around in the dining hall, I’d do everything I could to break them out of their shell. (Usually by dancing so terribly that all my campers would make fun of my dancing, thus diverting any potential shame from nervous campers)

Eventually however, there comes a time when every counselor must move on from the camp life. I stopped working at camp midway through college, but I missed it like crazy. I was a sophomore at Syracuse University. I was living in upstate New York. It was insanely cold. I missed the warmth of summer. I missed camp. I found myself sitting quietly in my classes, longing to act like my crazy counselor self once more. That being said, I couldn’t exactly stand up on my chair in class and start dancing to Cascade’s “Every Time we Touch.” I would need to find another, more socially acceptable, outlet.

That November, as I was watching DeShaun Watson lead the Clemson tigers to dismantle the Cuse football team by scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter, I looked to my right and there he was. I found my outlet. Otto the Orange in all his round fuzzy glory. Immediately, lightbulbs went off in my brain. Otto was the goofiest mascot I had ever seen; he’s always dancing around like crazy and getting others to have fun. In that moment, I knew that camp had shaped me into the perfect candidate to be the Syracuse University mascot.

A month later, I was accepted to the Syracuse University mascot program.

Over the course of the next three years, I would dress up and use my camp counselor inspired goofiness to pump up crowds of 35,000 people. I would dance with the parents of new students as they moved their child into their freshmen dorms. (embarrassing the heck out of the recent high school grads) And above all, I would try to get students to let loose and have fun.

Being a mascot was my favorite part about college. It was three years filled with tremendous joy, unyielding school spirit, and lots and lots of sweat. Some of my favorite memories were: 

·      Watching Syracuse football defeat the #2 nationally ranked Clemson Tigers in 2017. (sweet payback!)

·      Traveling to Omaha, Nebraska to cheer on the Syracuse men’s basketball team as they took on Duke in the Sweet 16 

·      Spending two hours in Target doing whatever I wanted. (like riding around in the motorized shopping carts and using a pool noodle to joust with shoppers)

·      Volunteering at the Orlando Children’s Hospital as part of the ACC football tournament community outreach initiative

My time at Camp Thunderbird led to me becoming a more outgoing individual, and the love that I had for camp led to me becoming a mascot. Camp affects our lives in many ways, some of which are unforeseen until after our time on the sunny shores of Lake Wylie have come to an end. However, for every individual who has called camp home, a life of adventures and new experiences awaits.

     - Submitted by Zach Wilder

Summer Staff Network With Alumna

As the son of two Thunderbird alumni, my expectations for camp were set pretty high.  The stories of lessons learned, and friendships made were at the forefront of my mind when I decided to be a counselor for the summer of 2016.  As all of you are aware, any summer spent at camp is memorable, but I left for school that August feeling as if I knew what the Thunderbird experience truly embodies — I was wrong.  There’s much more and the last half-year or so opened my eyes to other avenues through which a Thunderbird connection encourages personal development.

In a brief conversation with Kaye Carraway, I expressed interest in spending a summer in D.C. and her mind immediately jumped to a Thunderbird alumna working in the Capital.  Kaye connected me to Brian Boda and during the next few weeks he was more than willing to assist me in crafting my resume and coaching me through the D.C. internship process.

After successfully finding my way to the District I was determined to find Brian and thank him in person for all that he had done.  We met for coffee early one morning, not unlike meeting co-counselors at the boat docks for an early ski run. While Brian accepted my gratitude, he had a bigger concern and posed the question, “What can I do to help you get the most out of this summer?”  That took me by surprise. Helping a young college kid form a resume is one thing but going out of your way to welcome that young, aspiring professional to a new place without asking anything in return speaks volumes to the loyalty and kinship between the Thunderbird network.

Brian introduced me to colleagues and friends of his, opening up his home and hosting me for a Fourth of July celebration filled with great southern food and fellow Carolinians.  He also invited me to his office, offering an opportunity to engage a little more earnestly in a professional manner and discuss important career objectives of my own. In short, the selflessness Brian displayed in hopes of making my experience better is a testament to his own character and that of Thunderbird alumni everywhere.  I’m blessed to call Brian a friend and, in the future, I hope I’m able to give back to our community in a similar way.

Written by Buddy Anderson following Summer, 2018

Buddy receives his Gold Bandana

Buddy Anderson and Brian Boda

New Water Toy to Debut at Camp

This summer, Camp Thunderbird will add a new thrill to the waterfront.  The Nautilus will provide endless combinations of creative play, endurance training, and just plain fun. Spending an afternoon on the Nautilus climbing, sliding and jumping will grow confidence and independence, solidify new friendships, build character, and reward achievement. These are important life-long skills that campers will learn at camp and will use the rest of their lives!

The Nautilus will feature: 

• Two speed slides and one drop slide

• Two climbing walls with 37 total climbing handles; large climbing wall with

easy and difficult climb options

• Inverted climbing wall that offers offers cliff jump feature

• Large upper deck platform that holds 6-8 people

• Lower deck that holds 4-5 people

• Easy-up boarding platform with optional second boarding platform available

Waterfront 2019 News

Summer 2019 will offer challenges for campers of all ages as they engage in waterfront activities.  New as an add-on for the waterfront this year we are doing Jr Lifeguard.  Each enrolled camper will get an opportunity to earn 4 certifications along with the experience of on the job training for their future.  They will have the opportunity to earn the following certifications: YMCA Aquatic Safety Assistant Certification, Basic Life Support(CPR Pro/AED), First Aid and Oxygen Administration certifications.  During their two weeks here they will not just have classroom time and pool training but be able to experience what it takes to work in a pool setting, on the waterfront or even on the water in the boats.  This on the job training can help develop a camper both physically and professionally while giving them a safe environment to grow and discover their best self.
                     
By Kira Cullen

Where Are They Now...Catching up with Emily (Carpenter) Mabry

Ever since I was a little girl, Camp Thunderbird has held such a special place in my heart. Every summer, I looked forward to my favorite two summer camp events - the “Thunder Open” (the session tennis tournament) and the Camp Dance. I loved getting to sign up for my favorite activities and try new things, too - like the high ropes course at the challenge course, horseback riding, archery, and more. Camp Thunderbird instilled in me a confidence that I could do anything I set my mind too - and for that, I am so grateful. After a few years of missing camp due to my competitive tennis summer tournament schedule, I came right back to Thunderbird after my freshman year of college to work as a counselor. Those two summers during college were the most fun, rewarding experiences in the world! Not only did I get to work with children (which
was perfect, since I was studying to be an elementary school teacher), but I also made some of my very best friends!

After I graduated from Clemson University in May of 2016, I moved to Greenville, SC and taught Kindergarten and Pre-K at Meeting Street Academy (a school for under-resourced students in nearby Spartanburg, SC). I truly believe that my experiences working with children of all ages as a counselor, tennis coach, and lifeguard during my time at Camp Thunderbird prepared me for teaching in the public school classroom. I learned how to not only teach my students academically, but how to help them develop character and bring out their unique personalities and strengths. After my first year of teaching, I spent that following summer overseas in Jinja, Uganda working with a Christian ministry that served vulnerable and abandoned women and children. I absolutely fell in love with the people there, and ended up committing to come back after I finished my second year of teaching. Almost immediately after returning from my first trip to Uganda, I ended up meeting the love of my life (and now husband) - Wesley Mabry. We dated throughout that school year and got engaged (7 months after we met!) shortly before I left to go back to Uganda to serve that following summer/fall. I was working in the preschool classrooms with amazing local teachers there and loved getting to be back with my precious students from the previous summer. When I got back from Uganda, I started a little business called “Light to the Lambs” as a way to create and sell artwork and handmade greeting cards while giving half of all profit back to Uganda.

Just a couple of weeks ago, on March 30th, I married my sweet husband and it was the most beautiful day of our lives! Wesley has been my biggest cheerleader from day one - whether it was my decision to go overseas to Uganda, start “Light to the Lambs” to give back, and must recently, to create my own new business - called “Emily Mabry Creative.” Through starting “Light to the Lambs,” not only did I realize how much I loved creating encouraging art and greeting cards for others, but I also discovered my niche and love for social media branding, design, photography and all things creative! And boom...the idea of @emilymabrycreative was born! The dream behind this business is to encourage others to see the beauty and joy of life all around us through photography, branding, design and all things creative. You can find me and learn more about “Emily Mabry Creative” on Instagram and Facebook @emilymabrycreative. As I mentioned earlier, all of this would

not have been possible without the confidence, character lessons, and courage that I learned during my time as both a camper and counselor at Camp Thunderbird. I learned the beauty and joy that life has to offer, and most importantly, that God loves me and has great plans for our lives!

Introducing New Executive Director, Kimberly Conroy

It is my pleasure to introduce Kimberly Conroy as the Executive Director at Camp Thunderbird.  Kim assumed her new role in the YMCA  on March 1.  However, Kim is not a stranger to the Charlotte YMCA. She also has a wealth of experiences that will contribute to her success in her new role.  

Kimberly is a lifelong enthusiast of outdoor adventure and experiential learning. She has 18 years of experience as a goal and detail-oriented leader building successful cross-functional teams by designing educational programs and coaching strategies, increasing staff and participant engagement, and identifying areas for efficiencies and cost savings. Additionally, Kim has a proven record of developing and maintaining relationships that foster collaboration, trust, and support of the Y with local and national businesses and government administrations. 

Kim joined the YMCA in 2006, overseeing operational and programmatic risk, safety, and security for 22 YMCA locations including two resident camps, and hundreds of off-site locations, Kim has built a reputation for her ability to balance appropriate risk taking with amazing experiences for 270,000 members, 5000+ staff, and 5000+ volunteers per year. She attributes this reputation to her ability to build strong relationships and ensure the Y has a solid answer for “why” they have each policy in place so that those leaders may champion safety within their branches. 

Kim and her husband, Ross, have three girls ranging in age from 2 to 8 years old.  In addition, she has a dog, 3 horses, a mini appaloosa pony, and 8 chickens!  We hope you will drop by camp and welcome Kim to the Thunderbird family!   

Brad Rippetoe Named Director of Capital Campaign

Many who read this blog will know Brad Rippetoe.  During his tenure at Thunderbird, Brad has had the privilege of wearing many hats and serving across multiple departments.  Most recently, Brad served camp as Executive Director.  It was during that year of service that Brad came to realize that a focused effort would be needed to ensure the success of a campaign to update existing facilities.  Brad believed that he could provide that leadership and has assumed the role as Director of the Capital Campaign for Thunderbird.  Brad recently reflected on his time at Thunderbird and his look to the future:

“If I could wish for one “super power”, it would be to have the ability to hear the stories that the walls of our cabins at Camp Thunderbird would tell.  As I think about how our country has changed and evolved; the events in history like World Wars, conflicts, presidential elections, civil rights, etc.… it is incredible to think about the idea that boys were living in those cabins together.  They were sharing their stories of successes and challenges throughout their days at camp. They were learning about others that were different from themselves, how to set goals and achieve them with the support of counselors and cabin mates.  Bonds were formed.  Lives were changed.  I am so grateful that we are still providing opportunities for boys (and girls) to add to this life changing legacy.  

I am blessed, honored, and humbled to have the opportunity to wake up every day thinking about how we can ensure that the next generations of campers and staff have the opportunity to spend their summer days on the Sunny Shores of Lake Wylie and Camp Thunderbird.  I realize that the opportunity to have this singular focus as the Director of Capital Campaign is a unique one and I fully intend to make the most of it.   I think I am looking forward the most to reconnecting with so many of you as our alumni to hear YOUR stories of your time at Camp and how those summers have impacted your lives even today.  I will be hitting the road soon and hope to have the opportunity to see you soon!  Feel free to give me a shout at any time.  You can reach me at 704-691-9545 or brad.rippetoe@ymcacharlotte.orgor on most social media platforms.”   

Submitted by Brad Rippetoe

Day Camp Updates

Day Camp may not be in session currently, but we have been busy with a few other events.  In October, I visited over 70 schools to reconnect with some of the campers from this past summer and to promote a new birthday party program at Camp Thunderbird.   We currently offer four types of birthday party choices, challenge course, archery, rodent and reptiles, star labs and combination parties. If you would like more information about birthday parties at Camp Thunderbird, please call our main office at 704-716-4100 or email Tiran at tiran.thomas@ymcacharlotte.org.

In November, we held our Leaders in Training (LIT) 1 interviews for next summer.  We were blessed to have several candidates interview for the role of LIT 1.  The LIT program is the crown jewel of Day Camp and we could not be happier with our new group of LITs.

We are gearing up for another exciting summer of Day Camp at Camp Thunderbird.  The leaves may be changing and the temperature might be slightly cooler, but we have summer camp squarely on our minds.  We can’t wait to have campers cruising down the zip line and sailing along our sunny shores.

As we approach the New Year, there are a few things you should know about the upcoming summer at Thunderbird.  Registration for Day Camp Summer 2019 begins on December 1, 2018.  There will only be 9 sessions (9 weeks) of camp this year and we are expecting that they will fill quickly.  You don’t want to miss out on what will be the best year of Day Camp at Camp Thunderbird.  For those of you interested in counselor positions, applications are available on our website, www.campthunderbird.org.

Finally, if you have any questions concerning Day Camp, you can always reach out to a team member at 704-716-4100 or email me at tiran.thomas@ymcacharlotte.org.

Submitted by Tiran Thomas

Introducing Camp's New Resident Camp Associate Director...

    As Summer 2019 approaches,  the leadership team at Thunderbird will include some familiar faces as well as some staff new to the team.  Ashley Mason recently joined the Thunderbird as the Associate Resident Camp Director.  Her camp career began in 2014, in her home state of Iowa. Ashley moved to Lake Wylie in March and  is excited to serve our campers and community.  
   Ashley's favorite part of being on a team that serves youth in the camp setting is having the opportunity to see campers accomplish great things. Whether it’s passing the swim test, taking a leap of faith on the zip line, saddling up a horse, or building new friendships with their cabin mates, it’s theses moments which  make camp a magical experience for all.  We are so excited about the energy and possibilities Ashley brings to camp!