Alumni Grunt Week 2008

Hey  Chanco Alumni, yes you!  Jealous that your kids get to go to camp and you don't (sucks doesn't it?).  Well get over it and come on out to camp for an alumni work week.  We have set aside a whole week where where you can come out any day you want to get sweaty and dirty! And as if that isn't enough fun  you get to make a real, tangible, difference for the staff and kids at camp this year.  No particular skills are necessary, there is plenty to do and if you have ever done this kind of thing before, you know it is fun!  So come out, open the camp, get it clean and ready for staff training week! 

Read on to find the work list and equipment and stuff we need to make this happen.

Staff training week, many of you ex-staffers remember that week right?  Who will be your co?  What site will you have?  Who is on waterfront this year?  Will the Archery instructor go off the deep end an skewer her ex... again?  Good times, good times!  Let's get it all done so the staff can focus on training and community building to make this summer as epic as many of the ones we remember.  What have you got to loose?  What? No, you already lost that...

"Speaking of that", I hear you cry, "Can I bring my kids?"  Gah?  What?  You need to ask?  I am bringing mine.  Put them to work. Let them run as a pack to harass the squirrels.  They are your kids, muzzle them if they bite.

Contact Jenny Alfano (jennyalfano@gmail.com or (804)379-5321) if you can make it.  Let her know what days you can be there and what you can bring.  We will do our best to match you up with others and schedule work to keep you busy.

Work List:

1. Waterfront major cleanup of old trees and equipment
2. Wash camp mattresses
3. Power wash chalet's (To get rid of the pollen in the screens)
4. Raking and putting down wood chips in the camp and ropes course
5. Chipping more limbs around the camp
6. Setting up and cleaning the new tent city area (general cleanup and bed frame setup)
7. Assist Berkley and Fred with the dock if they are here that week

Necessary Equipment and Supplies That You Can Bring/Donate

Your own safety equipment:  Gloves, eye protection, ear protection.  None of us are covered by the young, stupid, and lucky clauses to life any more, and  I am sure we can all see the thestrals now.  So if you are using the chipper, let's only chip wood!

We are doing a lot of grounds clean up, moving stuff around and the like.  We could probably use some wheel barrows and tarps.  The camp has one, I'll probably bring one wheel barrow, someone else might too.

Clorox and a couple of swabs for cleaning mattresses.  Jim Tansey says a 1/3 solution of Clorox will kill all the past years kid funk and the storage funk on the mattresses.  Unless you want hands like mine, you might want some rubber gloves for this job.

Garden Hose would be helpful.  The camp has about 400 feet but more would be helpful, as some of the Chalets are a ways from water.

Accommodations and Food

If rooms are available the Conference Center usually does not charge for the space for volunteer workers.   We are investigating how many rooms are available.  Personally, I expect to stay in a Chalet as I really need to get my camp thing on. 

Food may be provided depending on numbers.  We can do our own as a community if not.  I will give you more info as I get a head count.  Don't worry,  I am fond of eating.

The Bathhouses are open as they do have groups coming in May to use them so that should not be a problem if folks want to stay in the chalets.

Wood chips will be needed everywhere so this will be a continuous job that at least two people can do.

The pool is open, dips will be available.  If Judge Smails is there, it will be just like caddy day.