The Final Yurt

Marketing Director, Kristina Wright, created a time lapse video (in this case, 8,000 pics combined) of our skillful staff constructing the final yurt. 


Check it out!

More pics

NEW! Cardboard Baler

Camp Wawona is proud to announce its new "box crusher".
Saving both money and time, this cardboard compactor is well appreciated!


See for yourself!!!  

Watch the video on YouTube

Paulette Bair
Food Service Director
"Seeing how it works"

National Youth Workers Convention – San Diego

Proving a success in 2010, Camp Wawona was excited to return to San Diego for Youth Specialties’ 2011 National Youth Workers Convention.

One of the largest conventions of its kind, NYWC presented approximately 70 exhibits to thousands of pastors, youth pastors, teachers, youth volunteers and youth ministry leaders. Camp Wawona representatives, Kristina Wright (Marketing) and Derek Wright (Associate Director), were eager to show off Camp Wawona and what it has to offer to churches and schools. 

Camp Wawona’s booth, featuring Half Dome and an attractive display of Summer Camp photos, as well as a modern marketing set up – with a TV playing camp promotional videos, brochures, business cards, t-shirts and an Apple iPad - made certain attendees did not walk by without stopping at Camp Wawona’s booth. With sparkling eyes and animated faces, Kristina and Derek made sure they stayed awhile.

Derek Wright humbly shares,
“This year’s NYWC was a great success. We were able to share information with hundreds of potential clients and connect with other Summer Camps like Hume Lake and Mt Hermon who invited us to visit their camps. At the end of the day, office@campwawona.org already had emails from attendees interested in using our facilities, food service and activities. I’ve already made bookings for next year.”

Praise God!

"...sparkling eyes and animated face"

Lucky Draw Winner - Youth Ministry Leader

"It's not an apple it's an Apple"

Other booths

More displays

Yurts & Bathhouse Complete

Thank you Constituents, Donors, Volunteers and Summer Camp Staff for your support, hard work and prayers. It is because of you that we were able to complete all eight yurts and the bathhouse. As of August, eight Yurts were completed and just this month the Bathhouse was also finished.

The Yurt Project has been a great undertaking. From the start, the weather was against us. In May, the rain pelted us as we worked and snow shouted, “surprise” as is fell out of nowhere when the volunteers arrived. On and off the weather was consistently - inconsistent. It left no time for us to make much progress on the Yurts. Thankfully, the volunteers gave their time to other projects needing attention and little by little they were also able to construct one Yurt.

Snow and rain continued its onslaught against us all the way through June – Summer Camp. 

Summer Camp arrived, and with it, 60 staff members who love Jesus and believe in Camp Wawona’s Ministry. We knew we were blessed when this great team filled with young, energetic, good looking people were under the assumption that Yurt construction was “the coolest thing ever”! In fact, every free moment they had, the staff spent putting seven Yurt cabins together.

The Yurts did two things for our team:
1. Brought us all together - strengthening our bonds

2. Provided ownership - the feeling that you are a part of something - round, big and beautiful!

One of our Summer Camp Staff, Ben, shared with a grin and a wink,
"In a few years, I'll bring my kids here and show them the yurts - I helped build those"!

After listening to our new friends share their hearts while putting pieces of wood together, I had a profound insight (more of a reminder) of why I love it here. Camp Wawona is a haven, a refuge, a place of meditation and full of insights. It is a place to laugh freely and let joy abound in rich waves of glory. It inspires and it connects. Wawona means “a good place to rest”. Our guests would agree - the Miwok Indians got that right! 

Camp Wawona makes people better. No matter what kind of dirty jobs we are doing, whether it’s cleaning a bed wetting or a plugged toilet, or doing the dishes, chopping wood, building a yurt or using all of our energy to make a camper's day, we are here for the greater good – God.

God brings people of all shapes and sizes and all cultures and colors together in unity. We are so blessed to have Camp Wawona, a place that during the summer needs at least 60 young, passionate people to come from all corners of the earth to serve.

God gave me friends for life. I’m so glad He was my first!

Want to take part?

We have had some queries about donating.
Now that the Yurts are complete, we need to furnish them! 

If you would like to play a special part in our ministry there are three ways in which you can help:
1. Pray

2. Support - from afar, or volunteer!

3. Support financially - we accept checks, credit cards and cash

For more information:
(209) 375 6231
office@campwawona.org
8110 Forest Drive
Wawona, CA 95389

Blessings to you!

     Summer Camp Staff stocking us up for winter!
 

2011 Summer Camp Staff

Record Classrooms Turn INSIDE>OUTDOORS!

 

Over 216 students attended our 2011 Spring Season of Outdoor School.
That is more students this past spring than we had all of last year. 

…Better yet.

Last fall we had two schools, which was a good start. This fall, however, has taken off like a rocket with three schools traveling from Oakdale, Templeton Hills and San Jose to experience Camp Wawona’s classroom>outdoors. That’s not all. 
There are five more schools yet to come! 

…And it gets even better.

Spring season 2012 is completely booked!

To keep up with the increase in enrollment, Camp Wawona brought on board Shannon Taylor (featured left), an Outdoor Leadership Major from Southern Adventist University. Miss Taylor has already helped create new curriculum and teaching techniques as well as assisted with other camp duties.


Derek Wright, Associate Director, believes Shannon is a great asset to Camp Ministry. “Shannon is experienced in outdoor education as a student from Southern Adventist University, and now as a certified instructor. She is energetic and excited about her job and is technically proficient. Most important, the students and teachers love her.”
 

Executive Director, Elden Ramirez, is thankful for the multiple blessings we have received here at Camp Wawona.
“It has been a year since we opened the Outdoor School program and we are very excited to celebrate with you our success. As they contribute their gifts and talents, the entire Camp Wawona staff has been instrumental in making this program possible. With resources the Lord has provided, we are committed to continue to improve this much needed program so that every school leaves blessed and longing for more!”

Receiving positive responses from students and teachers alike makes for great news and represents our ministry’s success. Camp Wawona is proud to have a quality staff who offer top-notch instruction and fun. The love and support of Alumni and donors is greatly appreciated. Our staff are dedicated individuals who love God and believe in Camp Wawona and its Ministry – God’s ministry.          


_____     _____     _____

Camp Wawona’s Outdoor School program turns classrooms “Inside-Outdoors”. Offering an extremely varied and flexible curriculum, from academic disciplines such as ecology and language arts, to adventure pursuits like the challenge course and hiking Yosemite Valley, Camp Wawona is building a reputation for a God centered environment with passionate staff who live to share their love of God and His creation.

           



RIGHT>
(Food Service guru, Paulette, preparing a 'cook out' for two schools in Yosemite Valley)

Winter Storms Knock Out Power, Topple Trees

Define Irony: On the calendar day marked “First Day of Spring” Camp Wawona receives the heaviest snow of the year, about three feet in 24 hours. Throughout the night, trees could be heard crashing to the ground under the weight of fast falling and heavy “Sierra Cement.” Two trees adjacent to the cafeteria succumbed to the snow but fell away from the building, only damaging a historic wagon.

Staff pulled together to clear the waist-deep white stuff form porches and roads in preparation for a weekend group of an estimated 100 people. Although power is out across the region, Director of Operations Anthony Handal is fighting to keep CW’s two historic generators in operation and supplying the facilities with enough power to continue functioning. Early PG&E estimates put power restoration nearly a week away.

With another large storm scheduled to hit before the weekend, staff are preparing for another set of long days to make sure camp stays open and safe.

Derek & Kristina Tie Knot in Costa Rica

CW Staff joined friends and family of Derek Wright, Outdoor Education Director, and Kristina Malarek, Marketing Director, for their March 14, 2011 wedding on a Costa Rican beach. This added two more names to the long list of people whose marriages trace their roots to Camp Wawona.

Wright and Malarek met during Summer Camp 2009, but the sparks didn’t begin to fly until the following winter. The months flew by and immediately following summer camp 2010, the couple traveled to Europe for a Malarek family reunion. Just five days into the trip they were robbed of all their belongings - including the surprise engagement ring. In spite of their misfortune, Wright proposed in a creative fashion in front of St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria.

The newlyweds will return to Camp Wawona from their honeymoon at the end of March, 2011.