Camp Sunrise has another good year

By John Behling
Basketball, volleyball, canoe rides and an Umoja Drum Circle entertained campers, counselors, visitors and parents as they gathered to celebrate the end of the season at Camp Sunrise.
Camp Sunrise, located off of County Rd. 56 and 495th street near Rush City, is a weekly youth camp for inner-city kids involved in summer employment programs.
The nine-week season started in June and ended with the final visitorís day on Friday, Aug. 22. Every year over 250 kids between the ages of 11 and 18 stay at Camp Sunrise
Visitors were invited to snack on egg rolls, learn about the 29-year history of Camp Sunrise and visit a sample camp site before lunch was served.
After a diverse meal of tacos, sloppy Joes, hot dogs and other foods, the group gathered for the visitorís day ceremony.
ìCamp Sunrise is about people,î Camp Director Sarah Ullmer said, addressing the group. The final week of camp was themed ìLeadership Week,î and given the slogan ìJust be it.î
This week was designed to interest campers in becoming counselors, junior counselors and counselors in training.
Ullmer said the slogan encourages others to ìjust beî those people who are role models - those people who they strive to be. Seven junior counselors and three counselors in training gave a presentation on this theme.
Each of the 10 future leaders presented a letter to spell out ìLeadershipî Each letter was given a meaning. Ethnicity, achievement, endurance, involvement and responsibility were some of the terms used to describe leadership.
Afterwards, the Bruce A. Palmer Distinguished Volunteer Award was given to Don Woebkenberk and Jnana Hand for their service to the camp.
The award is named for Bruce A. Palmer, who helped convince Xcel Energy (then NSP) to sponsor Camp Sunrise in 1974.
During the school year, former campers are invited to lock-ins and other social events. The Camp Sunrise fall reunion will be held at RollerGardens in St. Louis Park on Oct.11.

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