Last week, the year round Matawa team (Jen, Wendy and me!) headed down to Oregonia, Ohio for the YMCA’s Mid-America Camping Conference (MACC) at Camp Kern. We spent 7 hours in the car talking about next summer at Matawa! Monday to Thursday, we gathered with friends and colleagues from all over the Midwest to share ideas about marketing, programming, staff training, camper safety, and much more! We got to hear from brilliant keynote presenters, including Neil Nicoll, CEO of the YMCA of the USA! The best way I can describe MACC is a week of camp for the camp directors! We cram a ton of fun and learning into one busy week, and get a lot of great memories and lifelong friendships along the way! The winter months can seem long when Summer Camp is so far away, but this amazing week really recharged our batteries and got us excited about planning for the next four months! Also, I might be a little biased, but I think “Camp People” are just the great! Through a silent and live auction made up completely of items contributed by camp directors, vendors and presenters, the MACC participants raised over $10,000 to help support another YMCA Camp and Red Cross efforts in Haiti. Talk about generosity! Wendy and I will be a part of the planning committee for the 2011 MACC and will help to make next year just as educational and fun as always!
Annie Hernandez