So, I was just sipping some coffee and reminiscing about last years reunion and man, am I ready for this years! It is coming up fast and I am very curious about who is coming. So I said to myself, "Self, why not ask on the website to find out ." Myself relpied, "Great idea. You are a genius!" (Myself does not get out much and views me very much through a pair of severely rose colored glasses. Myself is also somewhat delusional. I have decided to find it charming.) So, without further ado - Who's coming? Post below and let me know. (Evan, I expect your name to be first!!!) And if you haven't registered, DO IT NOW! We need to fill up this joint quickly. And as we know from last year, space went fast. Click over this very minute and register. This is YOUR weekend and I want you all there! Then come back to this post and tell me who you are bringing. Call everyone you know who was there last year, and then call the folks who were not and light a fire under them, and do not take no for an answer. What are you bringing for crazy hat lunch? Who is going to be the medicine man for Indian Night? Will there be a FOG rolling in off the tranquil James? Are we too adult to still play winkem'? Let me know. Myself and I are dying to find out!

 OVER THE BLUFF WE GO!!!

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.  continue reading »

Hello all!

It was a brutal task. Driven like galley slaves by CCAA President Ann Krannitz to work long into the night, and a couple of time she quite literally flayed the clothes off our backs, but we have completed the second CCAA Board of Directors meeting. We have made excellent progress and I feel like we are ahead of the best-case time line I expected for founding our organization!

There is a lot going on at camp this year. It has never been more critical that we get involved physically, financially, and spiritually at the camp this year. Check in on www.chancoonce frequently. Sign-in when you do it so we can tell members from surfers.

--Mr. Secretary

Highlights of the meeting:

1. We are organizing a work weekend at the camp to get it ready for the summer. Dates June 9th -15. If you are like me you have the "camp jones" this time of year. Come on out that week and pitch-in. More to be posted on the CCAA page soon: Jobs, tools necessary, materials, expertise and etc..

2. Alumni Reunion! Oct 10th - 12th. Camp has been there for 40 years. (Yes, you are THAT old) Be there or be square. And I do mean you too Linda Ryder.

3. Two newly formed committees you might join:

First is the finance committee. Get involved with our fund raising policy, planning, and execution. Help serve your fellow alums by raising money for our favorite camp. There is a lot to do and we need help. Chairman of the committee is Chuck Alley. To join just click to join the CCAA-finance mailing list (follow the mailing list link in the left column) or send me an email.

Second is the Alumni - Current Staff Liaison committee. AKA Chanco Chums committee. This is chaired by Phillip Bond. His idea is to have alums adopt current staff members as Chanco Chums. Support them, send them stuff to get them singing at lunch and etc. Interested? We should have a mailing list for you to join up sometime today. As above keep and eye on the mailing list page for CCAA-chums. Join and made a real difference for a current staff member this summer!

Continue on for the full meeting minutes.  continue reading »

Hello Chanco Alums and Friends of Chanco! Read on for a summary of our first Board Meeting.  continue reading »

Hey Fellow Alumni! On behalf of the Board, I wanted to check in and let you all know that the CCAA is alive and kickin'! As Tater mentioned, we had our first CCAA Board meeting on Feb. 1-2 at Chanco. Chuck will be posting the minutes, so I won't go into too more than a quick recap as to what we did. We had a great weekend, and the board really connected as a group. This is a great asset when you have to work together! We have lots of wonderful people involved and they all have terrific ideas and a heap of motivation. I am confident that we will accomplish our goals.

Our main issue was simply the organization of our association. As any of you who have had experience with setting up a non-profit know, the initial job of obtaining this status is quite laborious. Fortunately, we were able to come up with a plan to help us move forward and it seems as though we are on the right track. We hope to have this finished in the next few months. Once this is done we should be able to start collecting dues and building on our membership. The advantage of having non-profit status will be that all of YOUR donations are tax-deductible.

A big chunk of the meeting was devoted to our bylaws. Yes, we voted on them once, without the aid of personal contact and group discussion. Since the initial vote we have had some great input from alumni and have, as a board, voted on and made simple revisions. These bylaws will once again be voted on by the members of CCAA as a whole sometime in the near future.

A few of the less pressing issues we addressed were the Alumni Sleepover this fall, the committees we need to establish (we'll be asking for volunteers later!), and the maintenance of our website. We were also able to brainstorm some fundraising ideas, which Chuck will explain later in further detail.

As Boomer mentioned, our meeting ended with a visit to Annual Council. We were more than happy to show our support for Chanco, and we were even able to make a few contacts with people willing to support our group.

I am so thankful that I once again have the chance to be a part of Chanco, and am really looking forward to working with the CCAA Board. We are all looking forward to our next meeting in April. Until then, check your emails and the website for information regarding the bylaws and fundraising, and continue to keep Chanco in your prayers.

Love and peace,

Ann

This is a letter I wrote to the Board of Directors after attending the Diocese of Southern Virginias' Annual Council February 1-3 . I hope this keeps everyone in the loop and up to date on events and issues.

February 4th, 2008

Dear Chanco Board of Directors,

I want to pass along the good works of those who attended our diocese Annual Council at the Williamsburg Lodge this weekend. There were approximately 1,200 delegates, clergy, and onlookers that were present. Many important decisions were made for our entire diocese.

Friday afternoon, Talley, Ann Tansey, and I put together a Chanco booth that focused on colorful pictures of campers at camp. It received many complements and attracted many visitors. We received our camp brochure, a professionally developed and printed flyer, and the year end report from Professional Printers the morning of Council. Not a minute to soon!!! These were available in abundance on our booth table for anyone who wanted one. Next year we will probably have a booth for the camp and one for the conference center.

Friday night the Chanco Board of Directors' list of candidates were  continue reading »

My good friend Aaron Graeser and his wife the former Elaine Marie Klein January 19, 2008 Flagstaff AZ

A winter wedding with snow on the ground in the mountain town of Flagstaff.  Aaron and I met at Chanco in 1988 in that forementioned classic October Weekend football game in my bio.  We have shared many a road trips weddings, graduations and even loss - Saturday was in essence a Perfect Circle.  continue reading »