Camp Kern celebrates centennial
Camp Kern celebrates centennial
Dayton Daily News
By Ed Richter, Staff Writer
Sunday, June 27, 2010
TURTLECREEK TWP. For 100 years, youths from southwestern Ohio have attended Camp Kern for a chance to get away from home for a week and enjoy the outdoors.
Last weekend, nearly 1,000 people former campers, counselors, and directors returned to the camp, which is owned by the Greater Dayton YMCA, to celebrate its centennial with a four-day event that accentuated The Spirit of Kern.
Jeff Merhige, the executive director, said the camp was originally named Camp Ozone when it was founded in 1910 by Carl B. Kern. It was renamed after he died in an accident in 1917.
The camp, which is located along the Little Miami River, across from the North Watch of Fort Ancient and next to the historic Cross Keys Tavern, has grown from a boys camp into a 485-acre coed, year-round outdoor education and conference center serving more than 44,000 guests a year.
Merhige said the camps annual operating budget has grown from $1.7 million to $3 million over the past eight years.
Weve been lucky to grow it a lot, he said. Weve been blessed.
Camp Kern is Ohios largest camp and the nations 12th largest YMCA camp and conference center. Programs includes the Ozone Zip Line Adventures, equestrian programs, a summer camp, outdoor education for 9,000 students a year from 22 area school districts, conferences and retreats, corporate team building and family programming.
The magic of Kern is the people who work here and its volunteers, Merhige said. It comes from the passion and the hard work of the past staffs and volunteers.
On Thursday, June 18, as staff week was ending, the annual Strawberries and Ice Cream night was held as the staff alumni welcomed the camp staff of today.
One of those alums, Jack Singerman, became camp director in 1961 and presided over a significant period of growth that included building improvements and the establishment of the outdoor education and equestrian programs.
I was so blessed with the staff I had, Singerman said. Most stayed with me for three, four and five years.
Singerman, who now lives in Kettering, went on to help Ralph Stolle and Neil Armstrong to raise the funds to build the Countryside YMCA in Lebanon. Singerman served as the first executive director of the Countryside YMCA.
He said the secret to the camps success was recruiting good people with good attitudes who enjoy the outdoors and being with children. It was the best job I had in the YMCA, he said. It was a lot of fun.
Kenan Darden of Dayton is in his fourth year on camp staff. A student at Sinclair Community College, he said he has switched his major to education because hes enjoyed working with children and seeing them succeed.
Ive never enjoyed a job that I have enjoyed more than this one, Darden said. You see different kids from all walks of life who need strong role models.
He said that was also part of the camps magic. Its the people, the attitudes and the thinking outside the box that create the endless memories that keep people smiling and keeps them coming back.
Its amazing how it stays with you, board member Paul Sacksteder said. Its the Spirit of Kern. It holds a special place in a lot of peoples hearts.