Update 11/15/22 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fall Newsletter 2023
Registration Is Open for Sonoma YMCA’s 2024 Program
We're delighted to announce that the Sonoma Y is expanding to three sessions in 2024!
Session 1: June 30 - July 7
Session 2: July 7 - 14
Session 3: July 14 - 21
Early Bird Registration is open, so spread the word! For more information or to register at Early Bird rates, visit: scfymca.org/camp-ravencliff.
Summer 2023 Highlights
We are so thankful for the three phenomenal programs that bring kids to Ravencliff year after year. 2023 was another fantastic summer, and here are some of the highlights from our amazing program directors:
THE GREEKS
Another wonderful year at Ravencliff for the Ascension Summer Camp program, otherwise known affectionately as The Greeks! We once again had a full camp of kids from our parish church in Oakland CA, along with our amazing staff of volunteers who do so much to put on this truly amazing week! Swimming, crafting, singing, campfires, relay races, hikes, innertubing, epic meals, friendships and faith... We truly had an amazing week full of memories to last a lifetime!
This year was an extra special year as we celebrated our long time Director Yanni Limnios, who retired after 38 wonderful years at Camp! Yanni started as a camper and worked his way up over the years as a counselor, adult staff member and then our Camp Director for the last 12 years. He will be missed but we look forward to his visits and his continued support! We are also happy to announce Peter Anastopoulos as our new Camp Director! Peter brings a lifetime of experience as well through his many years at Camp. We are excited to have him take on this role and look forward to his leadership!
As always, we want to THANK the Sonoma YMCA, Friends of Ravencliff and the City of El Cerrito for their incredible partnership keeping Ravencliff in tip-top shape and beautiful for all of us to enjoy for years to come! UNTIL CAMP 2024!!
SONOMA YMCA
We’re excited to share that the 2nd season of the Sonoma County Family YMCA was a resounding success! More than doubling enrollments from 2022, our 2023 summer included two 8-day camper sessions and one 2-week Camper in Leadership Training (CILT) session. Campers enjoyed the traditional camp schedule with lots of choice in activities, swimming and canoeing in the river, fun-filled cabin activities each day, a morning that started with Inspiration, and an evening that ended with Campfire – usually starring the campers themselves! Each week campers enjoyed an overnight campout in the backwoods with their cabin group, cooking Adventure Stew over the fire in our brand new fire pits, enjoying special activities designed by their amazing counselors, and sleeping under the stars.
With increasing creativity by using imagination being one of our primary program goals, theme days continue to be a fun-filled tradition of the Y program. This year Session 1 ended with campers awakening to find Camp transformed into an animal town that had been flooded by the Eel River. Terrestrials and aquatic animals worked together to figure out why the water was rising, threatening their homes. Turns out it wasn’t Beaver’s doing after all, it was a dam the humans had built downstream. The camp community worked together to communicate the danger to the humans and restored their home.
At the end of Session 2, campers awoke to find their counselors had been switched with people from various time eras, as a time machine glitch had caused time to collide! People from various eras in time learned about each other through activities and fun interactions. We discovered the time machine needed energy to be fixed, so a camp-wide Shindizzle on the upper playing field generated enough power to send everyone back to their correct timelines.
We are so grateful to the parents who trusted us with providing part of their child’s summer enrichment and appreciate all the feedback we received from them. We also extend our gratitude to the many donors and volunteers who give of their time, talent, and treasure to help Camp continue to grow. And lastly, we send a huge thank you to our hard working staff team who created unforgettable experiences for our campers this summer. We can’t wait to do it all again – and for 3 weeks – next summer!
EL CERRITO
This summer the City of El Cerrito Recreation Department ran two successful, sold-out weeks at Camp Ravencliff, including a full Teen Program! Our first week was a "mini-session" for five days. Even though this is a pretty short amount of time, it was a great "let's see how this goes" opportunity for families who had never sent their kids to camp before and were worried about the long week. The second week of camp was a full week. Unfortunately we had a number of kids, almost 50, on our waitlist who we could not accommodate. We are looking forward to working with the Sonoma Y to see how we can work together to get these kids up to Ravencliff!
El Cerrito's program focused on tradition that has been cultivated over the last 21 summers, including favorite songs, campfire skits, activities, meals, and more, celebrating the magic that is Camp Ravencliff! About half of the campers were new this summer and almost immediately the excitement, curiosity, and adventurous spirit took over. Campers enjoyed the fan favorite overnighter in the backwoods, coming back with silly stories and amazing memories both times. We also had an amazing color rave with Holi powder and slime!
Highlights of our summer, according to the campers, were the "Reggae on the River" evening activity with jumbo inflatable unicorns, tie-dye and friendship bracelets in the Crafts Cabin, J-Spice’s mac and cheese, seeing the wildlife we otherwise can’t see in the Bay Area, and archery competitions (cookies for anyone who got a bull’s eye!).
A huge “Thank You” to the Sonoma County Family YMCA for allowing us to return to this magical place and for the renewed and enhanced community that they, along with “The Greeks” and the Friends of Ravencliff, have been cultivating. El Cerrito is so fortunate to be a part of the Ravencliff family and know that our comradery, teamwork, and collaboration with these groups will continue to grow and flourish all towards the benefit of the campers.
The Results Are in – Everyone Loves Ravencliff!
The Sonoma Y’s post-camp survey confirms that Ravencliff continues to work its Magic decade after decade. In addition to reporting 100% satisfaction, camper families say that:
96% of campers developed a greater appreciation of the outdoors.
91% of campers have increased self-confidence.
91% of campers gained social, emotional and leadership skills, like communication, collaboration, and problem solving.
91% of campers made new friends.
78% of campers use more positive words to describe themselves.
70% of campers have taken on more responsibilities at home.
What amazing results! Go Team Ravencliff!
Fall Work Party
At the October work party, more than 15 awesome volunteers completed over 30 projects to spiffy Camp up and get it ready for its winter hibernation. Thank you to everyone who made the trip and gave their weekend to Ravencliff!
More Camp Upgrades
Join us in extending our gratitude to Janae' "Leggs" Olson and Lawrence "Juggs" Olson! Their generous donations allowed us to complete important facility repairs and improvements at Camp, and Juggs volunteered for maintenance this summer season to get these projects done.
Peace and Abide, Tom Edwards by Don Lau
I am saddened to report that our dear friend and super Y volunteer, Tom Edwards, passed away recently. His daughter Monica Edwards Kozak posted on Facebook that she "was blessed to tend to him and be with him til the end. The world lost a big one here. Love you forever daddy."
Born and raised in El Cerrito, Tom went to El Cerrito High where I suspect at one time he challenged John Fogerty as the coolest cat on campus since he is better looking and has a much better singing voice. It was at El Cerrito High that he met his future wife, Linda. After graduating Tom joined the Marines serving from 1963-67. He was a Naval Gunfire Spotter in Vietnam from 1965-66. Back home after serving his country, Tom reconnected with Linda, they got back together and were married in 1970.
They had their first child Marc in 1972, and then Monica in 1975. Marc and Monica were definitely Y kids. They were members of the Swim Team through high school, and both also went to Camp Ravencliff from ages 7 through college.
Tom was selected Board Chair of the Pinole Family branch in 1976, which got him a seat on the West Contra Costa YMCA Corporate Board. This led to more meetings and deeper involvement with the Y as an adult volunteer. Tom followed John Ziesenhenne as President of the Corporate Board from 1984-86.
It was during Tom’s tenure as Board President that the Y received the gift of land at Hilltop from Chevron in 1985. From the moment the Y received the land until the project was completed and the doors opened in 1993, Tom played a key role in navigating the Y through the complex process of getting a project of that magnitude built. General Director Ken Stein and the West Contra Costa Board appreciated the wise counsel Tom provided every step of the way.
A man for all seasons, after Hilltop opened Tom came on staff as a massage therapist. Regina Bentley was a member who was in a horrible accident. When she came to the Y she was mainly in a wheelchair. Tom was her massage therapist. Monica, who also worked at the Y, heard her dad one day yelling in the gym, “No! Be careful!” Monica came running and saw Regina toss her walker and walk to Tom. All 3 of them burst into tears of happiness.
Update 10/17/22 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fall Newsletter, 2022
2022 Friends of Ravencliff Camperships
We are so happy to relay that, thanks to your support, Friends of Ravencliff was able to offer over $4,000 in camperships in 2022. These scholarships helped 13 campers experience the magic of Ravencliff through the Sonoma Y program this summer! An additional scholarship was awarded to a very grateful teen who, because of the scholarship, was able to attend the El Cerrito program as a CIT.
Summer Highlights
This year marked significant milestones at Ravencliff: Sonoma Y’s 1st, the City of El Cerrito’s 20th and, believe it or not, the Greeks 50th summer! We want to share some highlights from the directors of these awesome programs that brought campers back to Camp after the long Covid closure.
Sonoma, Year 1:
The magic is back! After 4 years without a YMCA program at Ravencliff, the Y program is back at Camp Ravencliff!! We had an amazing session, full of fun, excitement, growth, new friends and great memories! We took advantage of the pause the past few years created to take an intentional look at the programs and traditions, utilizing this unique opportunity to rebuild the foundation at Ravencliff and ensure it is one of intentionality and inclusion. COVID presented interesting challenges, and also silver linings, as some of the COVID-related changes we implemented turned out to be really positive changes.
As they have for decades, campers started each day with a morning inspiration, chose the majority of their activities each day, ended each day with campfire and enjoyed a truly memorable overnighter campout with their cabin group on Wednesday night. Campers awoke Saturday morning, their last full day at camp, to find that they were part of a pirate crew and that the crews had come together to beat the evil pirate Donzor the dreadful, who was threatening to release the Kraken and destroy us all! Fortunately we were able to convince Donzor to be good and all were saved!
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our hard working staff, both behind the scenes at the Y and on the ground at camp! Getting a camp reopened is a big lift and it only worked because everyone truly poured their hearts into this important work. Feedback from camper families has been phenomenal and we’re already hard at work planning next year! If you’re interested in being involved, feel free to email me at bcartwright@scfymca.org.
~ Bria “Disney” Cartwright
El Cerrito, Year 20:
This summer the City of El Cerrito Recreation Department *finally* celebrated its 20th anniversary at Camp Ravencliff! We focused on tradition and camper favorites for songs, campfire, activities, meals, evening activities, and more, hoping to recapture the magic that is Camp after our two-year break! About half of the campers were new this summer and almost immediately the excitement, curiosity, and adventurous spirit took over.
With one extended session (12 days/11 nights), campers, teens, and staff really had the opportunity to bond and enjoy a deeper appreciation for all things Camp. Campers enjoyed two overnighters in the backwoods, coming back with silly stories and amazing memories both times. Each day we hid “vintage” t-shirts from years past for cabins to search out and the end result was an ice cream party! The winners? Our very motivated youngest boys cabin!
Highlights of our summer, coming from our campers, were the Reggae on the River evening activity with jumbo inflatable unicorns, tie dye and friendship bracelets at the Crafts Cabin, Papa Peru’s chow mein, seeing the wildlife we otherwise can’t see in the Bay Area (like the young residential black bear and numerous deer), and archery competitions (cookies for anyone who got a bull’s eye).
A huge Thank You to the Sonoma Family YMCA for allowing us to return to this magical place and for the renewed and enhanced community that they, along with “The Greeks” and the Friends of Ravencliff, have been cultivating. El Cerrito is so fortunate to be a part of the Ravencliff family and know that our comradery, teamwork, and collaboration with these groups will continue to grow and flourish all towards the benefit of the campers. We are looking forward to 2023!!
~ Jenya “Sharke$ha” Jawad
Greeks, Year 50:
The Greeks from Ascension Summer Camp were thrilled to be back at Ravencliff for the 2022 camping season! As most of us said driving around that last corner coming into camp, and seeing the upper field and cabins . . . "IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK!" We had an overall wonderful return to camp and were happy to celebrate our 50th year at Ravencliff! So many new wonderful smiley nervous faces experienced camp for the first time this year and quickly became fans of the special place we call CAMP.
COVID tried to make things difficult but with careful planning and total support from our staff and amazing parents we persevered! We are grateful to have our all volunteer staff who experienced camp as campers and now come lend a helping hand as adults. Thank you to Sonoma YMCA, Friends of Ravencliff and City of El Cerrito for helping get camp ready for the summer, all your work for the last few years is appreciated! And lastly, a huge thank you to Sonoma YMCA for letting us be a part of this amazing special place called Ravencliff! To Camp Season 2023 and beyond!
~ Yanni Limnios
End-of-Summer Work Party
Thank you to the 15 hard working volunteers who made their way to Ravencliff the last weekend of September to batten down the hatches for the off-season. So much got done, including stacking tons of firewood on a new platform at Campfire, painting, repairing window coverings, rebuilding the picnic table by the flagpole, and installing a speed limit sign on the backroad, as well as general cleaning, clearing, and hauling. We were able to cross 30 projects off the to-do list!
Farewell Fingers, April 10, 1956 - July 8, 2022
It is with heavy but grateful hearts that we celebrate the life of Wayne “Fingers” Hilty, who passed away this summer.
In June 1973, Wayne Hilty attended an orientation for leaders and staff at Camp Ravencliff. Wayne was the assistant director under the camp director, Lurch. At the orientation, Wayne played a song on his guitar. When he finished the song, Lurch was so inspired by Wayne's playing that he nicknamed him "Fingers" and thus another camp legend was created. Fingers worked at camp from 1973-1976 and was a key figure in rebuilding camp into a successful summer program for the kids as well as the YMCA. Camp was never too far from his thoughts and he was back at Ravencliff this year for the May work party, and for another visit (which was his last) for a small reunion with Lurch’s widow, Laura Stamme, while wearing his red rag.
He was married to Vickie for 37 years and had three children: Andrew, Kristen, and Grace. Fingers graduated from Kennedy High School as senior class president, obtained his business degree from San Francisco State University, and earned a masters degree in music from the Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. In his professional life, he used his financial skills to work as controller/CFO for numerous companies that lobbied for his skills.
Fingers loved life and he displayed it everyday with his family, his community, and his Camp Ravencliff family. Work parties will be “Fingerless” without his personality and guitar – but he will remain in our hearts with very fond memories as we think about our Ravencliff experiences.
~ John Z
“So Long Camp,” words and music by Wayne “Fingers” Hilty, 1975
You came to these mountains and sat by the stream, let your mind wander, let your heart dream. Now return to your city, but remember those dreams, and if the world crumbles ‘round you, recall the beauty you’ve seen.
A camp like all others with cabins and trees, screaming little children and stinging little bees, but unlike all the others - this place, it was your home. When you leave here tomorrow I’ll feel very alone.
But now you must leave me and go on your way. The sun’s set again on another gorgeous day. But before you can go, I just had to say, “so long.” I know of no better way than to say it to you, than in a song.
Update 3/21/22 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End-of-Summer Work Party September 23-25
Save the date: the end-of-summer work party will be the weekend of September 23-25, and volunteers are needed! We’ll be closing Camp down for the winter, and maybe tackling a few improvement projects as well.
Please email Jeremy “Hodge” Hodgdon at jhodgdon@scfymca.org with questions or to RSVP.
Thanks for your continued support — our Ravencliff community is second to none!
Update 6/22/22 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer Newsletter, 2022
Summer Program Updates
Greeks: The Greeks kicked-off Ravencliff’s summer season on June 9! We’ll have highlights and pictures from their program to share in the next newsletter. Stay tuned!
El Cerrito: The City of El Cerrito is all set to begin its program on July 11, with Jenya “Sharky” Jawad resuming the reins as Camp Director. There are still a few spots open, and you can get more information by calling 510-559-7000, or visiting El Cerrito Camp Ravencliff | El Cerrito, CA - Official Website (el-cerrito.org).
Sonoma: The Sonoma Y has a wonderful staff lined-up under the leadership of Camp Director Bria “Disney” Cartwright, which includes many former counselors and camper alums. There’s still plenty of time to sign-up for the week-long sessions that begin on July 24 and July 31. To register, visit Camp Ravencliff - Sonoma County Family YMCA (scfymca.org). Enrollment is low, so tell all your friends about it!
Getting kids up to Camp is a fundamental part of Friends of Ravencliff’s mission. Thanks to your support, we were thrilled to offer a total of $6,100 in camperships, $4,000 of which was awarded to the Sonoma Y, and $2,100 of which was allocated to El Cerrito.
Memorial Day Mega Work Party
What a team we make! Forty devoted Ravencliffers, including volunteers from the Sonoma Y, the City of El Cerrito, and the Greeks, headed-up to Ravencliff over the long weekend with the ambitious goal of getting Camp ready for the summer. After three long years of closure, this was no minor task! Paths were cleared and repaired, ditches were dug, and weeds were whacked. Trees were pruned, and dead trees, branches, and leaves were disposed of. All of the buildings had to be cleared, cleaned, and repaired. Most notably, the cabins were thoroughly refreshed: stairs and decks were fixed, interiors were power washed, the window and door screens were replaced and repaired, and new bulletin boards and hooks were installed. Because of your generous donations, Friends of Ravencliff was able to purchase the materials for the repairs and cabin makeovers, as well as 30 new camper mattresses.
After working all day, the volunteers shared traditions from their different programs around a beach bonfire on Saturday, and at Campfire on Sunday. Everyone enjoyed getting to know people from other groups that love Ravencliff as much as they do!
And an extra big thank you goes out to the amazing Greeks, who fed the hungry masses. Our mighty volunteers ate like kings and queens!
Other Spring Work Party Updates
In addition to continued work on the camper bathrooms and drainage systems, some major structural projects were tackled at the April 22-24 work party. Cabins 1, 2, 7, 9 and 10 were retrofitted to ensure that the structural supports are safe and sturdy. Of particular note, Cabin 2’s stairs, which are now strong enough to survive the apocalypse, were rebuilt with metal framing and Trex boards. Some much needed dry rot repairs were also made to the support footings of Nurse’s Cabin. Special thanks to the Tucker family for making extra trips up to Camp to finish up these critical projects!
The May 13-15 work party was eventful as well. After 97,092 loads, it was time for our faithful old Jackson to retire. He served Ravencliff for decades, and did our dirty work. Can you imagine what clean-up after a Ravencliff spaghetti dinner would have been like without Jackson?! As we bid farewell, we also welcome a new Jackson, which was installed on May 14. A big shout out to the Greeks for generously donating the new model!
Camper Bathrooms Update
Under the direction of the Sonoma Y, volunteers continued their diligent work on the camper bathrooms during all of the spring work parties. And we are happy to report that the bathrooms remodel is complete and the updated facilities are already being enjoyed by the campers! With your support, Friends of Ravencliff funded this desperately needed upgrade. Thank you!
Build a Bat Box, Save a Cabin!
Looking for a fun project? The little critters that call Ravencliff home love our cabins as much as we do, so it’s always a challenge to keep the cabins pest-free. One way we can mitigate the problem is by giving the critters alternative housing options, like cozy bat boxes. Below are bat box plans, provided by our resident naturalist Tracker, that can be built at home and sent up to Ravencliff. If you have any questions, contact Erin “Timber” Tucker at etucker@csdo.org or 510-367-8973. Makes a perfect Eagle Scout or community service project!
https://usfwsnortheast.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/bat-house-plans9-5-13.pdf
https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-houses/
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/BatHouse.html
John Z’s Corner, Installment #2
We are off to Camp Ravencliff! My mind is swirling with ideas of what camp is going to be like as we cross the Richmond Bridge and head up Highway 101. The bus load of boys is loud and boisterous, as many on the bus had been to camp before and they knew what great adventures awaited them along the Eel River. Stories were being told about activities from the previous summer or two. What was this Pilot’s Creek all about? Eels in the river? I thought that was just the name of the river; if I had known there were real eels in the river, I don’t think I would have wanted to go to camp – yuck. The bus rumbles up Highway 101 through San Rafael, Novato, and through Santa Rosa.
The weather is starting to get warm even though it is still morning and I realize that there is no fog, where did it go? Summer days mean foggy days where I lived, this sunshine is great. Now we are through Healdsburg – never heard of it, must be close to the Oregon border I’m thinking – we have been driving close to 2 hours. When will we be at this camp?
The bus is a little quieter now with not so much activity and storytelling. I talked to a couple of kids that I know in my neighborhood who are going to camp. It makes me feel a little better that I know some familiar faces. We drive through places I never heard of – Cloverdale – with a nice downtown and a hamburger joint with a big plastic ice cream cone outside. I need to remember that place, I’m thinking. You know, I’m getting a little hungry too. My mom woke me up in the middle of the night, it seemed, to get me going – which was hours ago.
Now through Hopland, Ukiah, and now we are in downtown Willits the bus starts slowing down. There’s a big store we pass called Sidneys’, that is a weird name for a store. The bus makes a right turn and then a left turn and we pulled up at a big city park. The leader on the bus says that we are stopping here for a half hour for a lunch break. Thank goodness, I’m starving! We are all happy to get off the bus, run around the park, and then line up and get our lunch bag which contained a peanut butter sandwich, a carton of Carnation milk, and some potato chips.
The time went by quickly and soon the same leader said it was time to get back on the bus for the second leg of our trip. We threw our garbage away in the big metal park garbage can, I saved some chips and took them on the bus. The leader counts everyone. We were missing two kids, oh boy. The leader gets off the bus and starts looking for them. Here they come! They were in the bathroom. Finally, we are all back on the yellow school bus, the leader counts again and everyone is here. The driver starts the bus and pulls away from the park as we begin our final leg to this fascinating destination of Camp Ravencliff. The weather is really getting warmer now as we pull onto Highway 101 headed for Garberville.
Update 3/21/22 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPRING NEWSLETTER, 2022
El Cerrito Camp Dates for the Summer Are Here!
Camp is just around the corner! The City of El Cerrito will be running a 12 day, 11 night session from Monday, July 11 through Sunday, July 22. For more information or to register, visit: El Cerrito Camp Ravencliff | El Cerrito, CA - Official Website (el-cerrito.org)
The Sonoma Y Summer Program Is Gearing-up!
The Sonoma Y will be running two weeks of programming at the end of July through early August. Specific dates TBA. We’ll keep you updated.
Want to Work Camp?
Sonoma is currently looking for counselors and other staff, and they want you! Specifically, they’d love to hire Ravencliff counselor alums and graduates of the teen programs for paid and volunteer positions. If you’re interested, please contact Jeremy Hodgdon at jhodgdon@scfymca.org. Please, spread the word!
Upcoming Work Parties
The campers will be at Ravencliff before we know it, and there’s work to be done! If you’re interested in helping out, the Sonoma Y has 3 upcoming work parties and could use your help:
March 30: 4 volunteers needed to complete work on the camper bathrooms
April 22-25: Lots of volunteers needed to get Camp ready for the summer
May 13-15: As many volunteers as can come welcome for more summer prep
Contact Anne Marie “Oompa” at reiterannemarie@yahoo.com for more information or to RSVP.
Family Camp 2022
Sadly, we will be unable to host Family Camp this year due to complications and unknowns associated with Covid. But have no fear – we expect Family Camp to return Memorial Day weekend 2023! So keep putting aside your white stuff to tie-dye and don’t let your campfire numbers get too rusty!
Good-bye to Good Friends
We are heartbroken by the recent passing of two members of our Ravencliff family, Matin “Chops” Olson and Oliver “McFly” Greenlaw. Both left us well before their times.
Chops was part of a third, soon to be fourth, generation Ravencliff clan. His father began attending Ravencliff in the 40’s, and Chops and his brothers started in the 70’s, followed by his kids, nieces, and nephews. During his time at Ravencliff, Chops was a camper, CILT, and member of the maintenance crew. He loved the outdoors and athletics, and had a soft spot for Ravencliff.
McFly was a camper and CILT at Ravencliff, and continued on as a staff member at both Ravencliff and Loma Mar in the 90’s. He was well-loved for his kindness, unique sense of humor, and philosophical nature. Most will remember him with a guitar in his hands, maybe playing Dueling Banjos with Strings. “Laughing Eyes,” the song he wrote for Karla “Loon” Takahashi following her own untimely passing, will forever touch those who knew and loved them both.
Z’s History Corner
By John Ziesenhenne
“John, wake up! It is time to get up,” said my mom, Lucille, to wake this 10-year-old on Monday morning, July 20, 1967. As I opened my eyes, it was still dark out! “What is going on?” I wondered. Oh, right! Today I was going to YMCA Camp Ravencliff near Garberville for a two-week session. I jumped out of bed, got dressed, and rushed through a nice breakfast that my mom prepared for my long bus trip to Garberville. Man, was I excited about this new adventure! This was my first extended trip away from my parents. This was not any Friday night sleepover at my friend’s house or at my grandparents’ – this was a full-blown, two-week trip away from family, friends and my dog, Tiger.
I had many friends who had attended Camp Ravencliff and enjoyed it immensely. All the boys in my neighborhood had gone there or knew about it. It was expensive to go to camp for two weeks, so my folks told me I needed to pay for part of the cost if I really wanted to go.
Of course I wanted to go to camp! My folks and I had camping trips to Yosemite the previous summers and it was so enjoyable and beautiful. I was wondering if Camp Ravencliff would be as beautiful as Yosemite; I certainly hoped so! To pay for my part of the camp session, three months earlier I signed up to sell cans of YMCA butter toffee peanuts. Part of the sale went to pay for camp. I sold those butter toffee peanuts to my neighbors, relatives, and friends from school and church. I think my grandparents bought the most cans.
The sun was already rising when my folks drove me to the YMCA at 33rd St. and Macdonald Ave. As we got closer, I could see a huge yellow school bus that boys were already boarding with their sleeping bag and luggage. There was so much activity: kids getting on the bus, lunches being packed under the bus, parents dropping their kids off. My suitcase and sleeping bag were given to an older kid who tossed my stuff in the luggage compartment under the bus. There was a lady in charge of all this activity and I found out her name was Rita. She pointed her finger this way and then back the other way, like a maestro at the symphony, and all the work was getting accomplished to load this bus and get it going up to camp.
Finally, about 7:30 that Monday morning, the bus was fully loaded and the bus driver started up that engine. The driver eased out onto 33rd Street and drove down to the end of the street where he could turn the bus around. Back we came, all of us boys waving to our parents, and the parents waving back and smiling. Here I was, starting my great adventure, on my own with this bus filled with mostly boys I did not know. Little did I know that I was headed to a magical place in the redwoods along the Eel River that would forever change my life.
The big yellow bus made a left turn on Macdonald Ave. as the YMCA disappeared from sight and we headed towards the Richmond Bridge.
Lighty’s Alumni Spotlight
Interview with Dave “Duke” Velez
What brought you to Ravencliff? My older Brother was a Cilt and wanted me to come. It was all boys the first couple years and Lurch and Fingers were the Director and Asst Director. I believe I was 7 and scared to go since I did not know anyone except my brother who was a CILT in another cabin.
What is your earliest memory of camp? I remember my first day at Ravencliff (7 yrs old) and my mom made me sport a Beatles haircut (bowl cut) so my hair was straight. The kids called me spaghetti head and I started to cry so I went down to HQ and Fingers had me sit on the chair on the porch in front of HQ and began to play " Bo Jangles" on his guitar and sing. By the end of the song everything felt right. I had the time of my life, and I kept coming back.
How did you get your camp name? All the CILTS had nicknames during that session based on characters from the Dukes of Hazzard, and added variances based on who we were and or moments together. There was Luke Duke, Bo Duke, Leggs Duke, Darth Duke and just Duke (me).
What are your memories of your camp mentors? When I was a dishwasher, Cloud would take me to the fair in Ferndale, and we had a great time with Pony and Scotty. Endless conversations about how to take perspective on life with Juggs, Fozzy, and Bobber.
Please share a cabin memory. Two week session: We would go through "reflections" at night and go over daily "highs or lows" that occurred during the day and why. So one time was a day's reflection, and we channeled on lows and whys and got into who left their stinky shoes in the cabin, who did not keep their bunk tidy, who talked too much when trying to sleep, etc. After the rant session we all got along better.
Any particularly memorable activities? A canoe trip with cabins 1 and 10 down the river and overnighter. Buddy (Cilt) flipped his canoe and got stuck between the canoe and two rocks. Thumper and I had to run and get help and get him dislodged with the help of Fingers who was only visiting at the time.
Update 9/10/21 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greetings Ravencliffers! It’s time for another Friends of Ravencliff update:
Board News
Big thanks go out to Monica “Cricket” McDonald, who stepped down from the Board this past May. Monica had been on the Board from its inception, serving as Communications Director and then Vice President. In particular, we’re grateful to Monica for getting the Friends of Ravencliff website launched. We’ll miss having Monica on the Board, but she’ll still be involved, and you’ll be sure to run into her at upcoming work parties and other Ravencliff events.
As we say good-bye to Monica, we are super excited to welcome Laura “Aiko” Fisher to the Board. Aiko was a camper and puppy in the 80’s, and then a counselor and director for much of the 90’s. Many probably remember her for her warm smile and beautiful campfire voice!
We are also delighted to welcome Erin Tucker to the Board. She was a camper, CILT extraordinaire, and counselor in the 90’s, and her family has been pivotal in the maintenance of Ravencliff for decades. She comes to us with a unique knowledge base about the facilities at Camp, and we are grateful to have her.
Finally, we are thrilled to announce that Wendy “Lightfoot'' Ferrell has taken up the post of Friends of Ravencliff Historian. Lightfoot is a Ravencliff pillar, and has been continuously involved at Camp for decades as a counselor, director, and volunteer. She’s been working on creating a Ravencliff timeline, will be collecting and compiling Camp memories, and will be sharing spotlight pieces that highlight members of our Ravencliff family (see our first spotlight below!). Be on the lookout for updates from Lighty.
Interested in Helping Out?
Want to get more involved with Friends of Ravencliff? Maybe you’d like to compile a song or story archive, organize digital photos of Camp, or manage Friends of Ravencliff’s social media accounts? Let us know how you’d like to help!
Looking forward, we’d love to create a Grant Writing Committee, so reach out if that’s something you might be interested in. Thank you to Karen Lamb, who has experience grant writing and has already begun processing applications!
If you have any questions or want to volunteer, please contact us at ravencliff@friendsofravencliff.com.
Improvements at Camp
Thank you to Kellen "Muffin" O'Connor and Jared "Jam Bam" Jawad for helping out at the June work party! Lots of debris got hauled away, exposed pipes that were tripping hazards were removed, and more work was done on the new waterline. They also picked up a canoe that Tracker reclaimed, which had been stolen over a decade ago. Go team Ravencliff!
And the camper bathrooms are coming along! The plumbing was just completed, and the last of the major fixtures are ordered and will be installed soon. After that, we just need to put the finishing touches on the interiors, including new faucet features and shelving. It’ll be all ready for campers to return next summer!
2nd Annual Virtual Campfire
It was great to see so many of you at the virtual campfire over Memorial Day Weekend. A highlight for many of us was hearing Fingers’ heartwarming tribute to Lurch. Shoutout to Newt, as well, for learning to play Weenie Man on the ukulele! And an extra huge thank you to our fabulous and incomparable hosts, Leah and Scott “Smurf” Moore, for planning and MC’ing the event.
Fundraising Update
Ravencliff Logo Apparel: Thank you to everyone who supported the Ravencliff retro design fundraiser on Custom Ink! We sold 31 tees, tanks, and sweatshirts, and raised $420. To date, we’ve sold 292 items and made $3,644 from our logo apparel fundraisers!
Amazon Smile: So far we’ve received over $400 in donations from Amazon Smile. To find out more about how you can support Friends of Ravencliff while shopping on Amazon, at no cost to you, visit: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/about.
Lighty’s Ravencliff Alumni Spotlight
William H. (Bill) Frank - “Tex”
“You can do as much as you think you can, but you will never accomplish more.”
How did you get your camp name? Dave Stelle gave it to me because the year we started using camp names I wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. Camp names idea was brought to Ravencliff by Dave during the time that we co-directed camp. (1965)
What positions have you held and in which years? 1955-59 camper, Junior Leader (CILT) 1960-63, 1964 weekend director’s driver, 1965 Leader (counselor), Truck Driver, Maintenance Man, Assistant Director, Co-Director, Director, Board Member, Committee Member, Chairman, (LT adds, volunteer extraordinaire!!)
What is your earliest memory of camp? Of me being in camp, was of catching a fish at Pilot's Creek with my oldest brother. I think he hooked it and I brought it in, and entered it in the fish derby.
What are your memories of your camp mentor(s)? I had two camp mentors; Fred Breen, who was like a father to me, and John Gould, who was one of my leaders. John came into my life when I was a tall, skinny kid with a high voice and a speech problem. He helped me get through it with the other kids, and encouraged me to be a speaking part of the cabin skit. Fred encouraged me (forced me) to become leader of the campfire, and got me singing with a guitar (was not very good at either) but it did help lower the pitch of my voice, and give me more confidence.
Talk about some of your memories of the buses. Was always fun singing all the camp songs on the way up. This way, if you were new to camp, you would know many of the songs before you got there. When I was a camper and leader, we went up to camp in school buses - usually two. Each bus was equipped with a few No. 10 cans. On the way up we stopped in Ukiah at the community park to eat the bag lunch we brought with us. After Ukiah on a full stomach, in the heat (after 12 noon), and on turny roads (there was not the four lane stuff there is now) we made the final leg to camp. This is where we were grateful for the # 10 cans which were passed around as needed. One time so many campers (and a leader) got sick that we stopped at a local fire station and asked them if they would hose out the bus. We all got out, they opened the back door facing a field, and hosed all those lunches out the back. Still the smell was not great for the rest of the trip.
What are some maintenance/improvement projects you have worked on? How did you help? After the flood (1964), I along with my dad and brother and Fred, were the first into camp. We put in using a boat at Redway beach and almost could not get to the other side because the current was so bad. I was part of the group that worked 17 weekends in a row to get camp back in shape. It was interesting listening to my father (a steel man) and Ernie Melin (a wood man) as to how to fix different things. I helped put the lodge back together (if you look on the rock, you might see where a bolt was put into hold the "come-a-long" to pull the lodge back straight), putting in the new toilet and shower facility, later I added the second shower facility, help build a cabin that burnt down, shore up the nurses cabin, turn one of the original cabin into what is now Forestry (also did all the wiring), worked to earthquake proof all the campers cabins, build wall around tree between HQ and the lodge, many times replacing logs and then putting in new seats at Chapel, making the lectern for the front of Chapel, making and hanging cross at chapel, converting old shower room into a tool room. I do not think there is a building in camp that in some way I didn't work on.
Do you have memories from A-Team/Travel Camps (hike, bike, canoe, waterski, etc.)? This started when we had quite a few CILT age kids and not all of them could (or wanted) to be a CILT, so we started the A-team. We did not always have the extra cabin, but we did get some big tents, and they were fine with that. Don Melin, Drifter, using his own boat, and underwriting the cost, started a water ski camp and ran it for a few years. He also led canoe trips down the Eel River. We got a special trailer that would carry canoes, so we could pick the group up after 6 days on the river. We had a windsurfing camp, also.
Is there anyone you would like to give a shoutout to? My co-director and friend, Dave “Bwana” Stelle. His first year in camp as a Leader (never had been to camp before) they put me in his cabin as his JL (I was the oldest JL and had been to camp more than any other one, so they thought I could help him adjust). This was the beginning of a very lasting friendship which still exists today.
Update 6/8/21 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Work Party THIS WEEKEND!
The Sonoma Y would love a few handy volunteers to help with the camper bathrooms renovations this weekend, June 11-13. Please let us know if you can make it!
Update 5/26/21 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRIENDS OF RAVENCLIFF
2ND ANNUAL VIRTUAL CAMPFIRE
Campfire is this Saturday, May 29th!
Happy hour catch-up at 7:30, Campfire starts at 8:00
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89461890865
Meeting ID: 894 6189 0865
Passcode: smurf
See you there!
Update 4/20/21 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anybody up for a Ravencliff work party?!
The Sonoma Y is looking for a few handy volunteers to help-out with the camper bathrooms remodel on the following dates:
4/30 to 5/2 (Friday-Sunday)
5/21 to 5/23 (Friday-Sunday)
6/30 to 7/1 (Wednesday-Thursday)
If you're interested in making the trek up to Ravencliff to put in some elbow grease, let us know!
Update 3/10/21 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greeting Friends of Ravencliff,
We hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are keeping warm this winter! We have some news and announcements we want to share with you.
Board Changes
After a Herculean effort to get Friends of Ravencliff off the ground, Cara "Tonka" Houser has stepped down as Board President. While she is no longer on the board, she will continue to serve as a board advisor, and you can expect to see her around at work parties and camp events. Anne Marie "Oompa" van Amson has assumed the role of Board President, and Monica "Cricket" McDonald has stepped in as Vice President. Eva "Yoda" Russell and Andy van Amson will continue serving as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. Fundraising Coordinator Marni Higgins also will remain on the board, as will Chris Jones, Recreation Director for the City of El Cerrito.
Now the exciting part: we are so pleased to announce new additions to the Friends of Ravencliff Board!
John “Z” Ziesenhenne has been helping Friends of Ravencliff with our insurance from day one, but will now officially be joining the board. John started as a camper in 1967 when he was 10 years old, and then worked as a leader and with maintenance. He joined the Richmond YMCA Board of Directors when he was just 18 years old. The Y had to change its bylaws from requiring directors to be 21 so that he could be on the board! He says, "When I go to camp it is like seeing an old friend."
Kellen "Muffin" O'Connor has been attending El Cerrito's Ravencliff Camp for almost two decades, first as a camper and now as the TILT Director. EL Cerrito's TILT Program is much like the Puppy or Clasp programs many of us grew up with in the YMCA Program. Kellen knows Ravencliff inside and out, and is an absolute whirlwind when it comes to getting things done!
Mark “Slug” Murnane was a counselor and director with the YMCA Program in the 80’s and 90’s. He’s lived in Jakarta for the last decade or so, but we’re super excited that he’s moving back to the United States and will be settling nearby in Davis.
Dan “Toast” Lawson From camper to Director, Dan has seen Ravencliff from all perspectives and we are excited to add him to our board.
Repairs to the Lodge Roof
This January, a small but mighty crew led by Jay Tucker headed up to camp to perform some much needed repairs to the lodge roof. Thank you to Jay for donating the materials for the job, and to him and his team for putting in such a long day to get the job done!
Camper Bathrooms Renovations
A big thank you to all who have contributed to Friends of Ravencliff -- your donations have made it possible for us to fully fund the camper bathrooms remodel! Demolition started during the fall, and the project is coming along. Special thanks to Lemmy (Matt Lang), Snoopy (Dave McDonald), and Dave Houser, who headed up to camp last weekend to help the Sonoma crew sheetrock the girls bathroom and prep it for FRP panels. While they were there, they also repaired a fire suppression pipe leak.
Sonoma would love a few skilled volunteers who are willing to help out again on March 26-27. For more information, please email Oompa (Anne Marie) at reiterannemarie@yahoo.com.
Summer 2021
Unfortunately, the Sonoma YMCA will not be able to launch its program this summer due to Covid complications. But like us, they are eager to get kids back to Ravencliff as soon as the pandemic situation is under control. El Cerrito and The Greeks have not yet made final decisions as to whether they will be able to run programs this year. We’ll keep you updated with any good news!
Ravencliff Hoodies
A number of people have been asking about Ravencliff sweatshirts, so we’ve started a new round of hoodie orders. We have regular and zip hoodies in six different colors that all have “RAVENCLIFF” proudly displayed on the back. You can check out the options and order until March 21 at Ravencliff Hoodies Are Back! Custom Ink Fundraising.
Amazon Smile
If you haven’t already, please consider designating Friends of Ravencliff as your charity on Amazon Smile. It’s super easy to do, and when you shop, Amazon will donate .5% of your purchase to Friends of Ravencliff at no cost to you. It’s like free money for camp! Here’s how to do it: Amazon Smile.
And thank you to the 24 Ravencliffers who have already supported Friends of Ravencliff though Amazon Smile and earned contributions of more than $250
Goodbye to Good Friends
We are saddened by the recent loss of three esteemed and well-loved members of our Ravencliff family, Randy "Lurch" Stamme, John Weeks, and Olajuwon "Superman" Thornton. They will be missed, but their love for camp and the contributions they made will live on in our memories and in the camp magic they helped create.
Lurch was a counselor and director in the 1970s and, notably, was the camp director when Ravencliff began welcoming girls. He is often remembered for single-handedly rebuilding the fences along the path between the Crafts and Nurse's cabins, which many affectionately refer to as "Lurch Lane." Duke remembers, "He told the scariest Ringer story I ever heard. We used to have a find and capture Lurch game and he would wash everyone’s dishes. He leaped from the deck of the lodge onto line up in one swoop to escape and kept on running. Never did get captured. Amazing person."
John Weeks was the fearless Richmond YMCA Executive Director for many years. John Z recalls, “He loved Camp Ravencliff very much and was very involved with the Y Indian Guides and Family Camp. He had the foresight to hire Big Lurch to be the camp director, which was probably the best Y decision for us Ravencliffers. He was very supportive of budgeting money for camp Ravencliff, making sure the facility was kept up. He was also very supportive of work parties and Ravencliff was one of his priorities."
Superman was a counselor at Ravencliff in the summers of 2004 & 2005. John “Vido” Diba says, “Superman was a good friend and a great person! The kids loved him! He had such a big personality that filled the room with joy!”
Lurch and John’s families have suggested that friends can honor them by making a contribution to Friends of Ravencliff. If you would like to make a contribution in honor of either of these great men, please visit Friends of Ravencliff donation and mention them when you donate. Your donations will fund projects in their names.
Message from Departing Board President
Dear Friends of Ravencliff,
I can hardly believe it’s been over two years since we started this journey together, spurred by our collective love of camp and our shared passion for protecting its future.
Your energy and support have long been the lifeblood of camp, and I thank you for your commitment of time, talent, and treasure to see Ravencliff through its most recent transition in ownership, where it has landed in the safe and capable hands of the Sonoma Y.
I’m thrilled to see our vision coming to fruition:
Unification. We have united all of camp’s support systems into a unified group (Sonoma Y, Friends/Alums, El Cerrito, and the Greeks).
Organization. We have established the Friends of Ravencliff non-profit entity, Board, and systems, all of which are set up to maintain stability well into the future as well as welcome changes in leadership over time.
Fundraising. We have raised over $40K to fund capital improvements and camper scholarships, which will help ensure camp’s legacy as a welcoming and inclusive home away from home for the next generation. The bathroom renovations are underway and volunteers have traveled to camp to assist with this and other repairs as needed, even through the tumult of 2020 and 2021.
As I leave the Board, I’m filled with gratitude for my fellow founding and new Board members, and for all of you who have reached out to support camp in so many essential ways. I’ll see you at future work parties, fundraisers, and Family Camp, and am excited to see camp enter its next chapter and shine even brighter in the hearts of all of us who have experienced the gift of its magic and now humbly share it forward.
In Gratitude,
Cara “Tonka” Houser
Update 2/20/20 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Camp counselor opportunities at YMCA Camp Ravencliff
Hello! We have received word from the Sonoma YMCA that they are actively hiring for counselors at Camp Ravencliff. If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out to us and Friends of Ravencliff or to the Sonoma County Family YMCA directly. This is a great opportunity to keep the culture of Ravencliff that we all know and love alive and thriving!
The person in charge of hiring for the Summer is Jeremy “Hodge” Hodgdon His email address is: jhodgdon@scfymca.org
Please pass this information along to anyone you feel will add to the magic of Camp.
Update 12/12/19 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's the latest update!
Here's the latest update!
We just received dates for Sonoma Family YMCA's Summer program. They will be running Camp at Ravencliff from June 28th to July 12th. So, save the dates! Sign up information will be available soon.
The city of El Cerrito also has their dates set for Summer. They will be at Ravencliff from July 20th to August 1st. Please check their website for sign up information when it is available. The City of El Cerrito Summer Camp
We have also received projected timelines for the Great Bathroom Renovation! The plan is to tackle this at the Spring work party. If you know any skilled plumbers and electricians that would be interested in donating their services, please let us know and we can pass the information along to the Sonoma Y.
If you are interested in participating in the Spring work party, there will be plenty of other projects to be done as well. On our list are: Adding a small storage shed, rebuilding the stairs behind the kitchen, repairing the deck on Nurse's, re-paint benches at campfire and countless other items that will need upkeep after Winter is over.
We greatly appreciate everyone that has supported us so far. Your donations will be put to good use! Now that we have the Great Bathroom Renovation in motion, future donations will go toward camperships and future projects.
Please share this update with anyone that might be interested. And, thank you for your patience as we continue to seek the best ways to keep the Ravencliff Magic alive!
Update Fall 2019 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s update time!
Summer at Camp Ravencliff has come to a close and it was a great success. The Greek Orthodox Church and the City of El Cerrito both came back happy and full of Ravencliff magic. We are very much enjoying working with both of these groups, as well as the Sonoma YMCA, to keep Camp alive and thriving.
We are all heading up to Camp 9/20 through 9/22 for a work party. If you would like to participate and help us put Camp away for the winter, please let me know. We can be reached through a FB message or an email: Ravencliff@friendsofravencliff.com
In official news, we have received our IRS letter of designation for a 501(c) (3). This means that we now show up in a national registry as a non-profit entity. So, if you have employers that offer matching funds for donations, now is the time to ask them to contribute!
The offspring of The Friends of Ravencliff, self-titled The Future of Ravencliff, have also been hard at work raising funds. They had a bake sale over the summer and raised $100! With these kids on our side, the future looks promising.
We are still raising funds to redo the bathrooms at camp. We will be assessing what needs to be done during this work party. After this we will have a solid plan as far as what can be done and what the cost will be. So, keep those donations coming!
Thank you again for your continued support!
Update 5/22/19 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ravencliff Transition Update & Call for Support
Dear Friends of Ravencliff,
It’s been a while since we’ve had an update for you, and we’re thrilled to be able to share some exciting news about the future of camp.
Over the past several months the YMCA of the East Bay has been working to identify options for camp’s transition to new ownership. As you know, our group of supporters has identified important priorities for this transition, including securing a new owner who has a history with camp and intends to continue to offer it as a transformative experience for generations of campers to come.
We are thrilled to share that these objectives have been realized and that camp has been transferred to the Sonoma County Family YMCA as of May 22, 2019.
What are the details of the transition?
The Sonoma Y has long sent campers, teens and staff to Ravencliff and are so excited to continue our rich tradition. They are eager to partner with us, the Greeks, and other longtime camp supporters like the City of El Cerrito, which has run a summer camp in the Y’s Ravencliff tradition for nearly 20 years.
This spring the Greeks and the Friends of Ravencliff partnered with Tracker (our camp caretaker) at work parties to complete the annual summer preparation tasks. Both the Greeks and El Cerrito are slated to run their summer programs. The Sonoma Y plans to expand the calendar next summer to provide more opportunities for kids to experience the magic of camp.
We are so grateful to all of you who’ve shown and spoken of your love for camp and the gift it has been to all of our families, some for several generations. The YMCA East Bay leadership heard us and together we’ve helped shepherd camp toward its next incredible chapter.
What about Ravencliff’s future?
Just as camp has always relied on a loyal core of passionate alumni, it will need us all more than ever to help facilitate a smooth transition and to build a foundation for a sustainable future. The facilities at camp have proven to be durable, but are in serious need of maintenance, repair, and in some cases, replacement.
We envision a strong partnership moving forward with the Sonoma Y where we provide ongoing support both in the form of volunteering time and donating funding to assist with capital improvements and camper scholarships. Camp costs plenty of money just for the day-to-day operation and upkeep. Funds for larger improvements have historically come from charitable giving campaigns.
How can I help?
Over the last few months we’ve established a 501c3 organization dedicated to preserving Ravencliff’s facility and programs for future generations.
We are now launching the first of what will become the Annual Friends of Ravencliff Giving Campaign. Our goal is $50,000 this year, and we’re encouraging supporters to commit to an ongoing annual gift. This year’s proceeds will go to fund a much-needed overhaul of the camper bathrooms. We will collaborate with the Sonoma Y to develop a longer-term list of priorities for upgrades at camp, and future years will include a portion of funds specifically dedicated to camper scholarships.
We also need to grow our contribution to camp through volunteering at work parties. These are the essential backbone that keep camp functioning and in good repair.
Let’s work together to keep camp alive, thriving, and full of magic for years to come. Your donation of time, talent, and treasure of all sizes is needed and very much appreciated. Please visit our donation website to contribute and share this link with your friends, family, and on social media. Click Here to Donate
Thank you so much for all you’ve done and continue to do to ensure a bright future for camp.
In Ravencliff Love,
Friends of Ravencliff Board
Cara “Tonka” Houser, President
Andy “Panda” van Amson, Treasurer
Eva “Yoda” Russell, Secretary
Monica “Cricket” Forsythe, Communications
Anne Marie “Oompa” van Amson, Historian
Update 2/26/19 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello All!
I know it has been awhile since we've had an update. That is because there really hasn't been much to report. Until NOW!
Friends of Ravencliff is officially a Non-Profit! We will be expanding our Board of Directors in the near future to include members of multiple generations of Camp. Our immediate goals will be raising funds for camperships and capital improvements of Ravencliff.
The future of Ravencliff is still uncertain at this time. The YMCA of the East Bay is in talks with a few entities that may be interested in purchasing Camp. These are groups that we know and trust to maintain the legacy of Ravencliff. We are hoping to have more concrete answers soon.
The Greeks and the City of El Cerrito are still running programs at Ravencliff this summer. So at least Camp will be used and loved this season and not lay dormant.
There will be more information to come and I am sorry I cannot totally put your minds at ease right now. Please know we are working consistently behind the scenes to keep Camp alive for the future.
Peace and Abide,
Monica "Cricket" Forsythe