Union City Girls Basketball

A special shout-out to the alma mater of our very own Delia Ulloa...her Union City High School girls basketball team played for the 1A State Championship on Saturday morning in Indianapolis. Unfortunately her squad came up short and lost to Wood Memorial. However, it was a tremendous season for Union City as this was their first ever visit to a state championship game. 

Delly Belly is proud of her Indians!

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/sports/article134960784.html

La La Land won Best Picture...for a few minutes at least

You have to feel bad for the people involved but mistakes happen!

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/movies/oscars-best-picture-moonlight-academy-awards.html?_r=0

Even the Best in Show Get Distracted

Mia the Beagle is magnificent!

Adorable Distracted Beagle

Bye Bye Bao Bao

3-year-old Bao Bao the female panda landed in the city of Chengdu in China on Wednesday. She was born in Washington D.C.'s National Zoo but she was always destined for Asia. Her parents were on loan from China and Bao Bao had to return to her ancestor's home before she turned 4.

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It will take a while for Bao Bao to settle in, however, because she currently does not speak Chinese. Fortunately she'll be looked after for a time by an English-speaking keeper.

It's sad to see her leave but hopefully she'll pop out a couple of baby Bao Bao's soon!

Bao Bao story

Famous Birthdays - February 22

It's been a few months since you've been informed of famous birthdays. Many people call February 22nd their B-day. A few of them are...

George Washington - 1st U.S. President

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Drew Barrymore - Actress

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Steve Irwin - The Crocodile Hunter

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Julius 'Dr. J' Erving - Basketball player

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James Blunt - Musician

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If today is your special day, Happy Birthday to you...have a great one!

Jameson Camp's Jeffersons

Every camp has a particular family that creates its own legacy. When you hear the family’s name, you think of the camp, and vice versa. For Jameson Camp, that distinction belongs to the Jefferson family.

From Braydon to Bryce to Brevin, the Jefferson boys have left their mark on camp. And even after baby Brevin stopped attending Jameson, the Jefferson family legacy lives on through Mama Jeana. About 10 years ago, Jeana first heard about Jameson Camp through Concord Community Center, a social services organization on the south side of Indy that provides educational, recreational and health activities to neighborhood residents of all ages. A Jameson Camp spokesperson went to a Concord event and spoke about the camp so Jeana took some information and considered signing up her oldest son, Braydon. Later on, she learned that Concord was sponsoring a child. So when Braydon was in sixth grade, thanks to Concord’s sponsorship and Jameson Camp’s sliding fee scale, he was able to attend camp.

The benefits of camp for Braydon were quickly evident to Jeana. “He was introverted as a child,” she said. “But once he started attending Jameson he became more confident in his abilities of being able to lead and speak and to get in front of people. Truly I think that’s because of camp.” After his first summer, Jeana knew Jameson was beneficial for Braydon so she enrolled him the next year. Fortunately for the Jefferson family, Concord came through again and sponsored Braydon a second time. Within 2 years, Braydon was chosen for the year-round Youth Leadership program for teens at Jameson and that’s when the Jefferson boat kicked into overdrive.

After Braydon’s success at camp, Jeana enrolled her middle child, Bryce, and her youngest, Brevin, in Jameson’s summer program. With all 3 of her boys at the same camp, Jeana hopped on the promotion bandwagon. She handed out Jameson pamphlets and helped sign people up for camp through Concord sign-ups. She also helped with school fairs, the camp’s Program Committee and was employed with the program staff for a summer. These activities ultimately led her to join the Board of Directors where she has now served for 2 years.

Jameson Camp Program Director Tim Nowak has been with the Jefferson family every step of the way and he's seen the benefits from both sides. "The boys have grown and matured through our Summer camp programs, Youth Leadership, and the steady and careful guidance of their parents," he said. "And Jeana has made it possible for us to do so much more for our campers through her countless hours and consistent presence. She is the best!"

Camp has had a lasting impact on each of the Jefferson boys. For Braydon, he still keeps in touch with campers, mentors and staff members that he worked with. "I call Jameson home and camp gave me great tools heading into 'real life' as an adult," he said. He is now involved in helping the next generation by mentoring youth. Bryce is the star quarterback for Decatur Central High School and with good fortune he'll be the next Aaron Rodgers. Bryce said, "I learned valuable leadership skills at Jameson, which has helped me in the classroom and on the football field." As for Brevin, he's already playing for the Southport High School varsity basketball team as a freshman. "Jameson Camp and my mentor gave me many tools to succeed like humbleness and dedication," he said. "On the hardwood and in life." It just so happens that Brevin's mentor is quite a talented basketball player himself...Utah Jazz point guard and Indianapolis native George Hill.

From a mom of 3 campers to a member of the Board of Directors to a current teacher at Decatur Middle School, Jeana has seen firsthand the impact Jameson Camp has had on the lives of young people. “It gives them a place to be themselves without judgment,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who supports Jameson because you have given children a place where they are loved, they are accepted, they can find themselves, and they are able to break out of their shell and become good people in society.”

A Thank You to Our Sponsor

Jameson Camp recently received a $2,500 sponsorship for the May Breakfast from one of the coolest law firms in Indianapolis...

SK HUFFER

SK Huffer & Associates concentrates in business litigation matters. When I think 'SK Huffer' I think English poet or futuristic vacuum or the author of Harry Potter.

Thanks for your support...(one more time)...SK HUFFER!

New Office Layout

Yesterday, Delia and I got bitten by the Feng shui bug. We needed a layout change in the office and by golly, we changed it! Sorry we have no 'before' pictures. Only 'after.'

The last photo shows our 'Wall of Fame.' We will add more photos (as kids) to keep with the camp theme. Another update is surely forthcoming...and don't call me Shirley!

Dine-to-donate

Next Tuesday, February 21st, Scotty's Brewhouse in downtown Indianapolis will host a dine-to-donate event for Jameson Camp. Patrons who bring in this flyer will have 10% of their order donated to Jameson...

Scotty's and Jameson have a connection in the form of JC Board President Mike Murray. He's been a business partner for Scotty's and he's also been doubling as Dennis Quaid's body-double...

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If you're looking for something to do on Tuesday, stop by and see Scotty, Mike, and Dennis!

Happy Valentine's Day

For those of you celebrating with a significant other today, be grateful that you've found love. It's the most precious commodity in the world!

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For those of you celebrating by yourself, be grateful that you're single. You're not tied down by the shackles of a committed relationship!

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Skater Day

Friday was supposed to be an all-day skater event. Delia, Ve-Lyssa and I were going to dress up in skateboarding outfits during the day and then we'd go ice skating at night. At least we got half of it right!

For the evening portion, ice skating fell through because there was a comedy concert at the stadium. Someone didn't check the calendar before planning the event. That will be the last party he plans and perhaps the last time he's allowed out. But all was not lost as the group traveled to a restaurant called The Sinking Ship...a fitting name for the day's activities!

Super-Brad

Superheroes have a way of capturing our imaginations.  At some point, we’ve all considered driving the Batmobile or holding Captain America’s shield or throwing Thor’s hammer.  I’ve even often thought about wearing Wonder Woman’s outfit.  But at the end of the day, we realize these are only fantasies.  While the characters may not truly exist, we don’t need to look far to see real life heroes.  There are a lot of people whose impact on society is far greater than the recognition they receive.  From firefighters to police officers to teachers, everyday heroes are all around us.  Jameson Camp is fortunate enough to have one of those heroes on staff.  He is the Site Manager and his name is Brad Higgins.

 

Born a Hoosier, Brad was raised in Marion, Indiana and lived there until he was 22.  He graduated from Marion High School in 1980, long before the internet was invented, and possibly even electricity.  After high school, he attended Marion College (now Indiana Wesleyan), the same college at which his parents met.  Brad majored in Business Administration and one of his first post-college jobs was with a successful auto-racing business, RACE Marketing.  He worked there for a while and did a lot of traveling before eventually returning to the Midwest and settling in Indianapolis.

Unfortunately, in 1994, Brad suffered two devastating losses; first his job, then his father.  This double-whammy happened within 2 months.  “I kind of bottomed out,” he said.  The following year Brad went to a family member’s cabin in Maine to find peace and solitude.  It was a time of uncertainty for him and as he put it, “It was literally one of those experiences where I went hoping to hear the voice of God tell me what I’m supposed to do with my life.”  He enjoyed the trip and it encouraged him to change his approach in regards to settling down.  “I had always done the conventional thing but now I decided I was going to go somewhere I wanted to live and look for work rather than the other way around.”  After visiting Maine, Brad’s intention was to move to Wisconsin near family.  But ironically enough, it was a chance encounter with one Indiana family member that changed everything.

A week after he returned from his trip, Brad stopped by Dairy Queen in Clermont.  While he was enjoying an M&M blizzard, he ran into his cousin.  Fortunately no one was injured.  With his cousin that day was a woman named Julie Marsh.  Does that name ring a bell?  Probably not because I just introduced her.  At the time, Julie was the Executive Director of Jameson Camp.  Through conversation and frozen creamsicles, Julie learned that Brad was in between jobs and that he enjoyed outside work.  She invited Brad to visit Camp and help the Site Manager, Bill Freeman.  Brad said yes and two days later he was at Jameson.  While Brad was filling out paperwork in the main office, Bill walked in and said he needed to talk to Julie.  He walked in to her office and closed the door.  30 minutes later Bill walked out of Julie’s office and said to Brad, “I don’t mean to put you in an awkward position, but…”  As Bill closed the door on his way out of the main office, Julie’s office door opened.  “Brad, could you come here?” Julie called Brad into her office and said, “Bill put in his 2-weeks notice.”  As the old saying goes, when one Site Manager’s door closes, another one opens.

After Bill left, Brad worked at Jameson Camp part-time.  It was the beginning of September and Summer Camp had just ended.  Julie was patient with Brad and she told him, “If it’s something you’re interested in, keep at it for a while and if it seems like something you think you’d like to do long-term, and it works for us, then I’ll offer you the job.”  It didn’t take long for that offer to come forth, and soon enough Brad was the full-time Site Manager.  “Brad’s a very spiritual man,” Julie said.  “I believe as soon as he stepped on to that property, he had a sense that it was the right place for him.”

Brad w/ Office Manager Carol Richard (Howden) circa 1999 or 2000

Camp underwent many changes during the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s.  More cabins were built and more full-time staff was hired to keep up with the growing population of campers.  Although the grounds required more upkeep, Super-Brad never received help from a sidekick.  “From 2000-2002, we worked on the Master Plan,” Julie said.  “It was in the plan and I promised him that he would have a full-time assistant.”  15 years have passed since then and Brad still doesn’t have a helper.  Sure he receives help each year from wonderful volunteer groups like CNO Financial, but the preparation and clean-up of the camp beautification events falls on Brad’s shoulders.  Fortunately he was blessed with strong shoulders.  “He’s very athletic,” Julie said.  “When Brad first came here, we had a camp dog named Maggie.  One day she ran after someone and he took off like a jackrabbit.  I always knew that if there was an emergency, Brad would be there.”

The worst emergency Brad and Julie ever faced at Jameson Camp just so happened to be one of the worst U.S. tragedies in modern history. After the September 11th terror attacks, planes were grounded across the country. With the camp located only minutes from the Indianapolis Airport, Brad suggested to Julie that Jameson should be offered as a shelter. Soon enough buses were pulling up to camp and unloading passengers, many of whom were schoolchildren from Mexico on a U.S. field trip. The language barrier did nothing to prevent Brad, Julie, and the rest of the Jameson Camp staff from being extremely generous and welcoming. In fact, a week later, Julie received 2 notes from children who had been affected by the event.

The first note was written by a mother: “I wish to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the loving care that you so willingly gave to my daughter and son-in-law.  They could only rave about the wonderful people that they met at the camp…the numerous kindnesses shown them by everyone they encountered.  They told us of a very nice man who took them to the supermarket and came to visit regularly.” (I wonder who that was?) “They still cannot believe the wonderful people who donated food, toys, toiletries, games, etc. and those who just took the time to drop by to see how they could help out.  We will be eternally grateful to all of you and will always have a special place in our hearts for each of you.”

In the second letter, a young girl, with the help of her mother wrote, “I was on Flight 881 of Mexicana and was your guest at the camp due to the terrorist attacks on September 11^th.  I want to thank you all for your kindness, your hospitality, and for making us, that group of youngsters, feel safe with you.  Please thank everybody on behalf of all of us, and especially me, because you made me feel at home and taken care of.  I would like to have the opportunity to come back to your camp on a different moment and be able to participate in any way to give back all the love you gave us.”  This young girl was from Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico where she attended the Hellen Keller School.

Whereas most superheroes have otherworldly powers, Brad’s strengths are in his character.  The 9/11 incident was a perfect example of Brad’s greatest quality: his unfailing, unending selflessness.  An uncle to 5 nieces and nephews and 5 great-nieces and nephews, you will never meet a more devoted family-man in your life.  Just this past Thanksgiving, Brad changed plans at the last minute to travel with his cousin and Julie so they could visit his cousin’s dying father.  “He didn’t have to do that,” Julie said.  “He gave up his Thanksgiving to help us.  That’s the kind of person he is.  He didn’t see it as a burden…he saw it as an honor.”

Brad’s unselfish attitude has led other staff members to go out of their way for him.  A good example occurred with Jameson’s ‘Go-Go Girl,’ Yvonne Matlock.  A few weeks after she started working at camp, Yvonne learned that the Bradmobile (tractor) he was using to cut the grass was broken and slow.  One day she said to him, “Brad, I’m going to get you a Dixie!”  To fully appreciate this type of comment, you have to understand that Yvonne is from the South.  Just try to picture her as Daisy Duke yelling to one of her cousins.  (On second thought…) Meanwhile, Brad in no way believed that Yvonne could make it happen.  He thought of something sarcastic to say but instead bit his lip and rolled his eyes.  As fate would have it, 6 months later, a new Dixie Chopper arrived at Jameson Camp.

“I was convinced that would never work,” Brad said.  “Yvonne has proved me wrong over and over again in that light.  She takes things on and makes them work.”  Since receiving the Dixie, Brad’s grass-cutting time has been cut in half.  Literally.  Advertisers took notice and featured Brad in this ad.

Brad hasn’t let the fame get to his head, however, thus holding onto the last of his mighty superpowers: his humbleness.  Even when presented with an opportunity to take credit for a job well done, Brad refuses the spotlight.  “The humility…that’s the clearest example of who he is,” Julie said.  “I’m sure there have been many times when he’s wanted to put his cape down.  But I never heard him complain about any activity being a burden.”  If Brad was ever presented with a Modesty Award, he would decline it and say he doesn’t deserve it.  For Julie and Brad, it always came back to the mission.

“Brad talked about how he couldn’t do certain things because he wasn’t a plumber or an electrician, but that wasn’t the most important thing to us,” Julie said.  “What was most important was that we had someone that cared about the kids and the mission.  He understands the importance of what the camp does.  He really enjoys the work we do.  He has been a gift to Jameson.  And as a friend, I couldn’t ask for anyone better.”

Tomorrow is Brad’s birthday and everyone at Jameson Camp wants him to know how truly grateful we are to have him around.  He has worked harder than we will ever know to keep the site looking as beautiful as it does on a daily basis.  Brad, thank you for your commitment to Jameson Camp and have a wonderful birthday!

Kevin Johnson

kevin@jamesoncamp.org

Where's the Bus?

What's worse than losing a college basketball game? Losing a college basketball game and losing your bus.

That's what happened to the Saint Louis University men's basketball team on Wednesday night. Apparently the driver had more important things to do than wait for the game to finish.

http://www.air1.com/news/2017/02/09/university-basketball-team-misses-bus-ride-home.aspx

High Speed Police Chase in Indy

Just a few minutes up the road from Jameson Camp, there was recently a high speed chase involving Indy police...


Hot Pursuit

Giddyup!

Steven Geeky

Yesterday, Yvonne's son Steven the computer science prodigy was in the office. He is a high school senior and he helped Jameson Camp solve a few computer problems. The term 'high school senior' is kind of a misnomer for Steven because he has already been taking college-level classes and studying with graduate students. To say that he is smart would be like saying the universe is big.

Steven was recently accepted to attend the University of Southampton across the pond, ranked sixth out of all British universities for computer science. Unfortunately tuition is a little pricey so he and Yvonne have launched a GoFundMe page to help raise money.

https://www.gofundme.com/steven-to-southampton

He's a terrific person and there is no doubt he's destined for greatness. Today, mother and son are traveling around Indy hoping to catch the attention of news agencies. Best of luck to them and hopefully we'll see them on Ellen soon!

Midwest Meteor

If you were still up from the exciting Super Bowl and you live in the Midwest, you might have seen a meteor flash across the sky early this morning.

http://woodtv.com/2017/02/06/meteor-flashes-across-midwest-early-monday/

Atlanta Falcon fans can relate - they watched their dreams burn and fade away all in a matter of moments. Sorry folks!

FedEx Cares

Jameson Camp was recently awarded a $2,500 sponsorship from FedEx for the 2017 Casino Nite Gala Fundraiser in October. Thanks for your support!

This makes them a 'Green Chip' sponsor. No word yet on who our 'Potato Chip' sponsor will be.

Groundhog Day / I Saw Stefy's Shadow

Good morning and Happy Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow...6 more weeks of winter...that's ok considering winter in these parts has been pretty mild.

Unfortunately something happened yesterday that is much more heartbreaking than a groundhog emerging from his burrow....

...Stephany Barker worked her last day at Jameson Camp. Her internship has ended...like a baby bird, we've tossed her out of the nest...hopefully she knows how to fly.

I enjoyed working with Stefyboo very much. She is genuinely kind and sweet and she is a joy to be around. There are people in our lives with such beautiful spirits that they remind us there is still plenty of good in this world. Stephany is one of those people. Here are some mementos from her time at Jameson...

We will miss you, Stefyboo...best wishes!

True Love Comes from Within

So you've been married to your spouse for 20 years, and you just don't know what to get her for your anniversary. How about a kidney?

That's how Cindy and Scott Chafian of Suffolk, Virginia celebrated their 'china anniversary.' Cindy has a genetic disorder called polycystic kidney disease and it was time for a transplant. Her husband was a match and they celebrated their anniversary in the hospital. Way to go!

http://www.today.com/health/man-donates-kidney-wife-their-20th-anniversary-t107622