Camp Enterprise wins award at District Conference

One of the crown jewels of Edina Rotary, and a big part of our legacy of service, has been our involvement in Camp Enterprise. Camp E is the story of clubs and Rotarians working together to serve youth. The goal is to develop the next generation of leaders and it is done through an intensive three-day camp at YMCA Camp Ihduhapi. 

 

Camp E was originally brought to Minnesota from Ohio by the Alexandria Rotary Club in 1978. Three years later it was moved to the Twin Cities and adopted by Edina Rotary, and then later by Edina Morningside Rotary Club. Last year, approximately 60 Rotary clubs sponsored 120 students from 60 high schools across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Clubs identify their local students and provide the scholarships for their students to attend. Once camp starts, everyone is in for a fantastic experience as they learn about the free enterprise system and leadership development. Each student participates in a variety of new and challenging activities and is able to dive into areas that really interest them. The camp would not be possible without the nearly 100 Rotary volunteers representing over a dozen clubs. Rotarians are keynote speakers, mentors, business specialists, venture capitalists, essay readers, and planners.

 

At the District 5950 Conference held Saturday, May 16, at the Mall of America and the Radisson Blu, awards were handed out to clubs in our District in three categories: Youth Service, International Service, and Community Service. Our club, along with EMRC, won first place in the Youth Service category for our work on Camp Enterprise. 

Each of the first-place winners were able to show a short video of their project, and John Flynn put together a well-done video about Camp E. Check out this video for a snapshot of what Camp E is all about

The chair for this year’s camp is Kip Peterson, and camp will run from Nov. 5–7, 2015. Kip is holding a meeting for volunteers in the Community Room at Edina City Hall Tuesday, June 9, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. If you’ve never volunteered at Camp Enterprise, check it out! 

 

In Rotary Service,

 

Jeff Ohe

President, Rotary Club of Edina