Letter from Director, Kyle Kolling

Hello Camp Chi Families and Friends,

People always ask what the secret to our “Camp Chi Magic” is. In my opinion there are thousands of little ingredients that go into the magic that has kept Camp Chi truly special for over 105 years. However, I believe that one key piece is our community. As one of our three core values, community is woven into everything that we do. Every ritual, tradition, rite of passage, etc. is about becoming a part of something bigger, an alumni base that numbers over a hundred thousand people in all fifty states and across the world.

Over the past few weeks we have had a couple situations that show just how far our community reaches that I wanted to share with our community. Not long ago we received a call that an international staff member that worked at camp over 30 years ago wanted to come visit and bring his family. His children had been hearing about Camp Chi for their whole lives and wanted to see the place that they had heard so much. It was incredible for me to hear all about although he only spent one summer at Chi many years ago, it has been such a meaningful life experience for him and his family.

Just this week I received a package from someone who’s mom was a staff member for two summers at Camp Chi in the 1950’s. All this time her mom had kept many documents and memories of her Camp Chi experience. Looking through her memories were many fascinating articles. Some highlights for me included: A program for the dedication of the first boys village at Camp Chi, the 1954 Camp Chi songbook, a copy of a script from a SIT (at the time CIT) play called the Yeleds of Yeled, a letter from Chi Winkle (he truly is well over 100 years old), and a staff training schedule, and much more. What amazed me the most about these documents was that even though they were over 70 years old, they still talked about the importance of camp, the importance of togetherness, and show the passion that Camp Chi still inspires today.

Thinking about the rich history and impact that Camp Chi has made on so many has made me truly emotional about the importance that this holds for so many, and the future home that it will become for so many more. Our camper numbers are exciting, second session is nearly full, and the future is looking bright for Camp Chi. The promise that I make to each of you, whether you are camp parents, campers, staff, or alumni, is that I will never take that for granted. Although we will continue to grow and adapt to meet the current times, we will never stop being Camp Chi, a home away from home for many more generations of our community.

Thank you,
Kyle Kolling
Director of Camp Chi