TYME OUT Blogs!

It was really hard to see her go, but our summer intern Emily had completed her work.  Emily’s time with us has been extremely valuable for TYME OUT.  We now all know a lot more about the logic model and how it can help us in the future.  However, I think it would be better coming from her.  I asked her to write one more entry before she left us, so here it is.

I can’t believe how fast this summer has gone. It seems like just yesterday I was nervously meeting Margie and Ben for the first time, thinking how weird and awesome it would be to return to TYME OUT for the summer. Over the past nine weeks I’ve made a lot of friends and learned a lot about TYME OUT, the logic model, and evaluation. I’ve talked to the staff about the logic model and now that they have a grasp of what it is and how it relates to the Center, I’m confident that the logic model will continue to play a role in future programming. It will help define what makes up the Center, what everyone contributes, how contributions help accomplish long-term goals, and much more.

I’ve also completed some work on the new evaluation tool and I’m so excited that TYME OUT will have a better way of getting more specific evaluations so that improvements might be made and the most effective programming will continue to make an impact on the lives of youth.

This has been an absolutely incredible experience for me and I can’t even begin to express how thankful I am for all that everyone has done to help me through the potentially terrifying experience of an internship. I can’t think of anything that might have made this internship better for me. Everyone has made me feel so comfortable at the Center, I’ve had the opportunity to teach things to the staff, I’ve learned about grant writing, and I’ve been given the opportunity to sincerely make a difference as an intern. From putting a presentation together to hanging out with the camp staff and campers, this has been an incredible experience and I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity.

All the best,

Chica, AKA Emily Carl

I love stories!  They can be funny, sad, heart warming! I just love them.

When I started here I was told to always look for a good story.  Look for a story that tells the tale, tells of the mystery, tells of the passion for TYME OUT.  Well, this summer I not only heard amazing stories about TYME OUT, I witnessed them during SummerTYME camps. The SummerTYME Camp staff was an amazing group as Nick’s previous blog has attested to.   Have you ever wondered, what difference does a TYME OUT experience make in the lives of teens?   

Enjoy a few their stories in their own words!

I am a camp staff member and I love my job this summer.  I was a camper about 5 years ago.  I came here the summer after my dad died of cancer.  I needed a place to escape to take my mind off things.  I made new friends and had fun.  My camp experience helped me through a difficult time in my life.  Camp is the perfect place to come for positive optimistic attitudes during a negative time in my life.  I learned more than games and songs.  I learned about values and morals and the person I could be.  Being a camp staff here is my way of giving back for everything camp gave to me.  Camp gave me tools of optimism, confidence, creativity and character.  A goal of mine is to pass these tools onto the campers of today.++++I have learned a lot about myself from working with the kids in the past few weeks.  I have learned to be more patient, a better listener, and in some cases, more of an authoritative figure than I ever have been before.  Most of all I have grown up a lot in the past few weeks. Thanks for giving me, as well as the awesome campers, this opportunity.++++This summer I have experienced things I will never forget.  I came over a thousand miles to Wisconsin.  The journey alone would have been good enough for a memory, but I experienced more than I could ever have imagined.  TYME OUT has God’s grace looking upon it.  I want to tell you about one camper in particular that truly made an impact on my life.  My first week at camp he ended up in my group.  The two of us come from two completely different social, economic and cultural backgrounds and the first few days were rough.  The two of us clashed heads because both of us were stubborn and thought the other was totally out of their mind.  However, something happened in the middle of the week, respect blossomed.  We no longer used ignorance as an excuse and I slowly began to have great affection for this camper.  That affection and respect was put to the test a few weeks later.  His patience was tested as he and a few other campers did not see eye to eye.  However, he took the high road!  I could not have been more proud of this middle school kid, I mean young man.  It is campers like him that prove to me that TYME OUT has the power to change a person’s soul.  I fell in love with this place for that quality and so much more.  TYME OUT brings the beauty of the soul to the surface in a very short period of time! 

You have been blessed to be a blessing for others,

Kathy Wisnefski Development Director

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “team” as a number of persons associated together in work or activity.  As a volleyball coach, I know what it takes to have a successful team.  You might be surprised to hear that it has nothing to do with wins and losses.  A successful season consists of players learning about respect, giving 100% in school, home, and on the court, gaining more confidence in their abilities, etc.  Each August, I run try-outs to select members for a team that I feel has possibilities for great success.

At camp, I would use similar criteria to define a successful camp season; camp is a success if campers and staff learn more about character, gain confidence, and learn to work and live as a community.  Each year, we (the Camp Planning team) have the task of interviewing possible members of our summer camp staff.  We look for a wide range of gifts and talents as we attempt to put together a team.

The Camp Staff may not be family according to ancestral lines, but they are now part of the TYME OUT family—which in my opinion is much stronger. Nick MaskeCamp Director