WHERE IS TAMAKWA?
In Algonquin Park, Ontario....175 miles (280 kilometers) north of Toronto (2.5 hour drive).
ALGONQUIN WHAT?
Algonquin Provincial Park. It was established as a wildlife preserve in 1893, and is one of the largest recreational areas in North America -- 3,000 square miles in area, with 2,000 charted lakes, 1500 ft. above sea level. The water is drinkable and the air is ideal for hay fever and asthma patients. Algonquin is the most celebrated canoe trip area on any continent. Campers travel from around the world to go camping in Algonquin. For us, it is our backyard.
WHAT ABOUT TAMAKWA'S ORIGIN?
Tamakwa began in 1936 and was founded by naturalist Lou Handler of Detroit, and Omer Stringer, renowned Canadian canoeist and guide.
WHO ARE THE CAMPERS?
Boys and girls aged 7-16. A special Junior Tamakwan program is offered for 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders. Camp accommodates 300 children per session.
WHERE ARE THE CAMPERS FROM?
Camp is primarily comprised of Canadians and Americans. The Canadians are mostly from Toronto, but also from Montreal, Ottawa, Windsor, London, Hamilton, and other communities. The Americans are predominantly from the Detroit area, with groups from Buffalo, Rochester, Ohio, New York, California, Chicago, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and all points in between. Tamakwans also come from Mexico, Israel, and Europe.
WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE OFFERED AT TAMAKWA?
Here they are. Keep in mind that all activities are instructional at all levels -beginner through advanced. In swimming, we use the Red Cross and Life Saving Society award levels. Other activities are on our own Tamakwa award level program.
WATERFRONT
SWIMMING – competitive, Red Cross Swim Kids instruction & distance swimming.
CANOEING – all skill levels, style paddling, canoe tripping, and safety.
SAILING
WINDSURFING
KAYAKING
FISHING
LANDSPORTS
SOFTBALL and BASEBALL
*BASKETBALL
*IN-LINE SKATING/HOCKEY
VOLLEYBALL
HALF-COURT TENNIS
ARCHERY
FOOTBALL
SOCCER
HORSESHOES
PING PONG
TETHERBALL
NOK HOCKEY
SHUFFLEBOARD
WHIFFLE BALL
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
CANOE TRIPPING – out-trip excursions.
DAY EXCURSIONS
ROPES TASK COURSE – High and Low elements.
CLIMBING WALL
HIKING (day trips or overnights)
NATURE CRAFT - OUTDOOR EDUCATION
CREATIVE ARTS
ARTS & CRAFTS
CLAY ART
DRAMA (Musicals)
MUSIC
WOOD-WORKING & PADDLEMAKING
MEDIA
RADIO
VIDEO (CAMP T.V.)
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
TRIATHLONS
DISTANCE SWIMS
COOKOUTS
INTER-CAMP COMPETITIONS
ALL DAY THEME PROGRAMS
ALL DAY EXCURSIONS
* Tamakwa's SPORTS COMPLEX with a high-tech synthetic "Sport Court" surface was built in
1994. It includes a basketball court and roller blade rink for both hockey and recreational in- line skating. Instruction in skating and hockey is programmed for all ages, boys and girls alike.
HOW MUCH STRUCTURE IS THERE IN THE PROGRAM?
Two of the five daily activity periods are organized in cabin groups, as are the canoe trips and many other activities. The remaining three periods are individual choice. Our scheduling formula provides every camper equal exposure and access to each camp activity. The individual-choice periods allow campers to pursue their favorite activity. Every period is scheduled and every person in camp has a place to be. Free-play periods are before and after dinner. So, the hours of the day tilt in favor of structure, although there is ample time to do your own thing. The younger campers are given more direction and supervision in the use of their free time.
CREATIVE PROGRAMS
Tamakwa is well known for its special "All Day Programs" incorporating a creative theme with team competition in all camp skills. These special programs begin and end with a spectacular surprise presentation called the "Break", and they are scheduled equally in each camp session.
STAFF...WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY SELECTED?
Our administrative staff is made up of professionals with cast experience in camping or education. The counseling staff is primarily composed of university students, many of whom are former campers or people involved in education. All have had camping experience and they have come to us either because we've sought them out for their qualifications or because they sought us out based on our reputation. They are screened through applications, references and personal interviews. Our staff is diverse and frequently come from around the USA, Canada as well as England, Australia, New Zealand and many of the same places as our campers.
MEDICAL STAFF ON HAND?
Full-time nurses and a physician are in residence. We have a clinic with daily "sick-call" and an infirmary. The nearest hospital is 30 minutes away in Huntsville, and is a new and modern facility, which has competently serviced all the area camps for many years.
HONESTLY, HOW IS THE FOOD?
Well, according to a TORONTO STAR food columnist, it's very good. Tamakwa's kitchen is operated by a professional catering service. The food is prepared on-premises and breads and baked goods are homemade. The three daily meals have three courses each. The menu has been designed with the utmost consideration for nutritional balance, variety, and children's tastes. While the regular menu includes meat, an alternative menu is available for vegetarians. In addition, a fresh fruit snack is served daily, as well as a light snack before bed.
We eat family style, everyone in the dining hall at one time. One morning a week, we have a sleep-in and a buffet brunch is served.
WHAT IS THE HOUSING LIKE?
Everyone lives in cabins, substantial wood cottages with electricity. There are bathroom facilities (we call them "biffies") in all of the girls' cabins and in those housing the youngest and oldest boys. The middle range boys share the use of a central biffy or community bathroom facility in the vicinity of their cabins. The cabins have been the focal point of a major rebuilding program begun in 1982. Since that time, we have restored or totally replaced every camper cabin.
DOES TAMAKWA HAVE ANY RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION?
Most of the campers and staff are Jewish, but many are not. Tamakwa is not a religious camp and has no affiliation with any synagogue, church, or agency. We are one big happy family where everyone feels perfectly at home. Traditionally, we say grace at meals and have a liberal Friday night Sabbath observance. Friday night services, as we call them, are of a creative non-worship nature... usually reflecting on a particular theme such as friendship, nature, cooperation, etc. It's our "time out" from the busy week to have a quiet evening. The nicest thing about these contemplative services is the camp family assembling together on our "Slope" overlooking the spectacular view of our South Tea Lake.
ISN'T TAMAKWA TOO FAR AWAY FROM HOME FOR A CHILD?
It's all relative. For the three generations of campers (all ages) who have come predominantly from Detroit (385 miles), it apparently is not too far. Nor is it too far for the children who return year after year from the west coast, east coast, the Midwest, and the South including Mexico. The attraction: an intimate camp community where every child is surrounded by the security of people who care, where each child feels the sense of belonging to something with tradition and continuity, where community as opposed to competition is the emphasis, where the beauty and cleanliness of the environment is renowned and matched by few other spots in North America, and where the two most important priorities are safety and fun. Experience tells us that if a child has all that, it doesn't matter if the camp is 50 miles away from home or 500 miles away from home. It has always been the "away from home" part that affects a child; not so much the actual distance. We are, of course, only a phone call away. Homesickness, when it occurs, is dealt with sensitively and with success.
DOES TAMAKWA CATER MORE TO OLDER THAN TO YOUNGER KIDS?
Somehow Tamakwa was once considered to be suited more to older campers than younger. It simply isn't so. We pride ourselves on our rustic setting, but offer the amenities necessary for a feeling of comfort and security. Every camper -- regardless of age -- gets equal exposure and access to all camp activities. Each instructional program is geared to the individual's age and physical capability. Many of the evening programs are organized by age groups, and those involving the entire camp offer activity that caters to each age level. Our "Junior Tamakwan" program offers a special two-week session to accommodate children in grades 1, 2, & 3 who may be coming to overnight camp for the first time. This program was carefully designed to give the youngest campers the same sense of achievement, challenge and fun as that experienced by the oldest. Canoe trips, for example, are meant to be positive experiences for every age. For the youngest, the trips are tempered to their abilities so that the experience is enjoyable, easy, and at the same time full of adventure.
WHAT IS TAMAKWA'S CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY?
Funny you should ask. Our alumni span the range of professional life. Former campers have gone on to become some of North America's most respected members of the political, medical, legal, business and entertainment communities, just to name a few. Tamakwa has produced a U.S. Senator, Congressman, federal judges, and a NASA space shuttle astronaut. Among Tamakwa's most notable alumni in entertainment are Chevy Chase and the late Gilda Radner. Dan Aykroyd became an honorary Tamakwan when he visited in 1986 to do a special Tamakwa rendition of the Blues Brothers. And three alumni still very involved with Tamakwa are filmmakers Sam Raimi, Mike Binder, and Warren Zide. Sam's most recent success was directing Spiderman. Binder is a character actor and writer/director of HBO's Mind of the Married Man. Zide is a producer, best known for American Pie. Sam and Mike are connected with the film INDIAN SUMMER, a Disney/Touchstone picture based on -- and filmed at -- Camp Tamakwa in 1992. Mike wrote and directed it; Sam was in the cast.
IN A SENTENCE, WHAT IS TAMAKWA'S PHILOSOPHY?
Tamakwa provides a place where young people can grow and develop both individually and collectively; to learn the skills of everyday living and giving; develop positive physical, emotional, and ethical values and habits through the day-to-day example of experienced and highly motivated adults; and to learn by real experience the worth and value of one's self and of others. And one more sentence....to do ALL this in a nurturing secure environment, situated in a pristine wilderness setting where they learn to appreciate the wonders of nature.
IS TAMAKWA AN ACCREDITED CAMP?
Tamakwa is an active, participating, and accredited member of the Ontario Section of the Canadian Camping Association, the Ontario Camping Association. Tamakwa's directors are accreditation inspectors for the Ontario Camping Association.
WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT TAMAKWA?
Trying to pinpoint Tamakwa's appeal to three generations of campers and staff is no easy task. Tamakwa has been called a "people camp". While the physical facility is top notch in every way, Tamakwa's magic has always been the intangible quality of warmth and camaraderie among the camp family. That's what we are, a family. The camp is a small intimate place where everyone knows each other. Personalized attention is an uppermost priority with two counselors caring for a cabin of eight to fourteen campers, depending on the age of the group. Above all, Tamakwa is known for its spirit. Singing, cheering, and traditional values of camping are the mainstays of our camp life. To our minds, these values provide an important balance to the highly technological lifestyles of today's urban youth.
WHAT ARE THE CAMP SESSIONS?
Tamakwa has two sessions of four weeks each. Many campers stay for BOTH sessions. Camp dates for 2008:
JULY SESSION: Sunday, June 29 – Saturday, July 26
AUGUST SESSION: Sunday, July 27 – Saturday, August 23
In addition, our "JUNIOR TAMAKWAN" program offers two-week sessions (limited to first time campers only) for children in grades 1,2, or 3 only (we go by their grade at the time of registration.). They have the option to remain for the full 4-week session. The two-week sessions are:
JULY SESSION: Sunday, June 29 – Sunday, July 13
AUGUST SESSION: Sunday, July 27 – Sunday, August 10
WHEN IS VISITING DAY?
There is ONE visiting time at Tamakwa this summer -- Saturday, July 26. It's an open house affair for most of the afternoon with special demonstrations, and a buffet lunch for campers and visitors to enjoy together. This is also the changeover between sessions. Families of first session can visit camp that day, and then take their children home. Families of second session campers may bring their children to camp on Visiting Day, spend the day with us, and then drop off their children the next day (Sunday) to begin their session.
HOW CAN WE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TAMAKWA?
You can start by contacting either one of Camp Tamakwa's winter offices:
1760 S. TELEGRAPH ROAD
SUITE 300
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICHIGAN 48302
248-335-6400
161 EGLINTON AVE EAST
SUITE 501
TORONTO, ONTARIO M4P 1J5
416-924-7433
E-MAIL (only in the OFF-season -- September to June): howhow@tamakwa.com
VISIT OUR INTERNET WEBSITE:
It's practical – loaded with information about camp.
It's fun – loaded with features like screen savers, calendar, slide show and much more.
The next best thing to actually being at camp, the website gives you a flavor of Tamakwa tradition, spirit, and lore.
IN 1936 WE BEGAN TO BUILD AND WE HAVE NOT STOPPED YET......
