September 2011- Update from the Lake!

We've been very busy at Liberty Lake since the end of Camp!

After surviving the QUAKE AT THE LAKE during post week, Hurricane Irene came to town, and boy oh boy- did she leave her mark- We're still cleaning up!  Check out this video if you want to see some crazy flood footage that Liberty Lake had NEVER experienced before, and know that we had most of it cleaned up the next weekend for Brandi's camp wedding with Kyle!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-t0GvhXaW8

The flooding all around New Jersey is hopefully helping our case that there shouldn't be four warehouses bordering the north and west of Liberty Lake, as all of that asphalt and rooftop will undoubtedly make things even worse. In addition, we are dealing with the Turnpike widening, which is also threatening our lake. Thank you to everyone that signed the petition for the DEP public hearing- it should be granted. Check out the video that a few of our amazing Teen Leadershippers created, with the help of about 50 Campers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBrBW4RAsIA&feature=related

We're actually changing the semantics of our Teen Leadership Program- 9th Graders will now become CITs- CAMPERS IN TRANSITION, and 10th Graders will be LEADERS IN TRAINING: http://libertylakedaycamp.com/content/lldc-teen-leadership-program

If you haven't filled out the 2011 Camper and Parent Surveys, PLEASE DO SO ASAP- We are starting to meet and plan for 2012, and we'd love to take your advice in making decisions on new initiatives and programs for next summer.  

PARENT SURVEY:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/32ZRCLM

CAMPER SURVEY: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8TM5CWN

We already have some good stuff that we're working on- How about this for next year: THREE COLOR WAR TEAMS: RED, WHITE & BLUE!

 

* EARLY ENROLLMENT IS GOING ON *
* UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER *

While the prices of EVERYTHING at Liberty Lake has gone up: Insurance, Bus Transportation, Staff Salaries, Food, etc- AT LIBERTY LAKE, WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING- SO WE HAVE FROZEN OUR TUITION!  Tuition has stayed the same since October 1st of 2010, as we are committed to helping our Camp Families as much as we can- We realize that most families are going to great lengths to financially afford Liberty Lake, and give their children the best possible summer experience they can- So at LLDC, we want to be your partners, and work with you through this economic downturn.  

So CLICK HERE to Sign Up, Put Down a Refundable Deposit for 2012, and join the hundreds of Camp Families getting preferential bunking with their Camp Friends, plus reserving theFROZEN 2011 RATES, and are now eligible for the November 15 EARLY PAY DISCOUNT.  Many families have opted for our monthly payment plan- splitting up tuitions over the course of the Fall, Winter and Spring!  If you have any questions, just call us in the Camp office.

"10-Year Pioneers" Cruise

We had our 10-Year PIONEER Cruise with the 28 Campers- now mostly staff- who started with us in the summer of 2002. This makes us REAL proud: 

There's lots pictures and news like this, including awesome photo albums- on our LLDC Facebook Fanpage.  We also have been Tweeting and Blogging great stuff- Check out this awesome article from the NY Times that validates a lot of what we do with our Liberty Lake 5-Points Character Development Program which we started last summer: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/magazine/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&smid=fb-share

Please fill out the Surveys, stay in touch, and let us know about anything that can make Liberty Lake better for next summer.  Look out for the Summer DVD Movie Premiere announcement soon- We already miss our little Liberty Lakers, and are looking forward to next Summer!

Sincerely, 

Andy Pritikin and the Liberty Lake Team

http://libertylakedaycamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/LLDCFANPAGE

http://libertylakedaycamp.blogspot.com/

http://welovelibertylake.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/LibertyLaker1


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Burlington Twp. Young Men’s Conference at Liberty Lake

On Thursday, September 15th, Burlington Township High School hosted their annual Young Men’s Conference at Liberty Lake. The conference was attended by all 160 of Burlington Township’s 9th grade male students, as well as several district administrators, teachers and community leaders. The theme of the day-long conference was “Man Up: Accepting the Challenge of Authentic Manhood.”

Dr. Rafe Vecere, the Student Assistance Coordinator at Burlington Twp. High School, organizer of the Young Men’s Conference, and valuable support staff for Liberty Lake Day Camp, is passionate about the issues young men face in our society today. As he explains, “now, more than ever, young men need older positive role models in their life to provide direction, support and encouragement.” Unfortunately, young boys are under-performing and under-achieving in our society. 

In his book, Why Boys Fail: Saving our Sons from an Educational System That’s Leaving Them Behind, Richard Whitmire explores the significant gender gap in which girls are dramatically outperforming boys in American schools. Here are just a few of the statistics his books identifies:

• Only 40% of college graduates (bachelor’s) in 2010 were male
• In 2007, there were 2x more girls than boys in the National Honor Society
• Boys are 33% more likely to drop out of school

The Young Men’s Conference is a timely and extremely positive response to these issues. The program consisted of several team-building challenges, a relay competition, and a keynote speech delivered by Keith Elias, a graduate of Princeton University and former NFL player for the New York Giants. Elias has dedicated his life to being an inspirational public speaker. On his personal website, Elias describes his life’s mission of “Speaking Life” to others, “I believe we live in a time when our world is breaking apart at the seams and people are desperate for real hope and true life. People of all ages need to hear that there is another way, and the choice is theirs.”

Elias speaking at Young Men's Conference at Liberty Lake on 9/15/11

Elias’ keynote speech at the Young Men’s Conference focused on several important issues relating to young men today, including making good choices, developing an authentic character, not giving in to peer pressure and creating a future vision to strive for. Elias’ main takeaway message is to be “Be the Voice, not the Echo” – to be a leader, not a follower - just because "everyone else is doing it" doesn't mean that you have to. The boys of Burlington Township enjoyed Elias’ engaging and captivating style and they seem poised to be the Voice, not the Echo.

We’d like to thank Burlington Township High School for choosing Liberty Lake as the site of their Young Men’s Conference and we applaud them- and the 30 community volunteers- for addressing the very real and very serious issues facing teen boys in our society.

Last Hurrah + Revolutionary War Reenactment- This Saturday, 12-5 @ Liberty Lake!

Happy First Day of School!

As Mrs. Perez told me this morning, "my kids would have been much happier if the Camp Bus came for them this morning!" - but life goes on, and hopefully today was a great first day of school for your family!  Speaking of school and Liberty Lake, there was an excellent article today in the NY Times that correlates directly with the Liberty Lake FIVE POINTS that we build our program around: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/school-curriculum-falls-short-on-bigger-lessons/

Thanks to all of you that signed out petition- We had over 1000 signatures, and DEP has hinted that we WILL have a public hearing!  If you want to see what a flooded Liberty Lake looks like, check out the C'MON IRENE video on our YouTube channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/libertylake1776?feature=mhee

But the main reason I'm writing to you, is that if your kids are looking for one last hurrah at Liberty Lake, this Saturday could be an amazing afternoon!  The local Jr. Greyhound Football and Cheer group is hosting a fun and affordable fundraiser open to the public (bring your friends) at Liberty Lake from 12-5pm, for $20 for adults and $10 for kids- There will be lots to do including swimming, mini-golf and boating- as well as Marty's famous Barbecue!

In addition to the typical Liberty Lake fun and fare, we will ALSO be hosting a REVOLUTIONARY WAR RE-ENACTMENT out on the Liberty Lake Point Field, with the 2nd PA Regiment:  http://www.243regiment.com/

Below is their press release- We hope you can make it out this Saturday, for some unique and truly memorable fun, that truly matches our name LIBERTY LAKE!

COLONIAL REGIMENT BRINGS HISTORY ALIVE AT LIBERTY LAKE THIS SATURDAY, 9/10 AT NOON

The rattle of musketry and thunder of cannon will mix with the sounds of fife and drum as The Second Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line opens a window to the past and presents a vivid and exciting look at the soldier of the American Revolution at Liberty Lake this Saturday between 12 and 5pm.

The Second Pennsylvania Regiment is a colorful and exact recreation of an actual patriot military unit that fought in the War for Independence.  Founded in 1966, the organization is made up of history buffs from five states who have dedicated themselves to show the true appearance and tactics of the 18th Century soldier.

This respected living history group will provide a lively and accurate look at the typical infantry company of the period as the men perform the drill taught by Baron Von Steuben to Washington's troops at Valley Forge and stand almost shoulder to shoulder firing smoky volleys from their flintlock muskets. The unit is supported by blasts from one of the finest reproduction colonial field guns in existence. At the end of the demonstration, which includes an enthusiastic bayonet charge, the audience will be invited onto the field to talk with the members and see their uniforms and gear firsthand. Several firing demonstrations are scheduled throughout the afternoon.

Each man has dressed and equipped himself as a soldier of the original Second Pennsylvania appeared when it fought the British more than two centuries ago as part of Gen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne's division. All the items worn and carried by the individuals are painstakingly hand-crafted from existing specimens in museums and private collections--from the black tri-corner hats down to the buttons on the blue and red wool regimental coats.

The men are joined by a number of camp followers dressed in 18th Century costume who will demonstrate various camp skills used by the many women who accompanied their husbands on the long campaigns.

Renowned for its authenticity, the organization has appeared in films, television programs and major commemorations at historic sites in both the United States and Europe. Information about becoming a member of the organization will also be available at the event.