Count Down to Christmas Telethon

   Tomorrow is the day we've all been waiting for: The 39th annual Christmas Telethon!  Final preparations are taking place to make this the best Telethon yet.  

   A big thanks to our corporate sponsors who have already helped to make Telethon a success, and thank you in advance to all of you who will bid on auction items tomorrow! Think of it as giving the best Christmas gift ever - giving a camper a chance to experience camp.  As if that wasn't enough, you'll be getting an amazing auction item for yourself! 

   Don't forget to look at the items on the Badger Camp website, and to tune in tomorrow to bid on your favorite items. In the meantime, check out some pictures from last year's Telethon: 

 

Telethon is an exciting time for us at Wisconsin Badger Camp, and we hope you will join us tomorrow and see what this year has in store for us!

Dubuque Racing Association Awards $5,000 grant to Wisconsin Badger Camp

New Forms of Communication

Dubuque Racing Association and Junior Chamber International Wisconsin (JCI) funded new two-way VHF hand-held and mobile radios to Wisconsin Badger Camp. JCI Wisconsin has adopted Wisconsin Badger Camp as their state project to help raise money for these radios. Wisconsin Badger Camp is also a proud recipient of a matching grant from the DRA to help pay for the cost of the new radios and tower that needs to be built.   In 2013, it will be required that Wisconsin Badger Camp renew their RFCC (broadcast) license and upgrade to a Narrow Band Frequency. The radios are a communication lifeline for counselors, leadership staff, and medical staff as they assist campers on horseback riding, hiking, fishing, canoeing, and camping trips. The radios also give camp the immediate contact with the local hospital and rescue squad. The addition of these new two-way VHF hand-held and mobile radios will be a major part of Wisconsin Badger Camp this summer. Because of these two organizations, the new radios will allow staff to provide a safer camping environment for the campers each summer.   

Top Ten Benefits to Volunteering

1) Learn or develop a new skill
2) Make new friends and connections
3) Gain a sense of achievement
4) Boost your career options by enhancing your resume
5) Teach your skills to others
6) Improve your health (studies have shown volunteering has great impacts on people's       health!)
7) Add fun and fulfillment to your life
8) Build self-esteem and confidence
9) Express gratitude for help you may have received from an organization, or show               support for what the organization is doing in the community
10) Make a difference in someone's life

Discover all these benefits and more - call Wisconsin Badger Camp and ask how you can volunteer today! :)

Wisconsin Badger Camp: A Life-Changing Organization

Wisconsin Badger Camp changes lives. This much is obvious through the number of campers that join us every summer, and how each one leaves with a bright joy in his or her eyes. Is this happiness simply due to a great time at camp, or is there more behind it?

Studies have shown that spending time in the outdoors has numerous benefits for everyone, but specifically those with developmental disabilities. The University of Florida Extension notes that benefits include stress reduction, building self-esteem, responsibility, sensory stimulation, and the ease of emotional pain. Enjoying nature also provides individuals with a feeling of peace as well as an appreciation of the world around them.

Camp not only provides time participating in outdoor activities, but also those who are developmentally disabled a way to socialize outside the home. For many, being part of a group is not only emotionally satisfying, but it also allows them to share a part of themselves with others. This socialization is a necessity in every human life, yet is often much more difficult for those who come to camp. WBC provides the outlet they need to be comfortable socializing with others, and in turn they become more comfortable in whom they are. Friendships are formed, and the individuals are better able to live and grow in the community.

Wisconsin Badger Camp has many therapeutic opportunities for our campers, and we do everything possible to make it the best experience that it can be for each and every individual that we serve. Through our love and service, we strive to transform lives.