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True Friends
Family of Services
There is space available for your group at camp! Call today to reserve.
Team Quest
Team-building programs for schools and companies. Visit  Like us on Facebook  to see what awakening potential looks like.
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Our respite services provide families with a much-needed break and are licensed by the MN Department of Human Services. The 2015 schedule is available now! 

Features group trips and customized travel planning.
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Finance position and more

October 31, 2014
NEWS & NOTES     Keeping you connected with camp
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Winter camp is only two months away, but there is still a lot going on at True Friends! Groups from all over are enjoying the scenic facilities during retreats and Team Quest excursions. You can sign up now for Winter Camp at Camp Friendship and Camp Courage on Dec. 27-31 or browse our 2015 respite schedule for year round weekend options. You can also stay connected Facebook and Twitter

 Camp Spotlight
Fall Family Camp 
   
Families enjoyed a gorgeous fall weekend at Camp Courage filled with quality time together and classic camp activities. Participants enjoyed tie-dyeing, climbing the rock wall, pool and gym time and pumpkin carving. They also got a chance to meet our True Strides equine staff at the barn. Thank you to the families for the gift of friendship and to the Prouty Project for their kind donation of program supplies. Families every year rave about the stress-free environment they experience at this camp. Being surrounded by families similar to theirs and having the support of caring staff members takes away any vacation anxieties they may face. The staff motto for this weekend is 'you bring the family, we'll provide the memories!'
Volunteers

Mitch Sikorski learned about True Friends from his special education class at St. Cloud State University. The class requires a 20-hour service learning opportunity and Mitch signed up for a Respite weekend. Staff and campers enjoyed having Mitch as a volunteer - so much that one camper wouldn't stop asking for Mitch to come back to camp! Hearing the impact he had on this individual, Mitch applied for a staff position with Respite and has since worked many weekends - and even a few weeks during summer camp! He is also a staff member with Team Quest. What began as a requirement for class has changed not only his major and his career path, but his life. Thank you Mitch, for your obvious passion and dedication to giving campers meaningful experiences. Learn more about the many volunteer opportunities to make a difference. 

Save the Date!SavetheDate
November 13 - Give to the Max Day - Join us for the sixth annual charitable giving event through GiveMn.org. This year we will be raising money for a new playground at Camp Eden Wood. A generous donor has promised a match up to $10K for donations on this day!

December 5 - Holiday Fundraising Event - Join us on December 5 at 6pm at the Camp Friendship Dining Hall. There will be appetizers and desserts, wine and beer sampling, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle to benefit camp.

December 27-31 - Winter Camp - Join us at Camp Courage or Camp Friendship for Winter Camp! Campers will have the option of outdoor activities like sledding or building snow forts or be able to relax inside with crafts, games and gym activities. Find out more details here or register today.
Giving is GoodGivingisGood
Adding to the sensory environment at Camp Eden Wood

 

Camp Eden Wood offers many onsite recreational activities, but sadly, the only outdoor playground equipment is an aging swing set. When campers have down time or are transitioning between areas, they can select their own activities. Some like to play soccer or basketball or other games ... many gravitate to the swings. The goal of the new accessible playground is to greatly enhance those transition and free times with independent and collaborative play elements.

   

True Friends plans to install a customized, multi-sensory playground with a design that includes special elements to build tactile, proprioceptive, vestibular and visual skills. Additionally, this area can improve sensory experiences and supplement the multi-sensory environment currently located at camp. This style of playground can improve efficiency in brain functioning and focus, provide opportunities for socialization and deliver subtle therapeutic benefits, plus, it will be fun!

 

The sensory playground will provide easy access to outdoor physical play for camp participants nearly year-round, improving physical and mental health and adding to skill development activities offered at camp. Enhancing Camp Eden Wood's playground will enable the camp to be an even better resource for the Twin Cities disability community.  Click here to read more about the project and equipment.

 

True Friends is dedicating this year's Give to the Max Day to funding this dynamic project. We have secured a $10,000 donation match, doubling the impact of each dollar you give. You can read about last year's successful campaign here or visit our GiveMN page to schedule your donation.


Thank you for supporting kids and adults with disabilities!

True Friends Can...GivingisGood
...Build a legacy at camp!

As a dedicated volunteer since 1982, there isn't a building at Camp Friendship that hasn't been touched by the skilled hands of Dave Harmann. Dave is a trained engineer and uses his talents to provide countless hours and skills to camp. He works multiple days each month with our maintenance crew, helping in any way he can, and he's also a donor. 

"If I had to give a profile of a perfect volunteer, Dave would be it," said True Friends President & CEO Ed Stracke. Dave's work has also been recognized beyond the borders of camp - being chosen as a WCCO Good Neighbor and one of KARE 11's 'Eleven Who Care.' Additionally, Dave's wife, Mona, plants flowers and volunteers at camp. To thank Dave and his family for all they have done and continue to do for camp, True Friends has dedicated the program pavilion as 'Harmann Hall.'    

Thank you for your service, Dave!

True Friends | 800.450.8376 | news@truefriends.org | www.truefriends.org
10509 108th Street NW Annandale, MN 55302
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