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EXCITING UPDATES AT OUR YMCA Camp has a way of shaping people and sometimes that journey leads them to new adventures. After five years with the YMCA of Northern Utah, Ben Wittig will be heading home to Wisconsin to become the Director of Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya with the Greater Green Bay YMCA. It’s a meaningful full-circle moment for Ben, who grew up in Green Bay and was once a camper at that very camp. During his time here, Ben played an important role in strengthening the long-term future of Camp Roger and Mill Hollow. His work focused primarily on the behind-the-scenes pieces that help camp run well for years to come—partnering with the Forest Service, supporting facility improvements, and helping guide the capital planning that keeps our camps safe, beautiful, and ready for campers. While Ben’s work has been incredibly valuable, it’s also important to know that our day-to-day camp leadership remains the same. The team leading camper programs, staff, and the daily life of camp is still here and already hard at work preparing for summer. Between Jake, Cali, and myself, our leadership team brings 18 years of experience with the YMCA of Northern Utah, and we know these camps—and this community—very well. Right now that means hiring and training summer staff, preparing programs, and getting the mountains ready for another incredible season at Camp Roger and Mill Hollow. We’re grateful for the work Ben did during his time here, and we’re excited to see him return to the camp that first shaped his own story. Please join me in wishing him the very best in this next chapter. And as always, thank you for trusting us with your campers. See you at camp, Katja Hurst Director of Operations
APRIL 2026
HELLO CAMP FAMILIES! I was recently struck by a quote credited to American psychiatrist, Karl Menninger: “What’s done to children, they will do to society.” It is an important, and humbling, reminder that the youth are the future. Here in our overnight camp team, it has been almost 1 year since we had taken on the grand task of specifically defining what the purpose of our camps are and reconsidering the goals we have in place. As directors, we each have a vision and idea of what service camps provide kids but to tune everyone into where we are going, we needed the proper language. We worked hard to develop statements of purpose for our programs and make our existing goals more specific. This significantly helped provide guidance for activities, hire and train staff who understand our mission, and help families make the right choice for their child’s summer! Our purpose statements and program goals can be found at the top of our camp web pages and parent handbooks. As always, we are still guided by the mission of the YMCA and our foundational four core values—honesty, caring, respect, and responsibility. Nodding back to the sentiment from Menninger, imagine a society of people who fully buy into the importance of those four core values because they were practiced by our youth right now through programs like summer camp. That would be wonderful. I cannot wait to keep growing together and have another incredible summer in 2026! Happy Trails! Cali Gurnicki Director, YMCA Mill Hollow
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This program is supported by the YMCA of the USA's Strategic Initiatives Fund.
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HAPPY CAMPER NEWSLETTER
Hello Camp Roger Families! I know this might be a little bit of season whiplash, considering I was just talking about the snow we were finally seeing at camp) but can you believe that we’re already starting to talk about opening up camp for the season?! I swear it feels like every year the time between summers feels shorter and shorter. As we’re thinking about the start of summer, we’re looking to introduce you to the staff who will be joining us for the first time bringing their own unique personality to camp. And those who are coming back for another summer at Camp Roger, a place they love as much as our campers do. We’ll all be at camp in a little over a month and a half beginning staff training and making sure we’re ready for everyone who comes through our gates this year. With roughly 60% of our staff this year coming back to camp there’s a good chance that your campers favorite counselor is going to be working with Camp Roger once again this year. Keep your eyes on our social media as we’ve started introducing the wonderful role models who will be working with us this year to make incredible memories for a whole new class of campers this summer. Can’t wait to be in the mountains wth all of the Camp Roger Family once again. Your Friend in Camping, Jake Green Director, YMCA Camp Roger