Hiram House TODAY

Fall/Winter 2011 Vol. 12 No. 2

New High Ropes Course at Hiram House

Take the Ultimate Team Challenge - Great for Adult or Youth Groups!

Thanks to a generous $15,000 donation from The Sherwick Fund of The Cleveland Foundation, Hiram House has added a new High Ropes Course to its facilities. Reservations are now being accepted for the High Ropes Course as part of our Teambuilding Adventure Programs for adult and youth groups.

The High Ropes course is the ultimate group or team challenge.  It offers groups and individuals a great opportunity to learn about risk taking, their own perceived limits, how they perform under pressure, how they give and receive support from other people, and how working with others collaboratively can help them achieve more than they ever thought they could accomplish.

Test your skills on the High Ropes course under the guidance of our certified specialists on a variety of exciting elements like, the Burma Bridge, Island Hops, Tension Traverse, Spaghetti Walk and Postman’s Walk, all designed to foster group or team dynamics.  

Teambuilding Adventure Programs on the High Ropes course are available for adult or youth groups from late summer through spring (weather permitting). They also may be combined as half-day or full day programs with the Alpine Climbing Tower and Low Ropes Challenge course or added to Group Retreats. Please contact the camp office for details and fees.

The High Ropes Course, Alpine Climbing Tower or Low Ropes Challenge Course are included in our Summer Camp programs and are optional activities for School Camps and Outdoor Educational Groups.

Hiram House Executive Director Russell Grundke said, “The High Ropes Course and Alpine Climbing Tower empower individuals to experience and put into practice leadership, teamwork, and conflict resolution skills. The physical, mental, and emotional tasks they accomplish will help to create a positive self-image that benefits them throughout life.”

Introducing New Camp Website

The site has a brand new look and is filled with many convenient interactive features, such as online summer camp registration, employment applications, camp photo tours, and much more.  We invite you to explore them all.

Mark us as one of your favorite sites and remember to visit often at: www.hiramhousecamp.org for all the latest camp happenings! Sign up for our e-newsletter alerts today so you won’t miss a thing!

The site was designed by the award-winning, Cleveland-based firm of Boondock Walker.

Register for Summer Camp 2012!

 
Summer Camp boys and girls tend the Farmstead Garden and visit the Environmental Center

Open Registration is now in progress for the 2012 Summer Camp season!

Summer Day, Junior Day and Overnight Camp will run from June through July, with lots of exciting hands on outdoor activities, like swimming, canoeing, archery, hiking, crafts, farmstead, fishing, horseback riding, challenge, performing arts, theme days, and more. New this season is the High Ropes Teambuilding Course at our Adventure Center!  Depending on their age group, all campers will enjoy either the High Ropes, Low Ropes or the Alpine Climbing Tower. 

Two week and one week sessions of Summer Day Camp (ages 6-11) and Junior Day Camp (ages 5 & 6) will be held June 11 to July 27.  Summer Overnight Camp (ages 6-14) (Resident Camp) will be offered in one week sessions from June 10 to July 20.

Summer Horseback Riding & Adventure Camp (ages 7-14) will be held during August, and will feature western horseback riding, challenge skills and other exciting camp activities daily. One week sessions will be held July 30 to August 3 and August 6 to 10.

Don’t miss out on all the fun! Registration is on a first come basis. For the best session selection, please sign up today! For more information, please see details under Summer Camps or call the camp office at:  (216) 831-5045.

New for 2012! Register Online & Pay by Credit Card

New Farmstead Barn Dedication and Groundbreaking

In Memory of Denise Stewart Sindelar

 
Groundbreaking (top, left to right), Hiram House Board of Trustees President, John Barrett with Lillian, Thayer & Nolan Sindelar and Billie Howland Steffee of the Steffee Family Fund. Farmstead animals and artist’s rendering (bottom left) of new Farmstead Barn.

The Hiram House Farmstead Barn Groundbreaking & Dedication Ceremony at the Double H Ranch was held on June 16, 2011 and was attended by some 200 guests.

The new Farmstead Barn will be named in memory of Denise Stewart Sindelar, Hiram House Trustee and long-time supporter. Denise’s three children, daughter Lillian 14, sons Thayer 11 and Nolan 7, were presented with a plaque and photos of their mother that will hang in the new Farmstead Barn, once it is completed early next year.  

The Sindelar children also helped break ground for the Farmstead Barn with a symbolic shovelful of dirt, along with Hiram House Board of Trustees President John Barrett, and Billie Steffee, of the Billie Howland Steffee Family Fund, of the Cleveland Foundation.  

Billie Steffee was the featured speaker at the event. The Steffee Family Fund donated a $37,500 matching grant which, along with hundreds of other individual donors, will fund the new facility. The Steffee Fund also provided funding for the camp’s Double H Ranch Horseback Riding Center where the new Farmstead Barn will be located. It was built and opened in 2003.

The new Hiram House Farmstead Barn will house baby farm animals, including calves, goats, pigs, sheep and chickens. The newest addition to the barnyard animals are four new chickens, nicknamed the “Golden Girls”.  The popular Farmstead program, which was introduced at camp several years ago, also features a vegetable garden that the children plant and tend. The program is designed to teach campers about animal husbandry and sustainable agriculture.

See video about the new Farmstead Barn & Attractions in our Video Gallery and read news articles.

International Week at Hiram House a Hit

This summer Hiram House hosted a new International Week at Summer Overnight Camp, with 12 campers from Brazil, from the renowned 4 C Bilingual Academy, 1 from Russia and 2 from Nepal. The camp was also open to area boys and girls, ages 6 to 14 years.

The week included a special Cultural Night with Taylor Hall decorated in flags from around the world, as well as some all-camp activities with an international flavor and offered a great multi-cultural experience for all campers to enjoy. The program was featured in articles in the Plain Dealer, Sun News and Cleveland.com. Read more about it in news articles or view photo gallery and video

Brazilian Campers were all smiles during International Week

Cliffs Natural Resources Volunteers Improve Camp Facilities

This summer 150 employee volunteers from Cleveland based Cliffs Natural Resources donated their time & talents to refurbish the 172 acre Hiram House Camp at Cliffs Cares Day, doing everything from building fences to painting, landscaping, and other outdoor and indoor projects.

The company, formerly Cleveland Cliffs, is one of Northeast Ohio’s largest Fortune 500 companies and is the largest producer of beneficiated iron ore pellets in North America. Headquartered in Cleveland, it has approximately 4,000 employees in the region and worldwide. For more information, visit Cliffs website.

Many thanks from Hiram House for all their support!

Alum Remembers Summer Days at Hiram House Camp

Stay Connected - Join our Alumni Association!

 Alum Bob Cochran, of Lansing MI, still fondly remembers fun summer days he spent at Hiram House Camp in the 1950’s as a camper and kitchen helper.  A long career as a rocket scientist hasn’t dimmed his memories of that special time and he stopped by camp to just say hello while visiting relatives who live in this area.

If you are a former Hiram House camper or staff member, please join our Alumni Association online to stay in touch.

Executive Director Russ Grundke greets Gretchen & Bob Cochran

40th Annual Pumpkin Festival - A Spectacular Success!

Joanne Grundke, (left) Hiram House Special Events Director, has organized the annual Pumpkin Festival for the past 15 years, assisted by hundreds of volunteers, staff and supporters – our thanks to them all!  A young Pumpkin Festival visitor (right) enjoys the view while sitting atop the Pumpkin Patch.

Sunny skies, warm weather, beautiful fall foliage and lots of great attractions drew a crowd of 5,000 visitors to the 40th annual Pumpkin Festival at Hiram House Camp, October 9, 2011. The event raised over $50,000 for the Hiram House Campership Fund to enable children in need to enjoy a life-enriching summer camp experience.

Thanks to everyone who attended, our staff, volunteers, sponsors and supporters - it was a great success!  Please mark your calendar and be sure to join us again next year, on October 14, 2012, for another fantastic Pumpkin Festival.

See Highlights of 40th Annual Pumpkin Festival

 
Hiram House’s 40th Pumpkin Festival was featured live on WKYC-TV3 and Fox8 News (see photos of volunteers below)

Please Help Send a Child in Need to Summer Camp!

Each year the generosity of our donors makes it possible for children in need to enjoy a life enriching summer camp thanks to our annual Campership Fund. The more support we receive, the more camperships we can offer, and the more children who will be able to experience all the benefits of camp. So, make a splash this holiday season with effects that will last a lifetime!  Won’t you please help us help them by making a generous donation today?

On behalf of the children we serve - Thank You for your Support!

(Hiram House is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization. Your gift may be tax-deductible.)

Hiram House TODAY - Fall/Winter 2011 Vol. 12 No. 2
Editor: K.M. Bourland Communications