Farmstead Heifer Project Grows Thanks to Garfield Memorial United Methodist Church

Small animals, like rabbits and gerbils, will be the newest addition to Hiram House this summer as the camp expands its new Farmstead Project.

The project was launched last summer, thanks to nearly $20,000 in donations raised by Garfield Memorial United Methodist Church in Pepper Pike, to introduce a Heifer International farmstead program here.

Campers learned about sustainable farming via a new vegetable garden, composting, and how earthworms renew the soil.

The project is currently located at the Environmental Center, but will eventually move to the Hiram House “Double H Ranch” as more domestic farm animals are added.

This spring, Hiram House administrators visited Overlook Farm, one of two model projects run by Heifer International, after which the camp Farmstead will be patterned.

The project will be open for Summer Campers and later to School Camp Groups.

Do you know these people? Chances are if you do recognize them you are probably a former camper or staff member yourself. And, if so, Hiram House is looking for you.

Since it was founded in 1896, Hiram House has served literally tens of thousands of children in our summer or school camps, many of whom are now adults living in Ohio and around the country, and has employed thousands more as camp staff over the years.

We often hear from such individuals who fondly remember their days at camp and long for a way to stay connected to their Hiram House experience.

An exploratory committee is being formed to start an Alumni Association for both former staff and campers. If you are interested, please contact us to register and for more details. We plan to hold an alumni event at this year’s Pumpkin Festival.

Hiram House Board of Trustees Officers, New Members 2005 (pictured, left to right): Russell R. Grundke, Executive Director, & Board Secretary, New Trustee Margaret Juergens, John M. Fulton, President, Susan W. Cargile, Vice President-Development, & Chair, Hiram House Campaign, John D. Barrett, Vice President-Finance, & Treasurer (not shown in photo), (other new trustees not pictured are Forest Bookman & Kimberly B. Robertson)

Trustees presented a plaque to Janet Corrigan and Billy Chapnick of GE Consumer & Industrial Products in Cleveland in recognition of the volunteer efforts of GE employees and retirees during GE/United Way’s Day of Caring

The Hiram House Board of Trustees reelected officers and elected three new Board members, to serve terms beginning in 2005, at the annual meeting in December. The Board also recognized two area firms for their volunteer service programs at camp.

Officers re-elected for 2005 are John M. Fulton President; John D. Barrett, Vice President-Finance and Treasurer; Susan Walter Cargile, Vice President-Development; and Russell R. Grundke, Secretary.

Fulton, a resident of Moreland Hills, is retired after a career in banking and finance. He was Senior Vice President of the Commercial Real Estate Division of Charter One Bank, in Cleveland. Barrett is Senior Vice President & Head of the Commercial Banking Division of LaSalle Bank in Cleveland. He lives in Hudson. Cargile, of Beachwood, is Chair of the Hiram House Campaign and a life-long supporter. Grundke is Executive Director of The Hiram House, the non-profit organization operating Hiram House Camp.

Newly elected members of the Board of Trustees are business leaders and area residents: Kimberly B. Robertson, Forest Bookman and Margaret Juergens.

Kimberly B. Robertson, resident of Auburn Township, is Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Brecksville. She is a graduate of West Geauga High School, Slippery Rock State University in Pennsylvania and received her post-graduate degree from Central Michigan University.

For nearly 60 years, the Robertson family has had a tradition of dedication and service to Hiram House. She is the daughter of long-time trustee Doug Robertson, of Novelty, and wife, Bobbi, and granddaughter of Hazel and Ralph Robertson, who was the camp’s Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds for many years, beginning in 1946.

Forest Bookman is Vice President of Operations for the Forest Corporation in Twinsburg. A graduate of Colorado State University, he lives in Chagrin Falls with his wife Kristen and children, Hanna and Tyler.

Margaret Juergens, also of Chagrin Falls, is a graduate of Hathaway Brown School and Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. A former camper herself, she and her husband Ken have three daughters, Grace, Eleanor and Jane, of whom the two older girls attend Hiram House Summer Camps.

Both Bookman and Juergens are also continuing a legacy of service and support for Hiram House as children of long-time trustee Reynold E. Bookman, of Chagrin Falls, and his wife Mary, a former member of the camp’s Women’s Board.

In other business at the meeting, the Board presented plaques to representatives of GE Consumer & Industrial of Cleveland and to MTD Products, Inc. of Cleveland. The awards were given in recognition and appreciation of the volunteer efforts of these companies and their staffs at Hiram House Camp in 2004.

Some 500 GE Consumer & Industrial employees and retirees donated over 4,000 hours of their time and materials valued at $250,000 to renovate and refurbish the camp, its buildings and facilities, as part of the annual “GE United Way Day of Caring” held at Hiram House last fall.

MTD Products and its sales staff volunteers landscaped the camp’s grounds and donated thousands of dollars worth of new power equipment to Hiram House as part of the company’s “Community Grounds Crew” during its annual sales meeting last summer.

Area schools bring the classroom outdoors to experience hands-on lessons at Hiram House Camp & discover learning that is challenging, memorable & fun! In photos above, students collect and analyze water samples for Stream Studies.

Outdoor Education is an integral part of the lesson plan for many Ohio Schools to complement science, history, math, art, and other subjects at the elementary, middle and secondary levels.

Hiram House has enhanced its School Camp programming to better meet the needs of area students and educators as they work toward fulfilling Ohio Academic Content Standards and state proficiency objectives.

Our School Camp curriculum offers a variety of topics, like “Stream Studies” or “Biodiversity”, set in outdoor “classrooms” on our 172-acre wooded campus or taught at “hands-on” indoor facilities, like our Environmental Center & Weather Station.

Our outdoor education programs are open to students or educational groups from area public school districts, independent or religious school systems for resident camp (overnight) programs or day-long field trips.

School Camp programs are offered each year in the fall, winter and spring. Challenge and Adventure programs are also available for schools and youth educational groups.

Our program staff and administration are ready to assist you in planning your visit to Hiram House. Please contact us for more information at (216) 831-5045 or take a tour online at www.hiramhousecamp.org

This spring we are pleased to welcome some new and returning school groups to camp, including Brunswick, Wadsworth, R.G.Jones and Berkshire Schools.