Keeping the fires burning for generations to come

To Our Camp Family:

As it does for most of you, Camp Nebagamon holds a place in our hearts that will last a lifetime.

As Camp approaches its centennial year, many of us have never questioned our faith that those 77 acres in Wisconsin’s Northwoods will be there forever, for campers and families like us to stargaze on the Upper Diamond, row out to Lorber Point, and horse ’n’ goggle for that extra slice of s’more pie.

But the fact is that while Camp Nebagamon has persevered for generations – through World Wars, economic crises, and now a pandemic – many other camps have not. The camping business has been hit hard in recent years with some similar camps in dire financial situations selling their properties to real estate speculators and shutting down permanently. Others have closed because they could not find buyers who possessed a critical combination of skills: the ability to nurture young people and the capacity to finance what has become a major business transaction.

We, along with dozens of former campers and staff members, have come together with Adam & Steph, with the strong support of Nardie & Sally and Roger & Judy, to make sure that Camp Nebagamon never struggles to stay open in the future. To secure Camp’s future in perpetuity, we, the Camp Family, now have the opportunity to join together and transition the ownership of Camp Nebagamon to a non-profit organization, Camp Nebagamon Foundation.

Under this model, Nebagamon will become a fully mission-driven organization, effectively serving the Camp Family through a Board of Directors, rather than a for-profit enterprise managed by private owners.

We are fortunate that the three ownership changes in our history have been extraordinarily successful. Despite this success, however, Camp’s private ownership model has always left it vulnerable to accidents, illness, or broken relationships that could force a sale of Camp to the highest bidders. Imagine private homes instead of Camp on the valuable and beautiful lakefront property that means so much to all of us. Instead of tying Camp’s success to the financial health of its private owners, the non-profit model gives Nebagamon the resources and infrastructure to thrive independent of any one person or married couple. This allows the Camp Director and governance board to make decisions solely based on what's best for Camp, without any personal financial concerns. Finally, nonprofit ownership will allow Camp to hire Directors based on their qualifications, regardless of their financial ability to purchase Camp, greatly expanding options to select the very best professional(s) for the job. A non-profit model removes many of the risks of the traditional model and allows Nebagamon leadership to focus solely on creating the best summer experience possible for our campers.

To achieve this, we are launching Keeping the Fires Burning, a campaign that invites the Camp Family to come together to secure Camp Nebagamon’s future. Our financial goal is to raise $10 million for the tax-exempt non-profit Camp Nebagamon Foundation, an amount that will allow us to complete the purchase and hold reserves to ensure the long-term financial health of Camp, so that future generations will enjoy “the memories of you that will live all year through.”

With the support of all of Camp’s living directors, this campaign starts with a strong foundation for success. After studying other successful and similar transitions around the country and ensuring Nebagamon follows best practices, we created Camp Nebagamon Foundation. And over the past few months, dozens of fellow members of our Camp Family have generously and quietly pledged an initial $5 million, half of the campaign goal. The birch bark is lit and the fire is catching. Now, we invite you to join this campaign. Whether you spent last summer on Lake Nebagamon, occasionally read the Arrowhead and attend reunions, or haven’t set foot at Camp since your last four-square game, Camp Nebagamon has molded your life and now you have a chance to ensure it is ready to receive the next generation of Swampers.

Our aim is for 100% of the Camp family to participate in this campaign and we hope you will support it in every way that you can. We are asking everyone to consider a pledge or gift meaningful to you, and ask that you use this website to explore different ways to do that. To help us achieve our goal, we are also recruiting volunteers to support the campaign’s fundraising activities. If you are interested in helping, please reach out to anyone listed below directly or contact us here.

The transition to nonprofit ownership is planned for late this year, after the 2022 summer season. Adam & Steph have enthusiastically agreed to stay on as Camp Directors, and will be working closely with our Board to ensure a successful transition to this new model. Camp’s values and programming will not change – in fact, this critical transition will preserve forever those Camp values and experiences we all hold so dear. Importantly, from the perspective of current parents, staff, and campers, Nebagamon will remain the same place they know and love.

In 1929, Muggs & Janet Lorber had a dream, of a Rec Hall full of song, a canoe full of young people seeking adventure, and a Council Fire full of keylogs that lit its flame anew. Nearly a century later, let us come together to renew that dream and secure it forever.

Here’s to Keeping the Fires Burning for another 100 years,

Founding Board of Directors

• Tom Elson, ‘93-’99,‘02-04,‘09,‘13,‘17

• Eric Kessler, ‘81-’86

• Ted Stein,‘70-’76,‘78-’82

Executive Committee

• Tom Elson, ‘93-’99,‘02-04,‘09,‘13,‘17

• Charles Hirschhorn, ‘68-’72,’74-’79,’13,’15

• Eric Kessler, ‘81-’86

• Tom Mendelsohn, ‘72-’77,’79-’80,’85,‘99,‘02

• Ted Stein, ‘70-’76,‘78-’82

Leadership Gifts Committee

• Charles Hirschhorn, ‘68-’72,’74-’79,’13,’15

• John Kalishman, ‘74-’77,‘79-’85

• Eric Kessler, ‘81-’86

• Tom Mendelsohn, ‘72-’77,’79-’80,’85,‘99,‘02

• Danny Meyer, ‘68-’73,‘75

• Ted Stein, ‘70-’76,‘78-’82

• Jeff Trenton, ‘69-’71,’73-’79

Campaign Planning Committee

• Adam Bloom, ‘03-’08,’10-’13,’15

• Tom Elson, ‘93-’99,‘02-04,‘09,‘13,‘17

• Matt Friedman, ‘83-’90

• Joel Hensel, ‘03-’07,’09-’15

• Jason Hirschhorn, ‘00-’02,’08-’15,’18-’19

• Katy Neusteter, ‘00

• John Wasserman, ‘60-’65,’67-’69

• Emily Jodock Yale, ‘05-’07,‘09-’15