Santa’s mother raised 6 children on her own in the 1960s. Alcoholism of the father created the situation. Mom worked multiple jobs, went to Lansing Business School to receive office skills to better her family’s life. There was no support from the father. She received some support from her mother and siblings of the father.

Mom used the financial and emotional struggles as learning experiences for her children. Being grateful for what you had, THANKFUL for those that supported us and knowing the difference between wants and needs!! Most of all she taught the children to offer and give assistance to other before they ask. Now days it has taken on the name of Giving it Forward. Mom had us doing this before it was a thing or even had a name.

All 6 children were able to attend Mystic Lake Camp. Which is a branch of the Lansing YMCA. We attended the camp on Scholarships. Attending camp was much more than just going up north into the woods. We learned so many things. Including but not limited to promoting teamwork, problem solving, self-confidence and independence. Of course, the love a nature was included in the learning experience.

Attending camp created a life time attachment to Mystic Lake Camp. The entire family continues to give back and pay it forward for 35+ years. Three of us have received the YMCA LifeTime Achievement Awards. Barn Building, Tree Fort Library, Fall and Spring Camp Cleanups are just a few of the projects that were worked on. Many of these projects took months to complete, with us staying in camp for a week or more at a time.

The longest of the stays was during the 2020-21 pandemic. The camp had closed and laid off all of their staff. Santa called the Camp Director and offered to come up to assist with Security, Monitor the Fire Alam System, and to lower the Camps Fire Risks. Santa and his wife stayed in camp for 321 days. Sleeping on youth mattress, and cooking in a kitchen out of the 1990s. Santa stayed busy, finding time to hand dig and install French drains better control the camps water runoff. Which from time to time would flood the Camp’s offices and Main Lodge. All of this was done without any charge to the camp.

Spending almost an entire year at the camp of my youth. The pandemic isolation, gave me time to reflect on how much the camp affected my entire life. Seeing the camp closed, unknowing if would survive to reopen, pushed me to create Santa Sends Kids to Camp.