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Fall Festivities, New
Cabin on Horizon
Successful Summer Season
Wraps Up
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by
Russell
R. Grundke, Executive Director
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Hiram House’s
2002 Summer Camp Program was
exciting and challenging. Day
and Jr. Day Camp had over 580
registrations. Resident Camp
served 445 youngsters. The
Program Staff came through with
flying colors under Program
Director Michele Rothstein’s
leadership and commitment to our
campers. I wish to thank all
staff members but especially
Michele for a job
well done.
It was sad to
see the old craft cabin
demolished in July to make room
for the second new cabin. Actual
construction of cabin #2 began
in late summer. It is projected
to be operational by year’s end.
The staff is already planning the Pumpkin
Festival for Sunday, October 13th.
This family event has been a tradition at Hiram
House for over 25 years and one the local community looks
forward to each Fall.
With summer
camp concluded, the second new
cabin in construction and the
Equestrian Center almost
completed, it can be said the
first half of the year has been
successful. Even though the
summer program is over, its
importance is foremost in our
minds and efforts, thus the
groundwork for 2003 has started!
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New
Look for Camp Corner
The Hiram House Ohio
Bicentennial Historical Marker is now prominently displayed
for all to see at the entrance to the Camp at the corner
of Hiram Trail and SOM Center Rd. thanks to the wonderful
support of and efforts by the Village of Moreland Hills.
Our thanks to Moreland Hills officials and staff including
Council President David Kaprosy, head of the Service Committe
which oversaw the project, the Moreland Hills Service Dept.,
and Mayor Charles DeGross. The marker installation, brickwork
and plantings were part of the village’s cul de sac
beautification program which began last year.
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In Memorian
Willard W. Brown
Hiram House Board of Trustees member Willard W. Brown died
in July. Brown, 87, a World War II hero, area business leader
and former candidate for mayor of Cleveland, had served
as a Hiram House Trustee since 1952. He was President of
Cleveland Graphite Bronze Co. and of University Circle Research
Center.
A Cleveland native, he attended Hotchkiss School in Conneticut
and received his undergraduate and law degrees from Yale
University. His long and distinguished career spanned industry,
law and military service. In addition to Hiram House Camp,
he was a longtime supporter of many local
educational, civic, and social service organizations.
He was married to Louise Ingalls, who died in 1998. He is
survived by sons Willard J. and David I.; daughters Alice
Hitchcock and Barbara;
12 grandchildren; 3 step-grandchildren; 2 step-great-grandchildren,
2 sisters and 2 brothers. We wish to extend our
sincere sympathy to his family. |
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Hiram House
Happenings - 2002
Sunday, October 13
10 a.m. - 4p.m.
Annual Hiram House Camp Pumpkin Festival
Saturday, December 7
9:00 a.m.
Board of Trustees
Annual Meeting
(other
Board meeting dates to be announced)
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From Our Camp Mailbox:
 Fond
Memories of Former Camper
“I attended Hiram House Camp twice as a child back
in 1968 and 1969. Both times were overnight stays that seemed
to last for a week or so.
Attending camp was truly a wonderful experience and I cherish
the memories. I remember the songs we would sing around the
campfire - ‘We are the kids from Hiram House Camp,’
‘Out in the Woods,’ ‘I’ve Got a Sixpence,’...
I remember learning how to ride horseback, hiking through
the woods, learning how to swim and to make square corners
when making my bed. I remember sleeping in a covered wagon
- I got homesick and started crying and the counselor came
and had me sleep in her wagon.
And today, 34 years later, there are days when a certain scent
fills the air and I am transported back to camp, safe inside
the log cabin that I called home for two weeks of my life
a lifetime ago.”
- Lisa Kadlec, Clearwater, FL |
Hiram House Wins IABC Vision Awards
Hiram House Camp and Bourland Communications were among a select group of Northeast Ohio area firms who
won two Vision “Awards of Merit” in the Greater Cleveland International Association of Business Communicators
2002 Vision Awards competition.
The awards were for: Publications-Newsletters: “Hiram House TODAY”, and for Community and Government
Relations programs: “Hiram House - Ohio Bicentennial Historical Marker Dedication, July 7, 2001.”
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Hiram House Today
| VOL. 3 NO. 3 |
Suumer/Fall 2002
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Groundbeaking, Work Begins on Second
New Cabin
The old craft cabin was razed recently
to make way for the second new residential log cabin. The
rustic year-round 4,200 square foot cabin will house up
to forty-six campers and four staff. It will be located
in a wooded section near Pioneer Circle as part of the Hiram
House Camp Master Plan.
Ground was broken this summer and construction is now underway
on the second new residential log cabin as part of the Hiram
House Capital Campaign.
Plans are to have the structure in use during the coming
year. It is one of five new cabins scheduled to be built
over the next few years under the camp’s Master Plan
to renovate its facilities and grounds.
The first new cabin, built in 2001, has seen much enthusiastic
use and demand since it opened to campers and groups, according
to Hiram House Executive Director Russell R. Grundke, and
the second one is eagerly awaited.
Over $1.2 million in funding for the cabins and other new
or refurbished facilities, including a new Equestrian Center
also in progress, has been donated to date by area corporations,
foundations, organizations, trustees, and individuals, said
Campaign Chair Susan Walter Cargile.
The new cabin will be located in a wooded section off Pioneer
Circle and will house Summer Campers, School Campers and
Retreat Groups. Its open design and special accommodations
will provide campers and staff greater space, flexibility,
function, and comfort.
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Second Annual “Fresh Air Camp”
Held at Hiram House in June
“Fresh Air Campers” enjoyed a hands-on
visit from a chinchilla, ferret and screech owl,
animals from the Cleveland MetroParks Zoo, shown
by Public Program Education Specialist Jim Nemet.
Hiram House hosted the second annual “Fresh
Air Camp” held for ventilator-dependent children
this summer. The program is the first of its kind
in northeast Ohio and is sponsored by several area
hospitals - The Cleveland Clinic Children’s
Hospital for Rehabiliation, Cleveland Clinic Children’s
Hospital, MetroHealth Medical Center, Rainbow Babies
and Children’s Hospital and the Children’s
Hospital Medical Center of Akron. 200 volunteers
from these organizations donated their time to provide
round-the-clock medical and non-medical support
for the campers, who ranged in age from 5 to 18
years, and who came from communities throughout
Greater Cleveland and northeast Ohio.
Activities, including the “Wacky Olympics”,
model boat races, zoo animals, fishing, swimming,
science experiments, dancing, S’Mores, campfires,
and more, gave the campers an opportunity to “just
be kids” despite their medical challenges.
Grants and funds are now being sought to help continue
and expand this worthwhile program for future years.
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Annual Pumpkin Festival October
13
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Food, Rides, Games, Crafts, Animals, Shows, Fun for All
Ages!
Scenes from last year's Pumpkin Festival |
Visit the Pumpkin Festival at Hiram House Camp, on Sunday,
October 13, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Enjoy autumn colors,
food, rides, games, crafts, animals, entertainment, and
fun for the whole family, on 172-wooded acres in the scenic
Chagrin Valley!
Featured attractions will include: The Haunted
Maze, Animal Petting Farm, Rocket Car, Pony, and Hay Rides,
Face Painting, Candle Dipping, Flea Market, Raffle, Games,
Crafts, Frontier Fort, Music, Pumpkins and Mums Sale, plus
special entertainment, including a Magic Show, Cabaret Troupe,
Circus acts, Jugglers, Fiddlers, and more.
Food and refreshments
will include: Pizza, Pancake Breakfast, Hamburgers, S’Mores,
Cider, Donuts, Kettle Korn, Candy Apples, food by Amazon
Trail Restaurants and Ice Cream by Ben & Jerry’s.
Park for
free at the Orange Schools campus, at 32000 Chagrin Boulevard
(East of I-271), and take the free Shuttle Buses to the
Campgrounds. (No pets or picnic baskets, please.) Admission
is $4 Adults, and $3 Children ages 2-12, kids under age
2 are free.
Proceeds from the event will once again benefit
the annual Hiram House “Camperships for Kids Fund” which
will help to provide a life-enriching summer camp experience
next season for disadvantaged children from all backgrounds
in Northeast Ohio.
For more information, please call Hiram House Camp at: (216) 831-5045. |
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Farewell to our Feathered Friend
 | Generations of campers and visitors no
doubt fondly remember Elizabeth, the camp’s great horned owl. She had lived at Hiram House Camp and enthralled
children and adults alike ever since she was found by our staff members as an abandoned, injured orphan some thirty-seven years ago.
Sadly, Elizabeth died of old age this past July. We will all miss her greatly. |
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| Good Times
Rolled at Summer & School Camps
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Left: Summer
Campers practice archery
Above: Keystone School Campers fishing |
The summer and spring months were filled with thousands of happy, active children who attended our School, Summer Resident, Day and Junior Day Camps. As the warm days now fade to autumn, we look forward to welcoming
them all back next season and to greeting our fall and winter School Campers and Retreat Groups in the weeks ahead.
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St.
Luke’s Foundation Grant Helps Fund Nursing Care at
Hiram House
The Saint Luke’s Foundation awarded Hiram House a $20,000 grant to support the camp’s summer nursing staff program.
The grant helps to fund on-site registered nurses who provide first aid services, dispense prescribed medications, health
education and care for all campers, including those with special medical needs, and offers them a “high level of quality
medical supervision during the summer camp season.”
In awarding the grant, the Saint Luke’s Foundation noted that, “Hiram House strives to give children a positive, character building experience...”,
adding that, professional nursing support helps to improve that overall experience.
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Alcoa Sponsors
Camp “Environmental Day”
About a dozen Alcoa employees and their spouses volunteered
their time this summer to help beautify Hiram House. They
planted flowers, assembled tents for campers and spruced
up the grounds. The group was from the Alcoa Wheel and Forged
Products, based in Cleveland, and the Environmental Day
project was sponsored by the Aloca Foundation as part of
an action program of “Alcoans coming together to benefit
our neighborhoods”, said Barb Miller, Program Manager. |
MH Women’s Committee Donation Benefits Camp
Hiram House is proud to receive a $1,500 donation for the camp’s capital improvement campaign from the Moreland Hills Women’s Committee.
The organization, now celebrating its 50th Anniversary of service, supports groups in the Chagrin Valley whose work benefits community residents.
According to Women’s Committee President Monica Wagner, “We have these fantastic treasures right here in our backyard and we want to support them.”
Among the service and fundraising projects the committee sponsors are the annual rummage sale and cookbook. The group held a birdwalk and brunch in April in honor of its founders as well as an appreciation dinner this summer for our local safety forces.
A 50th Anniversary Luncheon is planned in October at Chagrin Valley Country Club, featuring a silent auction and fashion show. New members are always welcome. For more information, call the Village Hall at (440) 248-1188.
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