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Welcome to Red Pine Camp |
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Welcome to Red Pine Camp |
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Link to: Mission and Values | Location | History | New Ownership | ACA | Photos | Treasured Thoughts |
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Red Pine Camp for Girls is located near Minocqua in the Northwoods of Wisconsin on the shores of beautiful Clear Lake. With 4,200 feet of shoreline surrounded by thousands of acres of state-owned land, Red Pine is a special and secure location in a place of extraordinary natural beauty. |
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A more perfect setting for a camp would be hard to find. Clear Lake is a spring-fed 1200 acre lake acclaimed by many to be the clearest and cleanest lake in northern Wisconsin. Red Pine is the only privately owned property on the lake. Tall pines and magnificent maples, oaks, and birches are a part of this magical setting giving campers the sense of being in a world apart. Deer, loons, ducks, raccoons, bald eagles, pileated woodpeckers, owls and chipmunks are just some of the wildlife that share the forty acres of Red Pine. |
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Red Pine is known for the individual care given to each camper and the quality of its staff. Emphasis is placed on harmonious, courteous and responsible group living, respect for self and others, and an appreciation and utilization of the natural beauty that surrounds camp. Girls meet friends from a wide geographical representation -27 states and 11 foreign countries this past season-and develop relationships that last a lifetime. They learn a wide variety of camping and athletic skills and are challenged to do their best to meet goals they set for themselves. Red Pine provides not only a safe, happy experience, but one based on solid values. Courtesy and manners are taught, expected and rewarded. A happy and positive camping experience is a treasure of girlhood and a foundation for life. A summer at Red Pine is an unforgettable gift a parent can give to a child. |
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| Location.
Red Pine Camp for Girls, 8531 Red
Pine Rd., Woodruff, WI 54568. |
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Red Pine is located off US Hwy 51 |
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In 2007, after 70 successful years of family ownership and operation, a group of alumnae expressed interest in owning the camp. With their encouragement, Red Pine was purchased by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation of Madison, WI. Ms. Rowland is an alumna of Red Pine. She is a noted educator, author of children's reading and language arts textbooks and the creator and founder of American Girl®, the popular collection of books and dolls. Upon purchasing the camp, Ms. Rowland sent the following letter to the Red Pine community. To: The Red Pine Camp
Community
September 6, 2007 From: Pleasant T. Rowland It is with pleasure and pride that I become the steward of Red Pine Camp-and not without a bit of appropriate trepidation! What a privilege it is to carry on the work of the Wittenkamp family who has left such a legacy. They have been thoughtful stewards of one of the most extraordinary pieces of land in the Northwoods. More important, they have taken loving care of generations of girls whose lives were forever marked by their days at Red Pine. I am proud to count myself as one of them. I would not be here without the determined efforts of Red Pine alumnae who marshaled their energies to preserve the camp and its traditions that we all love. I suspect the Wittenkamps had some idea of how deeply they engrained the Red Pine spirit in their campers-but it was never on display with more passion than in the last few weeks. As most of you know, much of my career has been devoted to influencing the lives of young girls, and my years at American Girl gave me great insight into the challenges they have growing up in today's world. Red Pine Camp is an oasis from the incessant media message to grow up too fast. It is a place blessedly free of cell phones, YouTube, instant messaging and consumer pressure. It is a place with deeper values and higher aspirations. I give you my word that it will remain so. I will turn to the alumnae to guide and operate Red Pine. With Sarah's blessing, Connie Scholfield has been appointed as the new Executive Director; she is eminently qualified for the position and will be a marvelous leader. Her biography follows. A board of alumnae advisors will be formed to assist Connie. I so appreciate the show of support from those alums that were present at the Labor Day reunion. It was a very moving moment in Red Pine's history as dozens of alumnae stepped forward with warm and funny remembrances of their camp days and expressed their deep appreciation for the work of Sarah, Irene, Robin and Jim. Tears of sadness and joy flowed freely. It seems an appropriate moment to share a few lines from one of my favorite poems by W.B. Yeats. They express the mission of my foundation and are especially fitting at this moment in the life of Red Pine. Look up in the sun's eye and give Pleasant T. Rowland A New Executive Director Connie Scholfield grew up in Wausau, WI and currently resides in Minneapolis, MN. She owns a cottage on Lake Kawaguasaga in Minocqua that originally belonged to her parents, life-long friends of the Wittenkamps. Connie remembers many happy times around the dinner table at "The Shack" with the Dubs. Connie was a camper at Red Pine for six years from the mid 60's to early 70's and then a counselor for seven years, heading the Water Ski Department. She served as a Leadership Advisor as well. As a camper, Connie accomplished the skills to become an Expert Skier, Sailing Commodore, Canadian Tripper, and was named Best All Round Camper, Red Pine's highest award. Connie graduated from DePauw University in Green Castle, Indiana in 1978 with a B.A. in English Literature. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. After college she attended Roosevelt University's Lawyers' Assistant Program in Chicago and is currently Senior Litigation Paralegal and Case Manager with 27 years of experience at Moss & Barnett law firm in Minneapolis. In the mid 70's, Connie attended the Minnesota Outward Bound School's Winter Wilderness Survival Program. Her adventuresome spirit has taken her to such places as Africa to trek Kilimanjaro, Peru to experience Machu Pichu and Norway to cross-country ski the Norwegian Birkebeiner. She is an avid downhill and cross-country skier. In the Twin Cities, Connie has been a volunteer First Aid Patroller for the county park systems, a volunteer to the handicapped in a downhill ski program, a reading tutor, and involved in a youth-mentoring program similar to Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Connie will begin her new full-time position effective January 1, 2008. |
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ACA Accreditation. Founded in 1910, the American Camping Association (ACA) is the only not-for-profit educational body that accredits all types of camps throughout the United States. Camps with this accreditation demonstrate a commitment to health, safety, and program quality. Red Pine Camp has been an accredited camp for many years and has always received very high marks from the ACA. In this year of transition, Red Pine must reapply for ACA certification. Connie Scholfield will lead the accreditation process beginning in January. Please be assured that Red Pine’s high standards will not change as we work towards our 2008 ACA accreditation. |
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2007 Photographs. Click on a picture to enlarge it. |
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“Bless you all
for making Red Pine such an important part of our daughter’s life.” “Camp life has
greatly shaped me as a person and as an educator. My love of camp
life and the magic that can only happen in an excellent camp setting like
RPC…from cabin life to canoe trips to nights out under the stars…to
Sunday Vesper services…it has all completely shaped who I am from the
inside out.” “I am very
thankful for all those wonderful summers Bella has had at Red Pine.
My husband and I both feel that Red Pine Camp has been an extraordinary
positive experience for her.” “My heartfelt
thanks for another wonderful summer for Katie at Red Pine Camp. She
has already begun the countdown for next summer session to begin!
She had such a fabulous time and recalls every moment all day long at
every meal to us.” “The past four
years at RPC have been a wonderful experience for her. They have
helped her to grow and mature and will always be a part of who she is.
We are very thankful that she had the opportunity to be apart of it.” “Thank you for
all of the wonderful summers I have spent at Red Pine; nothing else would
ever compare to the time spent there with you: memories, skills, fun, -
MANNERS- I gained so much from camp, from you.” “Thank you so
much, I loved your camp. It was so much fun. I was so honored
to receive the Courtesy Award. I learned so much from your camp.
I am so glad that you taught me manners. They will help me all my
life. I am very happy I learned to water ski. Thank you
again.” “I can’t say
enough about how our daughter’s camp experience enriched their lives.
It’s one of the best choices we’ve helped them make.” |
Red
Pine Camp was founded by Richard and Helen Wittenkamp in 1937. Mr.
Wittenkamp, the District Forester for the Wisconsin Conservation Department,
bought the Red Pine land from two brothers who ran a fishing camp on the
property. The following summer, the first twelve campers arrived and
"Mr. and Mrs. Dubs", as they were fondly called, devoted their
lives to building Red Pine and establishing the traditions and values that
still form the foundation of camp life. In 1953, their daughter, Sarah
Wittenkamp Rolley, joined the staff. Sarah and Irene Boudreaux became
directors after the Wittenkamps retired in 1976, and served Red Pine for 53 years. In 1995, Sarah's daughter Robin and her husband Jim Thies began the
third generation of family operation.