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Reunion Brings Past Staff from Three Continents
Bernt Helgaas, preparing
to pilot the pontoon, poses with daughter Britt, son Tait and Justin Greer
at the All-Staff Reunion at Camp Friendship June 25.
Helgaas first spent a
week at Camp Friendship as a child in the early 1970s when his father was
the camp physician. He came back as a college student, working from 1987 to
1991 as a counselor, travel coordinator and program director. He met his
wife Suzie Cho in college and brought her along to Camp Friendship in 1991
as a counselor. Now a physician himself, with a pediatric/internal medicine
specialty, Helgaas is a member of the Friendship Ventures medical advisory
committee. He attended the reunion with his family, which also includes son
Cole. Justin Greer, also pictured, is the son of former full-time staffer
Joanne Fieldseth and a patient of Dr. Helgaas.
More than 100 past staff members met at Camp Friendship for the reunion on a perfect camp day. Many staff brought their families and enjoyed swimming in the pool, going on a hayride, taking a boat ride on the lake, making a sponge puppet, trying Team Quest group games, browsing through dozens of photo albums and meeting along the sidewalks as they toured, checked out the changes and reacquainted themselves with camp.
Other stories from the reunion:
Russ and Mary Rooney met while staffing a Ventures trip in 1994. Mary (Stogsdill at that time) worked at Camp Friendship in numerous positions from 1988-1991 and worked as the Ventures Travel nurse in 1994. Russ led Ventures trips in 1988, 1991 and 1994. They returned for the reunion and enjoyed a private hayride as a family, which now includes children Charlie, Mary Rose and Christopher.
Mary Lynn Hennies, a counselor in 1965, 1967 and 1968, remembers when there was only one pontoon and one canoe and campfires were just off the beachfront. Her sister Nancy Lynch has been a camp participant every year since Camp Friendship began.
Zara Clarke came from Sheffield, England, where she is a clinical psychologist working with adults with developmental disabilities. As a counselor from 1998 to 2000, Zara was also at camp during the last reunion.
Kylie Kellalea also traveled a great distance, coming with her son Samuel from Brisbane, Australia. She worked at Camp Friendship from 1996 to 1998.
Tammy (nee Erickson) and Greg Wittek starred as Danny and Sandy in Grease, the Thursday night play at camp, which led to their real-life romance and marriage. Tammy worked from 1988 to 1999 and Greg from 1991 to 1995. They too came back for the reunion with their daughter Lily.
Friendship Ventures is a non-profit agency that creates unique educational, recreational and social opportunities for people of all ages with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. We also offer conference and retreat services and professional team-building programs to the communities we serve. Friendship Ventures operates Camp Friendship near Annandale, MN and Eden Wood Center in Eden Prairie, MN.
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