Camp Fire USA Camp Hitaga

In 2012 I came out of semi-retirement and tried to rescue Camp Fire Camp Hitaga (there are two separate links). Camp Fire USA was originally known as Camp Fire Girls. In February I was contacted by the executive director of the Camp Fire Council for Cedar Rapids about Hitaga. At the time I was dealing with some challenges to my health, but thought I had the key challenge in check. After speaking with the director I was impressed and intrigued by the camp's purpose, history and setting. My wife Jenny and I agreed to meet the director and visit the camp. Hitaga is located about 30 minutes north of Cedar Rapids in a rural farming area and sits along the Wapsipinicon River known locally as the "Wapsi." Not too far downstream is YMCA Camp Wapsie whose director I knew from his days at YMCA Camp Edwards on Lake Beulah in East Troy, Wisc. The roads in the area are gravel covered which gives an impression that it is farther away from "civilization" than it is. Cedar Rapids is the 2nd largest city in Iowa. The drive to Hitaga and Cedar Rapids was just under 4 hours from Whitewater. After visiting the camp I came away noting several strong similarities to the YMCA camps I worked at. First, I sensed there was a strong alumni base at Hitaga which reminded me of Phantom Lake YMCA Camp. This was proved to be true in spades. Second, Hitaga's hilly and wooded setting on a river reminded me of YMCA Camp Benson. In addition, the camp's "tired" facilities and struggle to attract campers (Hitaga had less than 200 campers the year before I came on board) was akin to what I faced at Camp Benson. Third, Hitaga's roots in organized camping were deep and dated back to 1928. The same year Camp Benson started. There was a time when over 200 campers a week attended Hitaga! Fourth, Hitaga had a horse stable onsite and the horses as well as a loyal alumni base, reminded me of YMCA Camp Bluff Lake in California. Unfortunately, it would turn out that those weren't the only similarities Hitaga had with Camp Bluff Lake. I did accept the challenge to direct the camp and hit most of the goals I set for that first year. At the end of the summer I learned that the parent council that owned the camp was out of money. The executive director (who I liked) resigned and I was appointed Interim CEO. I wrestled with the decision to stay on. I remembered the emotion of the time when Phantom was almost sold and of the challenges it took to overcome to turn Camp Benson's fortunes around. I thought there was enough help like Phantom had to succeed and there may have been enough, but it was not in the cards for me to find out. Over the winter the commute back-and-forth to Cedar Rapids from Whitewater got the best of me. My health took a turn for the worse. It became apparent that I needed to step back and take care of myself and concentrate on my health which I did. I helped Hitaga find a new director and I resigned in March. Sadly, the camp closed and was sold in late 2014. It is my opinion if Hitaga had the support of a stable parent organization like Camp Benson did the camp could have survived and been sustainable. Below are some favorite photos at camp from my time at Hitaga - Wohelo!