This isn’t your mother’s Girl Scout
troop. Okay, if your mom is the leader, you may actually think
it is her troop, but there have been a lot of changes since
her generation was in Girl Scouts. One of the best changes is
that we have discovered that dads have just as much to give
as moms, and we are finding the most unique ways to use their
talents. In fact, the dads are having just as much fun as the
girls are at camp.
What does your dad like to do? Is he good at woodworking, does
he enjoy animals, does he like to fish or go boating, does he
love the outdoors? Believe it or not, if any of these things
appeal to your dad, there is a place for him at Camp Casa Mare.
GSSJC’s Mariner program embraces dads like no other. There
are dads that cook, teach sailing, run motorboats, and some
that do it all! Funny thing though, some of the dads in the
program have girls that have graduated and moved on, but they
are still volunteering around camp helping in so many ways.
Les Denham’s daughter will graduate college soon, but
he is still the captain of the ship when it comes to teaching
girls how to sail sloops. Frank Hastings still comes to assist
when his daughter, former commodore in the sailing program and
now a schoolteacher, is teaching sailing. While he is at camp,
Frank always stops by his favorite old haunt in the galley to
talk about cooking. Frank was a reserve ranger until his job
moved him to Chicago, but even living 1,500 miles away doesn’t
keep him from visiting Camp Casa Mare several times a year.
Now that’s dedication! (Or is it just that he has so much
fun?)
Sailing Instructor and Sailing Director Peter Pickett raised
two Mariners, but he didn’t send them to camp alone. He
and wife Corinne packed up the entire group every chance they
got and went to camp. Both daughters have served as commodore
and one of them is now a sailing instructor herself.
Did I mention it is not necessary to have a daughter to be a
sailing volunteer? Another active volunteer with no daughter
in the program is Ivan Burrows. Being an avid sailor, I guess
Ivan was |
just drawn to the beauty of Camp Casa Mare and wanted to help
teach more girls to sail. It was Paul Bennett who first took
girls out in the Christmas Boat Parade 10 years ago. Today,
the girls are boasting 10 years of prize winning participation
in the Clear Lake Chamber’s Christmas Boat Parade and
now put up to three boats in the contest. As a Mariner’s
father, Frank Massaro donates his time and talents as a woodworker
by taking the group’s ideas and making them into lively
wooden decorations to be lighted by the girls and used in the
parade.
Step-dads are also welcome, and there are a few of those too.
Bryan Stewart first became active when his stepdaughter was
a Mariner, but when she moved on he remained an instructor,
sailing director, and cook. Bryan’s daughter Brianna is
almost old enough to be a Mariner and you can bet that they
will be frequent residents of Camp Casa Mare in the next few
years. Another step-dad, Lynn Durden is one of the Mariner cooks,
but he is also the motor boat instructor, a Mariner himself,
he plans to teach sailing in the near future. When Lynn’s
daughter joined the program, he had never heard of Camp Casa
Mare and had no interest in the program his wife and daughters
were so involved in. By the time his second daughter became
a Mariner, Lynn was cooking the meals she ate between classes.
One look was all it took for Lynn to know where he would dedicate
his time.
I wish I could mention them all. The sailors love our Mariner
dads and we know they love us too! |