The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Inner-city kids are being exposed to the arts in the wilds of Central Oregon -- at Camp Caldera on Blue Lake.

The brainchild of Dan and Bonnie Wieden of Portland, the project was launched four years ago.

"This was a dream of the Wieden family," said Greg Brand, year-round facilities manager of the camp. "They wanted this opportunity for kids who would never have a chance to do something like this in such a beautiful outdoor setting."

The camp is designed for at-risk middle school children, who would not normally have the financial means to participate in such a program. Brand emphasized that "at-risk" does not equate to "bad kids."

Rather, he explained, these are children, who -- because of demographic, family or cultural circumstances -- find themselves in an environment that predisposes them to the possibility of failure.

Camp Caldera aims to show them another side of life.

Creative arts, such as acting, painting, photography, and even drumming make up Caldera's curriculum. The programs vary in length and focus. Approximately 30 kids attend each six to 10 day session.

There is no charge to the campers. All of the costs are paid through charitable donations.

Camp Caldera works in partnership with The Haven Project and Self Enhancement, Inc. These groups help select campers from deserving participants in their own organizations.

According to Brand, girls outnumber boys in the program about 3-2. Most of the campers are African-American, but some are Hispanic and Caucasian, as well.

The camp also provides one counselor for each four campers, an unheard-of ratio in most youth camp situations.

Brand, himself, has nearly 20 years of youth camp experience. Eight of those years were at the Suttle Lake Methodist Camp, where he worked prior to assuming his present position at Camp Caldera four years ago.

In addition to training in the arts, the camp offers a wide range of outdoor activities, as well. Naturally, Blue Lake serves as a centerpiece for many activities, with canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats available.

Brand keeps the boat safety equipment in top condition and arranges for a safety inspection by the marine division of the sheriff's office each year.

No one goes out on the lake without a lifejacket. He also added a powerboat for rescue and patrol service on the small lake.

Horseback riding and volleyball are other camp activities set in the beauty of the forest, Link Creek and Blue Lake.

For most of these kids, however, the best part is just being there.

There are campfire programs each evening. One of the highlights of those programs is a series of campfire tales by Joseph Sunchild, a Native American storyteller.

Brand has a big job maintaining the 88 acre complex, but things are particularly busy now, since campers begin arriving July 6.

The camp will be operating at full steam through the month of August. Campers spend their nights in one of the 19 traditional tipis manufactured by Nomadic Tipis of Bend.

Counselors also reside in tipis, but the artists and instructors are accorded the luxury of A-frame cabins.

Now that camp activities are in full swing, Camp Director Cassie Wieden, has joined Brand on scene full-time. Cassie is the daughter of Dan and Bonnie Wieden.

The third member of the management team is Michael Knight, operations director, who is based in Portland.

The camp received a big boost from U.S. Bank this year as part of the bank's charity program. U.S. Bank looks for charitable organizations that do positive things in the community and need help.

Eighty volunteer employees from U.S. Bank branches around the state, including Madras, Portland and Salem, journeyed to Camp Caldera for a pre-season work project.

"They slept in our tipis, and we had a work party on Saturday," said Brand. "The great thing was that they provided all their own work materials."

Brand reports that the bank volunteers made 18 benches for outdoor seating, painted five buildings, stained the dock and bridges, built a volleyball court, cleaned the kitchen, built a fence and still had time to complete fire suppression work.

As the camp continues to grow, the Wiedens have plans for year-round programs.

In addition to upgraded A-frame lodgings, a new "Hearth Building" is in the works that will expand the camp's ability to host events at times of the year when the weather is more... challenging.

As in the past, each session of summer programs will end with final performances by the campers; and the public will be invited.

Brand strongly encourages the public to come out to Blue Lake and see the accomplishments of these kids.

The first "final performance" will be on the evening of July 11. Further information and subsequent dates may be obtained by calling Camp Caldera at 595-5142.