And, I am grateful that I can still hear about and enjoy the Banner community.īanner, for me, has always been about the people, our special camp community. I love watching her continue the work that we began and she is doing it with love, excellence and hard work. It’s also been special to be able to pass the torch to my daughter, Stacy. Our entire family has been blessed by camp. To be able to share such an important part of our lives as a family at camp is priceless. All of my grandchildren – Ari, Eli, Noah, Grace and Josh – grew up at Banner. My son and daughter, Bradley and Stacy, grew up at camp as campers, staff and then directors (Helen was pregnant with Stacy that first summer.) Brad met his wife, Tanya, working at camp and Stacy’s husband, Paul, worked as a director for many years. To have a partner, at camp and in life, like Helen has been the greatest gift. She took care of the bus routing, lunch, the snacks, camp supplies and wrote every single payroll check (among countless other things she did to keep camp growing year after year). We shared the vision that we wanted to create an excellent experience for each and every child and she made sure that happened in every way. She understood and managed the business side of running camp and also took care of challenges that popped up over the years. To create and share camp with her was one of life’s great blessings. Helen and I met when we were just 15 (her) and 17 (me) years old – it was love at first site for me! We were married four years later at 19 and 21. My wife, Helen, was integral in every aspect of Banner. I was lucky enough that Banner was ingrained in our family. No question that Banner has been a blessing in my life. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that Banner would become as extraordinary, as impactful and as life changing as it is. They taught me to have compassion and understanding and gave me experiences to better serve others. Banner Day Camp really is a dream come true! Reflecting back, I am grateful for all I learned from my school challenges. She followed up her question by reminding me, just like when I was younger, that I could do anything I wanted. She asked an important question, “What do you love doing the most?” Immediately, thoughts of camp flooded my mind. Through tears, I explained the assignment to my mom and told her that I was stuck. I couldn’t think of anything and the stress and self-doubt from elementary school crept into my life again. Later on, in high school, I was given an assignment to write an essay about what I wanted to do as a career. He taught me that life could be fun and showed me that I had goodness, was worthwhile and important. My bus driver, George La Beau, became my hero and role model. That summer, I had the opportunity to attend National Athletic Camp which was owned by my uncle, Harry Heller (camp runs in the family!) Camp was transformational.
One day when I was upset following school, my mother encouraged me and reminded me that I was not dumb and that I could do anything I wanted. I was anxious and started to get into fights at recess. My self-esteem and confidence were destroyed after being the last one standing day after day while our teacher quizzed us on the tables. What inspired you to open Banner Day Camp?Īs a child, I struggled in school – particularly multiplication tables – from being academically behind after a move from California to Chicago. Staff Role at Camp: I’ve done everything you can imagine!
Hometown: Lake Forest, IL & Boca Raton, FLĬurrent Job & Title: Director Emeritus – currently enjoying family and friends during retirement!
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