“The SSW community appreciates and thanks SSW Coordinator Bridget Stack for her longstanding service, and we’re thrilled she’ll continue to join the program in the well-earned role of participant,” she said.

This year, SSW takes place July 31 to Aug. 4, and a virtual option will be available. Registration opens in mid-February, and Young is honored to deliver another SSW experience alongside a highly functional, fun, and devoted crew. Meet this year’s coordinating team:

Katie Belden LeGrand

Katie is a lifelong AYF participant and volunteer beginning in 1984 at Miniwanca Girls Camp (credit to Carol Davis Moakley, who insisted Katie sign up so she could win an AYF beach towel). Katie was a camper at Miniwanca and Merrowvista from 1984 to 1992, then returned as an adult to attend SSW from 2008 to 2015.

Katie lives in St. Louis, Missouri. She is originally from the East Coast and Midwest and has lived in seven states by the time she graduated from high school. She settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where she lives with her husband, Joe, have three children: Sandy (21), Coco (19) and Finn (16), and two dogs, Nala and Kopa.

Her former career as a high school teacher, experiential educator, and outdoor education facilitator flowed naturally into her current roles of CrossFit trainer and wellbeing coach. In her free time, Katie enjoys practicing the violin, taking walks in nature, reading, spending time with family and friends, working out, yoga, and meditation.

Meredith Sanders

Meredith has shared her time, talent, and treasure in multiple capacities with the AYF, including: National Leadership Conference participant and mentor, volunteer at both Miniwanca Boys and Girls Camps, Spark Adult Retreat Team member, SSW participant, and an SSW Coordinator since 2022.  Meredith loves to facilitate personal growth and empowerment for adolescents and adults, and her passion for photography has documented many wonderful AYF moments.

Meredith, her husband, Justin, and their two kids have participated in Miniwanca Family Camp and Volunteer Weekends for years, and both kids will be NLC participants this summer. The Sanders family lives in Crestview Hill, Kentucky. When she’s not at home or at Miniwanca, Meredith loves to travel, play board games, and connect with camp friends.

Shannon O’Toole

Shannon began serving on the SSW Coordinating Team in 2020 and greatly contributed to its virtual programs, including SSW 2020 and 2021, Evening Reflections, Book Clubs, and YearCompass. She also launched her own business during this same period – Shannon O’Toole Coaching – and shares her expertise across many formats with a focus on leadership development and human resources consulting.

Shannon and her three sons, Jack, Charlie, and Max, and beloved dog, Hope, live in Kirkwood, Missouri.  Jack, who attends Loyola University in Chicago, is also passionate about the AYF, and will enjoy his sixth summer at Miniwanca Boys Camp this summer and his second at NLC.

Shannon said there’s never a dull moment when her whole extended family gathers for fun close to home and on travel adventures, and her beloved sister, Kate, adds immense joy, love, and fun to life. No matter how busy she is, Shannon carves out time to go for a run and get on her yoga mat.

Questions about SSW 2024? Email Holley Young at hyoung@ayf.com.

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The AYF  is obviously youth-oriented, but adult programs are an important part of what we do. Why does the AYF offer adult programs?

“Our learning, growth, and the impact we have on others doesn’t stop when we “age out” of youth-oriented programs. In fact, the AYF places a high value on lifelong learning. Adults bring experiences into AYF communities, and they take what they have learned during AYF adult programs into their communities, lives, and workplaces. Both are closely tied to a key AYF phrase: ‘One enkindled spirit can set hundreds on fire.'”

Do you have to be a former camper or staff member to participate in AYF adult programs?

“Absolutely not! In fact, the adult programs offered through the AYF have intentionally and joyfully reached out and welcomed people who have not been to Miniwanca or Merrowvista previously. Our expansive hospitality is a direct result of current participants having such meaningful and fun experiences that they tell their friends and colleagues about the AYF. Including those new to AYF programs enhances the community beyond words.”

How has the AYF shaped you as an adult?

“Where do I start? I always talked about the AYF during and after my years as a camper, cabin leader, and NLC participant in the early ‘80s. To graduate from college with a degree in Recreation Administration, I had to do experiential fieldwork and present a business plan. The fieldwork was at a beautiful state park over a summer in Wisconsin, and the business plan was something I dreamed up using the AYF mission, vision, and values as a general platform for my business called Young’s Camp for Adults.

“Throughout my adult years, I have leaned on the friendships and influences from AYF programs. The lifelong friendships I have developed are priceless. That I am now working in a part-time capacity for the AYF is unbelievable, but true. I could not have predicted this happening in a million years!”

Summer Seminars for Women is one of our longest running adults programs, and one you were active in as a participant and volunteer before moving into your current role. Why is this program so popular and bring back so many returning participants each year?

“SSW celebrates 35 years this summer! I think it’s so popular for a few reasons. First, the women created this program established a solid base that we use as a guidepost today. Aside from offering new content and tweaks here and there, we haven’t needed change such a time-tested, strong program.

“Second, the AYF and the SSW team offered virtual programming throughout the pandemic.  Keeping these important bonds and connecting people back to SSW’s foundational values meant that we could keep relationships with one another and keep the AYF going strong. We are thrilled that 25% of SSW 2023 participants are new to this program, and some are new to the AYF. People keep coming back because they want and need to refuel, learn, connect, have fun, and return home with an elevated sense of purpose, centeredness, and joy.”

Spark is a newer adult program that began in 2022. What is the goal of this program?

“Like SSW, the Spark adult retreat is multigenerational community of participants. While this reality is not an overt goal, it enhances the experience for all who attend, no matter what decade of life they are in. Welcoming people from all walks of life into an inclusive environment with individual, small group, and community-wide activities resonates with participants long after they return home. Having returning participants is a marker that we must be doing something right!”

How is the AYF trying to expand its reach and relevance through adult programs?

“We have extended virtual learning opportunities through book clubs, Evening Reflection programs, year-in-review programs, and staying in touch with our adult communities. Adding the all-gender Spark program also created an opportunity to integrate much of what works well with the SSW model within a program that attracts many who have been associated with the National Leadership Conference programs at Miniwanca.

“For all adult programs, we strive to have high-quality content that is relevant to current life, societal issues, and meet the ongoing reality that adults need and want continuous learning and to fill their often-depleted tanks across the mental, social, physical, and spiritual areas.”

What are some of your favorite parts of working with adult program participants?

“I love that our participants are “seasoned” humans, in both age and experience! This often translates into easily encouraging people to share their knowledge, talents, and skills when working in a large community. Our volunteer coordinating teams do amazing work to create excellent programming, and our participants are hands-on, helping with an Evening Reflection, offering an activity during unstructured time, and planning Night’s Doings.”

Outside of the AYF, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

“I love taking walks with my partner, Lisa, and our beloved lab Ruby. When we have the chance to travel, it’s our pleasure to have friends gather with us. My home is my favorite place to be, so between travels, it is relaxing and grounding to just be home with our local friends. I am a better person after developing a regular yoga practice, so I make getting to classes a priority. I also found that being in a monthly book club has broadened my perspective on so many topics.”

Anything else you’d like to share with the AYF community?

“As the AYF is knee-deep in purposeful programming this summer, I see it so much differently as a part-time employee than I did as a volunteer. So much happens behind the scenes, and AYF employees give their all to walk, talk, and live the values of this organization.”

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Summer Seminars for Women took place Aug. 4 through 8. This annual event went virtual in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and staff and participants were thrilled to gather in person on the dunes again.

“It was wonderful to see so many women making real connections and learning more about themselves and each other,” said Holley Young, AYF Adult Program Lead.

Participants spend the long weekend discussing how this year’s theme, Finding Balance, applied to their lives. Presenters Kelly Patterson, Tucker Branham, and Griffin Vogler also shared their insights around this important topic.

“Balanced living is foundational to all AYF programming, and it’s so important to stop and reflect on how we can assess and, if necessary, regain that balance,” said AYF Vice President Liz Marshall. “SSW provided a welcoming, supportive space for participants to reflect and grow as they do this work.”

The following weekend, dozens of Miniwanca Girls Camp alumni returned to their beloved camp for a weekend of fun, nostalgia, and connection.

Former Girls Campers of all ages felt like kids again as they rushed into Lake Michigan for Polar Bear, tried new Interest Groups, played rounds of Deck Tennis and Captainball, enjoyed delicious meals in the Eating Lodge, and reflected together during Candlelight Sing and Something Sacred.

“We have such a dedicated and supportive alumni base. It was a pleasure to welcome them back to camp after having to delay the reunion for two years,” said Molly Mulcahy, Director of Alumni and Community Relations.

Summer Seminars for Women will return in 2023 and Girls Camp Reunion will return in 2025. Sign up for the free Founder Sparks newsletter and be among the first to know when registration opens.

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Last Saturday, Jan. 22, saw the return of YearCompass, a free virtual experience designed to bring intention to the new year. The first session reflected on 2021 in review; all are welcome to join the next session on Saturday, Feb. 5 to focus on the year ahead. Registration is required.

The next free event is a virtual book club to discuss Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown. The book club is an evolution of 2021’s Conversation Circles program. This virtual offering saw 40 adults read and discuss Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad. The book club will begin Saturday, March 26 at 10 a.m. ET and then meet on the following dates: April 9, April 23, and May 7. Register online.

To help make events like these successful, Summer Seminars for Women participant and volunteer Holley Young has stepped into the part-time role of Adult Programs Lead. Young and Alumni and Community Relations Director Molly Mulcahy will work together to plan and execute Summer Seminars for Women and Girls Camp Reunion this August at Miniwanca.

Her new position feels like a case of “divine timing,” Young said. “I am grateful to have a job in my post-professional life with an organization so foundational to me. This role merges my skillset with my passion, and I look forward to helping offer meaningful program content that supports the AYF mission and provides connection among participants.”

Registration is now open for Summer Seminars for Women (Aug. 4 to 8) and Girls Camp Reunion (Aug. 12 to 15). Young encourages anyone interested in volunteering to help plan Girls Camp Reunion to email her for more information.  

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As the pandemic rocked the country in spring 2020, American Youth Foundation alumni sought connection and community with their Founder Family despite the physical distance. They asked AYF leadership for ways to connect and reflect, drawing strength from one another through their shared camp experiences.

Within days, new virtual events and platforms began to take shape for participants and staff of all ages. The first AYF-wide live event on March 26 was an Evening Reflection on Zoom. More than 20 participants gathered to listen to poetry and music, converse, and enjoy a recording of the sunset over Lake Michigan.

By focusing on the sights and sounds of Miniwanca and Merrowvista, these virtual programs allowed people to step outside the social confines of quarantine while staying in their homes. The limitless space made it possible for people from different AYF backgrounds to join events where the tools of Four Fold balanced living served as common ground.

One AYF community that thrived in this new space was Summer Seminars for Women, a program that originated at Miniwanca in 1988. Each summer, women gather on the sand dunes for a five-day experience focused around reflection, community building, and retreat. During this unique season, the pandemic shifted SSW events online and drew more participants than ever.

In July, AYF presented the 32nd annual SSW in a fully virtual format with the theme of “Living the Mission at Home.” The five-day program consisted of opening and closing circles, a social night, and two thought-provoking seminars. Each event allowed participants to meet, socialize, and dig deeper
into their own goals.

These sessions were free and open to the public, and they saw daily audiences of 40 to 80 participants. One highlight of SSW was AYF President Anna Kay Vorsteg’s seminar, “The Four Folds for Today,” which offered an update to the timeless philosophy of balanced living.

“Anna Kay’s session put forth a dare to meet three unique challenges of this moment — the pandemic, racial injustice, and climate change — all through the lens of being guided by one’s values,” said SSW coordinator Holley Young. “To see this group of women take time, reflect, and then open up in conversation really underscored how there is a need for spaces like these that give time to and honor the process of looking inside and engaging with the world.”

SSW also gave participants the chance to explore their personal journeys through creative writing. Kirstin Anglea, a facilitator trained with the Center for Courage and Renewal in Greenville, South Carolina, led a session entitled “Where I’m From,” which invited the women to write poems that evoked specific memories.

“I was so struck by the way women opened up to each other in their breakout rooms and discovered such specific and moving common elements of their life stories,” said Shannon O’Toole, another SSW coordinator.

Building on the success of Summer Seminars for Women, AYF also offered a series of virtual events for attendees of the Miniwanca Girls Camp Labor Day Reunion and Living the Mission Retreat this fall. The model of clustering events into a four-day experience has worked well, as it mirrors the community-building experience of a short camp program.

Highlights of the virtual reunion included meetups for groups from each decade, as well as playful Night’s Doings and Interest Group gatherings. A camp-themed Grab Bag activity issued a lighthearted challenge to participants: a virtual treasure hunt to gather the most camp items at home. Meetups uniting former campers from the 1950s and 1960s through the 1990s and 2000s drew women who had intended to make the trip to Michigan for the in-person events, as well as others who had not planned to attend.

Old camp friends discovered each other online, and several former cabin leaders found campers they hadn’t heard from in decades. During the kickoff and closing events, all former Girls Camp Directors offered inspiration and advice for applying the skills learned at camp to the world’s current challenges. Suzy Marshall LaPine, Vanette McKinney, Mary Struckoff, Liz Marshall, and Hannah Patterson each issued a healthy dare as the sessions ended.

“I have found this to be a wonderful few days,” said Marshall LaPine. “I feel somehow more positive and more empowered to do something about the terrible problems in our world today.”

As they reconnected with each other and made new friends, reunion attendees reflected on ways they can make an impact on the challenges we face.

In October, Living Your Purpose, the latest in the series of Living the Mission adult programs, gave another group of adults the opportunity for self-reflection in an online retreat setting. As AYF develops these virtual offerings, there will be more opportunities to bring the work of our founders to life and to build community in uncharted new ways.

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