Photo By John Hughel | Crystal “(Camp name, “Spanky”) Kroeller the full-time Camp Rosenbaum Program...... read more read more
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WARRENTON, Ore. – For over 50 years and counting, the driving success of Camp Rosenbaum has been with the incalculable number of staff and volunteers that give up part of their summer to support the youth-citizenship camp.
Held annually at the Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center near Warrenton, Oregon, members of the Oregon Air National Guard, the Portland Police Bureau, and Home Forward work as counselors, cooks, bus drivers, arts and crafts instructors, and in dozens of other roles - making the camp an exciting week for kids. They range in age from 9- to 11 and come from low-income households and disadvantaged circumstances across Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Yet throughout the year, the efforts never stopped for fundraising, events, and building awareness for the camp - however, two key members of Camp Rosenbaum share a unique perspective on the day-to-day operations.
For the past two years Crystal “(Camp name, “Spanky”) Kroeller has been the full-time Camp Rosenbaum Program Director. For the past two years, her husband, Oregon Air National Guard Lt. Col. Brian (Camp name, “Rouge”) Kroeller has been the Camp Director, an unpaid position, traditionally held for a three-year term. She has been volunteering since 2001 with the camp in a variety of roles.
“Last year getting ready for camp, after returning to in-person camp after COVID, Camp Rosenbaum was all we talked about in the house,” said Crystal, laughing about the hours spent discussing the details of the camp. “This year it’s easier because we have history leading up to this year’s camp and know what to expect.”
Camp Rosenbaum doesn’t have an office or business address (but has a mailing address) so the Kroeller household functions as that place. This includes a garage filled with countless items used for the summer camp season and other events.
“We share an office at home, there always seems to be ‘Camp Rosenbaum on the brain’ or random ideas being shared back and forth on how to make camp better, sometimes it’s 24/7,” said Brian Kroeller, who also works full-time as the 142nd Wing Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander. They met in 2008, quickly becoming friends where Crystal worked in the Command Post, and were married several years later. Together they have two of their own children of elementary school age, so it’s easy for them to relate to kids in this age range, giving them a seamless perspective on current trends too.
The magic of Camp Rosenbaum is to provide life-enhancing opportunities for young people through a complete summer camp experience offering athletic programs and mentorship. The staff works tirelessly to instill positive citizenship skills with a sense that “anything is possible through hard work, staying in school, and making good life choices.”
Camp Rosenbaum was inspired by the Oregon Air National Guard Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Fred M. Rosenbaum. As a survivor of the Holocaust, Fred was forced to flee Austria as a child during the Kindertransport to Great Britain in 1938-1940. After two years, he was reunited with his parents, and together they moved to the United States in 1941. The idea for the camp first took place in 1970 as a way of him giving back to other children who could benefit from a citizenship camp. The camp was hosting over 150 kids each summer at the time of Fred’s passing in 2009.
After 49 years of in-person camps, the Coronavirus put the future of the camp in jeopardy.
“During COVID we weren’t able to host Camp Rosenbaum for 2020 and 2021, so we had to think fast and came up with Operation Lemonade in 2020, where we put together backpacks for the campers,” Crystal said, reflecting on the two years the camp was closed as an in-person experience. “We put together backpacks for the campers and basically took our program we do here and delivered it to 1,000 kids in Oregon and Southwest Washington.”
In 2021, campers who would normally attend the week-long camp were sponsored to attend local day camps in their local areas since overnight camps were still closed due to the Centers for Disease pandemic restrictions.
“We really tried to leverage some of the technology and success stories,” said Brian, as the volunteers worked to bring a sense of the camp to campers due to social distancing. “There were some YouTube videos we posted that had a lot of the characters and the volunteers of Camp Rosenbaum, essentially doing everything they normally did but now at a remote location, lining up with the activities in the materials in the backpacks.”
This year, the camp is nearly back to full strength with 187 volunteers supporting over 125 campers, taking place from August 12-18.
“I think having us be a married couple, and both being directors in different ways, allows us to make sure everything is organized and followed through without emails or phone calls,” said Crystal, highlighting the benefit of being married. “We are able to get to workable solutions quicker…as we obviously have practice communicating!”
“My role is fairly ceremonial in nature,” Brian said, noting a hint of humor, an attribute that long-term married couples share. “She really does make the big decision…it’s a President, Vice President Dynamic.”
As part of leadership opportunities to develop command experience within the Oregon Air National Guard, the role of camp director has been a traditional three-year assignment.
“This is year two for me, so I hope to return next year,” said Brian. “With that, to effectively pass the reins on to a successor.”
| Date Taken: | 08.21.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.24.2023 19:16 |
| Story ID: | 452111 |
| Location: | WARRENTON, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 293 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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