In Response to a Kanakuk Health Update

The following message was received from one of our Kanakuk Kamp families this afternoon in response to our latest Health Update email:

Our family has appreciated hearing from Kamp since the spring regarding "everything swine flu." We have only faith and confidence in "everything Kamp." Our son was there term 7, our 33rd Kamp week as a family. July 18, 1997 was our first week at Kamp, our girls 8 and 7 (in fact, this was her 7th birthday), and we have been coming to K-Seven, term 7, ever since. Sarah, our oldest, was a ten year Kamper, Alice was a 12 year Kamper and Mark an 11 year Kamper. Once we started attending, they came every possible year until they became too old, or a college student. Sarah worked as a K-Seven kitchie the summer after her last year as a Kamper. The past two summers she has been a part of a Student Mobilization ministry called Kaleo, which has taken her to Breckenridge for most of the summer. She did interview for a Kamp position this summer and had an offer, but felt she needed to return to the Kaleo project. Alice worked as a K-Seven kitchie for the first half of the summer and truly loved it!!! Of course, she now has many new friends from the kitchie and cook cabin, as well as those who she trained with. She knew many at Kamp, both Kampers and staff, and had a wonderful experience. She was home only a few days before returning to volunteer for the weekend. We live under an hour and a half away, so Alice usually spent her 2-4s at home and brought friends, even laundry of other friends. We loved it! Our son also returned to volunteer and had to come home early after he became ill. I received a phone call from the nurse; after our conversation she handed the phone to the doctor; she then handed the phone to the director. Though we have never doubted that our children, even as employees, are given the very best of care, I have used this as an example for other families who have been concerned about the flu. I assured them that we had no reservations with our two children there, one for half the summer and another as a Kamper, then let them know about our experience in the health center. I should add that I did return to Kamp to pick Mark up. He was feeling better, but was going home soon anyway, so no need to hang out at Kamp sick. He did not have the flu, but since we were leaving for vacation, our local doctor treated him and he is fine. When I arrived at 9:30 pm or so, the nurse's office was abuzz. There were several nurses and helpers there, along with Chancey, attending to Mark and others who were under the weather. It just underscored that our children are in good and capable hands at Kamp. I am hopeful that our kids will return to Kamp as employees next summer. We love Kanakuk Kamps!!!

Special thanks to you and all the Kamp staff for all you do.

K-Seven Kamp Family, Bentonville, AR

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Kanakuk Kamps Health Update

The following email was sent to valid email addresses of all 2009 Kanakuk Kamps families on 7-30-09 approximately 11:00am CST.
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The summer is flying by, and we continue to be blessed beyond measure! This last week has been unseasonably cool at night, warm and mostly sunny during the days. Perfect summer Kamp weather!

This summer has been 99% amazing in countless ways. Our focus has remained strong to see changed lives and reinforced morals and values and kids walking away with big smiles, great memories and a solid vibrant relationship with Christ. We’ve never had a better summer regarding that mission! The summer flu has been a challenge at times but not ever insurmountable. This term has been our best all summer. All of our Kamps except for one have had zero, one or two cases. One Kamp, on the boys’ side only, has continued to struggle. With the changeover, that should be alleviated. The boys germ-x and wash their hands at least six times per day and the cabins are sanitized at least two times per day. That Kamp is as vigilant as it gets. While this flu has modest symptoms, it is very contagious.

Reflecting back over the summer, we are most thankful for the support of our Kamp families. Despite the challenges with the flu you have been patient with us as we sought to provide the safest camping environment possible. We continue to be vigilant in the sanitizing of our facilities and monitoring each Kamper’s health. We will continue the pre-Kamp screening process for Kampers riding our buses and arriving via car or plane. We continue to see positive improvement from the efforts of all of us working together.

As we have communicated with you this summer, many of our families have taken the opportunity to reply with kind words and stories of the impact that Kanakuk continues to have on your children. Several families have voiced concerns about the flu, and we have enjoyed getting to know you better as we worked through the uncertainties. This really has been a time when the whole Kanakuk family has come together.

From my post here at K-Kauai, Kanakuk’s Family Kamp, I have witnessed myself and heard the reports of nurses, helpers and volunteer physicians in our health centers performing with great sacrifice, always seeking to serve first and rest only when their best had been done - an inspiring example of the “I’m Third” life being lived out as an example of Christ. It has been a tremendous blessing to share this summer with you and your children.

We will continue to keep you posted during these last few weeks of the summer. Thank you again for your grace and understanding.

Blessings,


Doug Goodwin
Chief Operating Officer
Kanakuk Ministries

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Kids Across America Shortens Session due to H1N1

Today, Kids Across America closed it's three camps early due to a number of campers that had the symptoms associated with H1N1. Some of their campers had tested positive for the influenza A strain named H1N1.

All the KAA camps will reopen, as scheduled on Monday, July 20th. This will give them time to thoroughly sanitize their facility. They needed to close all three facilities because, Kids Across America campers typically arrive on church buses that carry campers for all three of their camps. This created a scenario in which they would need to release all the camps so that they could travel back the way they came.

KAA is working closely with the health department and are following very similar protocols to what Kanakuk Kamps does.

Kids Across America is a donor supported camping experience for urban youth. It's camps are located in the Golden, Missouri area on Table Rock Lake.
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20 Things On My Desk

Click to enlarge

My friend Sam Hoover did the 25 things on his desk and challenged everyone to do the same so we could get to know each other. While my desk is more messy and has technically more items on it than Sam's I was only able to label 20 of them. So as scary as it is for you to see my desk here goes:

1. "One (1) Gallon" of Clear Gel Hand Sanitizer With Aloe [sticky]
2. Partially working Fuji S3 Camera (body only)
3. Lemon CLIF Builder's "The entirely Natural Protein Bar" [thanks Deb]
4. Kanakuk's Twitter Page: sometimes I update it. Design by Heidi Sonnenschein
5. Invitation to Join SGT and Mrs. Jason Arellano at the premiere of Perfect Valor
6. Left over cup from the K-1 Dining Hall. Ate lunch at my desk.[Thanks Mollye and Jeremy]
7. The proof for the #1 disk of the Barnabas DVD Series
8. Vinyl sign and lettering squeegee from SignsNow
9. Post-it note with the email address of my favorite Infectious Disease Specialist
10. One of the three pens I lifted from various offices the day we got the H1N1 test results back
11. Drafts of letters to Kanakuk Colorado parents
12. Sunglasses that used to say on them "Italy Made"
13. Motorola Q, the version where the big barnacle battery lasts more than 3 hours
14. Box knife and tea spoon
15. 3 legged cow mascot
16. iPod: newest song "Chasing the Daylight" by Phillip LaRue
17. two post-it notes (L)"Cynthia Knock 2 times then come in" (R) "whatever."
18. Some of the big mess on Mollye's floor
19. My keys, but only half of them because the van is in the shop.
20. A post-it note that has written on it "8 10 9/6 8/7" in my hand writing and I have no idea what it is or what it means.

So there you have it. It's not pretty. If I clean it I will post a picture.

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Kanakuk Colorado Health Update

The following press release will be sent in conjunction with the San Juan Basin Health Department this afternoon. They are appreciative of our communication efforts and we continue to work with them closely.

Press Contact:
Jay Holden
Marketing Director
Kanakuk Kamps
Branson, MO 65616
(417) 266-3284
jay@kanakuk.com
http://insidekanakuk.com

For Immediate Release

Statement for Attribution to Andy Braner
President
Kanakuk Colorado, Bayfield CO

Bayfield, CO – July 14, 2009 – Kanakuk Colorado today released the following update regarding a recent outbreak of campers contracting a flu-like illness.

“Yesterday, Kanakuk Colorado reported to the San Juan Basin (LaPlata County) Health Department that at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon 2 campers presented to the Health Center at the camp with mild fever, and scratchy throats. Within 30 minutes these campers had been isolated from the camp population and evaluated by the on-site Health Care staff. Per our protocol, we immediately began the process of sending those campers home. As of Tuesday afternoon, the total number of ill at camp was 68, which included 19 staff.

“By Sunday night at 11:00 p.m. approximately 45 additional campers had presented to the camp Health Center displaying similar symptoms. Because the health and safety of our campers is of top priority to us, we isolated the ill campers and contacted their guardians to arrange for their return home. Additionally, we contacted the San Juan Basin Health Department first thing Monday morning to apprise them of the situation.

“We will continue to work with local and state officials to ensure that we are doing everything we can to isolate the illness and protect the health of our campers who will be joining us throughout the summer.

“The officials at the San Juan Basin Health Department have been extremely helpful in confirming our protocols and sharing in our decision to remain open. We are looking forward to working with them throughout the rest of the summer. And, are assisting them with additional viral identification tests.

“All new incoming campers attending our current session were screened prior to arrival. All parents were required to fill out an additional health questionnaire and campers were tested for fever. Campers with flu-like symptoms, fever or known exposure to others with influenza have not and will not be allowed into the camp.

“The current term is scheduled to end on July 19th. In between groups of campers additional precautionary measures will be taken to thoroughly sanitize our facilities and to assure the health of our incoming campers and camp staff. Kanakuk Colorado will start Term 5 as regularly scheduled on July 19th.

“In addition, we will continue to be vigilant in our efforts to detect and isolate any campers with flu-like systems. Our influenza protocol at Kanakuk Colorado includes: immediate isolation of campers with flu-like symptoms, personal care and screening by physicians and nurses, and parental contact. Campers with a fever of 100.5 or greater will be sent home.

“We believe that the swift and aggressive actions we have taken will help ensure that the Kampers who will be joining us for the rest of the season will be able to enjoy our summer tradition of providing an ‘Exciting Adventure in Christian Athletics.”

Kanakuk Colorado has been located in Bayfield since 2000 and each year many families make this premiere camp a summer tradition. Kanakuk Ministries is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) that provides children from all over the world with an “Exciting Adventure in Christian Athletics.” There are 8 Kanakuk Kamps facilities in Missouri and Colorado that serve over 13,000 kids each summer. Extensive information about the Kamps is available at www.kanakuk.com. For the 2010 camping season this camp will be named KIVU and be its own 501 (c) 3. For more information go to www.campkivu.com.

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Web Error You May Be Getting

Hit continue if you see this temporary error at Kanakuk.com.

FYI – When individuals try to login to Kanakuk or visit a secure page they may receive an error. It’s not a very fun error, either.

[edited]We have asked our Network Engineer here at Kanakuk if he would be willing to help us with our problem, and hopefully with his expertise on the job we can get it fixed soon.

It will affect Internet Explorer 8.0; Mozilla Firefox 3.5, and Safari 4 users. Which is a lot of you, so hang in there. It's OK to hit continue on this screen and everything should work fine from there.

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Kanakuk Kamps Health Update

The following email was sent to Kanakuk Families today. Kanakuk Colorado families in Terms 4, 5 and 6 will be getting separate more detailed information. Just keeping you informed.

Dear Kanakuk Family,

What an amazing summer! An army of journalists couldn’t begin to tell the stories of God’s blessing here this summer! Thank you for sharing this summer experience with us.

As you know we have had our first bout ever of “summer flu” at Kanakuk as have most other camps across the country. This continues to be the case for Kanakuk, but our Missouri Kamps have shown improvement. Some Kanakuk Kamps continue to have little or no illness. Other Kamps are still experiencing Kampers with flu-like symptoms in relatively small numbers. However, this two-week term, our Kamp in Colorado is having significant issues with influenza. Jamie Jo and Andy Braner, the Directors, are working with the LaPlata County Health Department to manage their situation.

Here in Missouri, we continue to work hand-in-hand with Stone County, Taney County, and the State Health Departments. They have encouraged us to continue the process and procedures we have implemented this year to deal with this unique situation. We have over 2000 Kamper’s in our Missouri Kamps that are enjoying a life-changing summer. Because of our new sanitization protocol only thirty of our Missouri Kampers (about 1.5%) have had to go home this term because of flu-like symptoms.

On July 19th, all our Kampers at all Kamps will go home and a new group of pre-screened Kampers will arrive! We will again have every new Kamper participate in the pre-Kamp screening program. Please make sure you have the Health Check Questionnaire completed and sent along with your Kamper. If your Kamper has a fever, is otherwise ill, or has been exposed to the flu or any other contagious disease in recent days please keep them home. We will work with you to arrange a late arrival or enroll in a later term.

Your response to this situation has been very encouraging. Many families have called in or emailed to express support and love for this place, and are continuing to pray for us. The support has been overwhelming. Some families have contacted us with questions and or concerns. We encourage you to continue to communicate. We are here to help assist you any way we can. We are so grateful to have parents like you!

As always your child’s health and safety is our number one priority and we are doing everything that we can to help your child have an “Exciting Adventure in Christian Athletics”.

Blessings,

Doug Goodwin
Chief Operating Officer
Kanakuk Ministries

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Sunday Health Update

The following email was sent to our Kamp families on Sunday afternoon.

Dear Kamp Family,

God is big and despite the fact that the seasonal influenza is all over the country, Kanakuk is doing well. This past two-week term we continued to experience Kampers in small numbers who come to some of our health centers with temperatures and, as per our new protocol, we are separating them and sending them home with their parents. Those departures are difficult moments for us, as it’s a chance slipping away to minister to your family.

To put it in perspective, we have had over 2250 kids and 800 staff at our Kamps this past two weeks and to date we have sent 48 kids home. Some of our Kamps have had no issues and less than 2% of Kampers overall have had to go home.”

Unfortunately, we are finding out that some of the Kampers that have been sent home do not have the flu. However, we are still being advised that the best way to handle the influenza this year is to be on the safe side and send anyone who has flu-like symptoms home. Again, we are blessed that this influenza is relatively mild and the kids are recovering well from its symptoms.

Most of our Kamps will change over tomorrow and we will continue to be vigilant with our pre-screening program. Our new pre-screening program Kamp-wide is working well and we will continue to do this all summer long. Please help us by keeping your child at home if they have fever or are sick. If they have been sick we need to know that as well. This will help our program run smoothly and allow us to do what we do best…minister to and encourage your kids.

Dr. Mike Johnson, Chief of Medicine, Infectious Disease Specialist at Carolinas Medical Center-Pineville in Charlotte, NC, who was a guest with his family at Family Kamp this week commented during his stay, “You have done more than most health systems. I’m here with my family and I am impressed with how you are handling things.”

Dr. Stacy Furlow, Chief of Pediatrics for Washington Regional Hospital in Fayetteville, AR, and volunteer Kamp physician stated, “This is the summer influenza going around this year. Fortunately, it is a mild version, but it’s the flu this season. Kanakuk is handling this situation very well.”

Their sentiment and technical advice, and the continuing support of the state and local health officials have given us great confidence in our ongoing efforts to provide a safe environment for Kampers. There are six weeks of summer left! Those of you preparing to arrive may have received or will receive an email before your term that gives you more information about the pre-Kamp screening process. Thanks for your support in helping us keep Kamp healthy.

Please be encouraged that the health and safety of your children is and always will be a top priority at Kanakuk Kamps, and we hope we have proved this once more by the manner in which we have handled this situation. The positive response and feedback we have received from so many parents is a great blessing to us.

For ongoing information please visit: www.insidekanakuk.com.

Blessings,
Doug Goodwin
Chief Operating Officer
Kanakuk Ministries

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The Marketing Department Celebrates the Fourth of July

A typically loquacious group was eerily quite moments after our graphic designer Heidi brought in the desserts depicted above. The plate of cream cheese filled strawberries covered with almonds and the flag cake were quickly disturbed after these photos were taken. I will admit I had three of the strawberries and am thinking about a 4th and 5th. Thank you Heidi!

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