Camp Nebagamon

We are so excited to announce the first leg of our reunion tour! We are sending invitations to the residents of each city as each reunion approaches. You can update your contact information to ensure you receive proper invitations here at our alumni portal. For more information or for help updating your contact information, please don’t hesitate reach out to us here! We can’t wait to see you at our reunions!

Compiled by Louis Levin

In my time as a camper, I took plenty of wilderness trips, and like many campers find, those trips provided a lot of healthy challenges for me. And like many alumni, those trips are perhaps the thing I relish the most about my time as a camper. Tripping has become a part of who I am as an adult. I’ve revisited plenty of the beautiful places that I experienced as a camper. I loved hiking in Pictured Rocks 11 years after I first visited, and revisiting the vistas of Sleeping Giant that I enjoyed as an 8th grader. I retraced the Lady Chain in the Boundary Waters as a 27-year-old. As an adult, I learned to appreciate the difficulty I had as a camper on our wilderness trips. That difficulty made the trips I go on as an adult much easier.

There was one trip I didn’t take as a camper: Grand Portage. Perhaps the hardest trip we offer at Nebagamon, our Grand Portage route travels the US-Canada border from Saganaga to Superior, ending with an 8.5 mile portage, the trip’s namesake Grand Portage, that leads our campers from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area to Lake Superior. After camp this summer, I sought to rectify this regret, and planned a trip for my wife Maggie and I that would take us along the exact route our 9th grade campers take

Foolishly, I remarked to Maggie before our trip, “The campers do it, so how hard could it be?” I even built in a few advantages for ourselves. We budgeted our trip an additional day; 9th graders do the Portage route in six days and we gave ourselves seven. We only had two people’s worth of food and gear; our campers pack out a trip for nine. And, of course, we had the luxury of taking a lighter and more fragile river canoe; campers traverse the portage with our trusty 85-pound aluminum canoes. 

What transpired over our seven-day trip left me gobsmacked. Each night, Maggie and I would arrive at our campsite close to dinner time and I’d review the map, unable to comprehend how our campers would have pushed through another three lakes and portages compared to what we’d accomplished. We faced strong headwinds on big lakes, like a seven-mile paddle across Gunflint that left our arms sore, and I could only wonder how you’d keep a group of three boats together when steering through the gusts that proved difficult for a single canoe. And when it came to our last day, the big one, the eight-and-a-half mile namesake Grand Portage, I was lost for words. Our Trip Director, Jonah Domsky, told me most camper groups can push through the portage in about three and a half hours. It took us nearly eight.

While I was really proud of launching our canoe into the big lake to end our trip, my pride was outweighed by a much larger emotion: a humbled awe. I was awestruck by our campers. The fact that 15-year-olds not only do that route, but do it faster than I can imagine, is extremely impressive. And I was floored with the trip staff – with every snag in our trip, I gained more and more respect for our intrepid trippers guiding a group of campers down the border route and keeping their poise. 

So while I was looking forward to this trip to check off a regret from my camper years, I was quite surprised by what I actually walked away with: a much deeper understanding of what our campers are capable of and an even greater admiration for our trip staff…and a knee problem! Glad I snuck this one in before it was too late!

As for news of the camp family, our reunion tour will begin next month so until then, please feel free to send along news items my way. You can reach me at louis@campnebagamon.com.

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS GO TO… Noah Star (Evanston, IL/Anchorage, AK  2003-’09) and Shoshi Belier.

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT… It’s a boy, Elliot, for Dan Levis (Chicago/Park City, UT ’98-’03,’05-’08,’16) and Lia Levis. It’s a girl, Zoë, for Ben Donchin (OKC, ’03-’08) and Stephanie Donchin (OKC).

By Troika Brodsky

If you’ve spent time at Camp Nebagamon, you’re likely familiar with the phrase, “All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.” This spirit of generosity, inclusion, and support has been deeply woven into the fabric of our camp community from the very beginning.

In 1938, Camp’s Founding Directors, Muggs and Janet Lorber, along with alumni Joe Tucker and Don Spilker, established a non-profit scholarship fund to provide financial assistance for children in need, enabling them to attend non-profit summer camps. By 1947, the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund (CNSF) had officially gained tax-exempt status, marking the beginning of a long tradition of giving back.

Camp’s second directors, Nardie Stein and Sally Lorber Stein (daughter of Muggs and Janet), took over managing CNSF in 1958, dedicating more than 50 years to its growth. In 2010, their daughter, Jessie Stein Diamond, became the third generation to lead CNSF. Under her guidance and with the help of a dedicated board of Nebagamon alumni, CNSF’s mission expanded to support high-performing non-profit camps that serve youth affected by poverty and disability. Thanks to generations of alumni and friends, CNSF continues to share the joy and life-changing impact of camp with those who need it most.

In the early 1990s, Camp’s third directors, Roger and Judy Wallenstein, were approached by alumni Lloyd Schermer and David Heller with a proposal to create an endowment fund for children who couldn’t afford to attend Camp Nebagamon. With Roger and Judy on board and the enthusiastic support of Nardie and Sally, this idea led to the creation of Camperships for Nebagamon (CFN), which officially became a 501(c)(3) in 1995. We owe a debt of gratitude to early CFN board members and dedicated alumni such as Bob Nefsky, Buzzy Neusteter, Skip Rosenblatt, Bob Chukerman, Mitch Semel, and Joe Hirschhorn, among many others, who helped spearhead the initial fundraising efforts. More than two decades later, CFN has awarded over $1.5 million across 300+ camperships, enabling hundreds of children to experience Camp Nebagamon. This generosity has fostered a more diverse and inclusive community, breathing new life into the camp’s long-standing motto: “This Shall Be a Place of Welcome for All.”

In 2022, under the leadership of Adam Kaplan and Stephanie Hanson, and with the support of Nardie, Sally, Roger, Judy, and a dedicated group of alumni volunteers, Camp Nebagamon embarked on a new chapter by transitioning from a family-run business to a non-profit organization. This change was essential to protect and strengthen Nebagamon’s legacy for future generations. Going forward, the camp will be guided by a year-round leadership team and a Board committed to preserving the traditions and culture that have defined Camp Nebagamon for nearly a century.

Two key elements of this transition to a 501(c)(3) include integrating Camperships for Nebagamon (CFN) into the main organization and launching the “Keeping the Fires Burning” capital campaign. This exceptional, one-time initiative aims to raise $10 million to secure the camp’s future by purchasing the property and establishing essential strategic and emergency reserves. These funds will ensure long-term financial stability, allowing our leadership to focus on what matters most: providing transformative summer experiences for generations of campers to come.

Since launching this initiative, Camp Nebagamon has made significant strides. We secured non-profit status, purchased the camp property and business, integrated Camperships for Nebagamon, and established oversight through a dedicated Board of Directors with strong community ties. We also welcomed our new Camp Director, Noah Stein, and Director of Development and Alumni Engagement, Troika Brodsky, and are excited to announce Bob Striker as our new Director of Finance. Most notably, the “Keeping the Fires Burning” capital campaign has reached 85% of its goal, with over 500 alumni and families contributing gifts or pledging multi-year commitments totaling $8.5 million of the $10 million needed. As we approach the final stretch of this unique opportunity to secure Camp Nebagamon’s future, we invite everyone to join us in keeping the fires burning.

As we forge ahead on this journey, we honor the powerful legacy of impact, engagement, and generosity that Camp Nebagamon has cultivated over the years. You, our extended Camp family, know firsthand the life-changing experiences we create for young people. With the giving season right around the corner, we invite you to support Camp Nebagamon, which has two distinct funds: the “Keeping the Fires Burning” campaign and Camperships, each playing a critical role in our mission. It’s also important to clarify that the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund (CNSF) is a separate entity focused on providing scholarships at non-profit summer camps that specialize in serving youth experiencing poverty and disability. We are profoundly humbled and sincerely grateful for your unwavering support, empowering us to preserve and enhance the vibrant spirit of Camp Nebagamon for generations to come.

In late August the Camp Nebagamon board of directors and year-round staff came together for a working weekend at Camp. Pictured here are Tom Mendelsohn, Roger Wallenstein, Ken Kanter, Tony Rose, Trish Russel, Tom Elson, Dan Feldman, John Wasserman, Katy Neusteter.

In early September the CNSF Board hosted a retreat in Minneapolis that included CNSF both board members and advisors. Pictured here are Troika Brodsky, Adam Kaplan, Joey Laskin, Noah Stein, Frank Sachs, Ric Best, Matt Friedman, Stephanie Hanson, Amy Foxman , Brian Kramer, Jeff Levinson, Scott Diamond, Jane Stein Kerr, Sally Lorber Stein, and Jessica Stein Diamond.

Bob’s first cabin – Annex 1979

We are thrilled to announce that Bob Striker (‘79-’81, ‘83-’91) will be joining the Camp Nebagamon year-round team as our Director of Finance! He brings with him a wealth of experience both at camp and professionally. Bob’s Nebaga-resume is broad, having attended Nebagamon as a camper and worked on staff for nine summers as cabin counselor, trip staff, and assistant trip director. 

Bob has significant non-profit experience. Over the past two decades he has served as treasurer on two boards of directors with budgets of over $5 million. In that capacity, Bob gained invaluable financial expertise which will prove useful in his new role as Camp Nebagamon’s Director of Finance. Budgets and tax forms are right up his alley!

Bob practiced law in Minnesota for the past 30 years, and is licensed both in Minnesota and Wisconsin. His legal career has spanned a range of practice areas. Most recently, his work focused on the development of solar and wind projects throughout the United States.

We couldn’t be more excited for Bob to join us!

This Arrowhead marks the first time in 25 years that we will not all be able to share in a Caretaker Joe article. While Joe Crain will remain as part of our amazing year round caretaking crew, he has decided to hang up his writing responsibilities. Joe promises to still bring us occasional photographic updates from camp in the winter so we can still all feel like we are there.  

The Caretaker Joe articles have been a favorite for many for decades now. Joe’s unique brand of folksy, thoughtful and eye for detail made Joe’s missives a pleasure to read and made us all feel even more connected to Nebagamon.

A big thank you to Joe for all of the years of providing insights into what camp is like in the off-season, what life is like in the North Woods in the winter, what incredible work our caretakers do all year round to keep Nebagamon alive and fresh, and all things Caretaker Joe! It has been a lot of fun and a great ride Joe….Thank you!

Caretaker Joe’s first Arrowhead article from November, 1999

Camp is put to bed for the offseason — can you guess what you’re looking at in each photo? Answers below!

ANSWERS: A: “Tags Before Towels” Rack. B: Box Hockey platforms. C: Weather Rock. D: “This Shall Be A Place of Welcome For All” sign frame. E: Pull string for the camp bell. F: O-Tent base. G: LJ Bell. H: Swamp Gouger. I: Axeman Village windmill stand. J: Keylog Box stand.