A Love Story Between One Family and Camp Warren

For many people, spending summer after summer at camp during the formative years of childhood and adolescence sounds like a dream come true.

But for Simon Keepers, so far anyway, it’s a reality. The 24-year-old has literally spent every summer of his entire life at YMCA Camp Warren.

Every. Single. Summer!

But this story is about a whole family’s generational love affair with Y camps, especially Camp Warren. Simon’s parents Cheri and Chauncey took turns serving as executive director there, starting the summer Simon was a baby. He grew up at camp, continuing on as a camper and eventually joining the staff in 2017. This summer — 2023 — marks Simon’s sixth year working at Warren.

And if you’re keeping count at home, yup, that’s 24 summers at Camp Warren.

When Cheri was in 2nd grade, she went to the Y’s Men tree lot with her dad, Brad Harder, to sell Christmas trees to earn money to go to camp. Her dad had been a Y camper and on staff and was (understandably) eager for her to go to camp, too. Cheri started out at Camp Icaghowan for several summers and then moved to Camp Menogyn for several more. When her 1988 Femmes du Nord trip was cut short, she finished out that summer on staff at Icaghowan.

Here comes the meet-cute moment.

Chauncey started as a Y camper, too, heading out to Camp Icaghowan for the first time at 13 years old. After several summers, in 1987, he was invited on a long trip. Forced to choose between the trip and a conflicting summer tour with a theater group to the East coast, he lucked out. On the final day when he had to make his decision, the theater company cancelled the trip and Chauncey had his decision made for him: Camp Icaghowan.

Who do you suppose Chauncey met that fateful summer of ’88?

“Both of us at Camp Icaghowan that summer, we feel like it was meant to be,” said Cheri. “If the other things hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have met.”

Even when they were dating, they talked about how many kids they would eventually have and which camps they would send them to. Simon’s plans (along with brothers Owen and Finn) were thus set, long before he was even born.

Mom and Dad Keepers: Warren Camp Directors

Chauncey was eventually hired as Warren’s executive director in 1998, with Cheri as the assistant director. Camp Warren had struggled in the preceding years, and that first summer, there were some weeks with as few as 40 campers registered. But with Chauncey as the ultimate cheerleader, Cheri as the organizer, and baby Simon asleep in a laundry basket at their feet, the Keepers family was committed to getting Camp Warren back to a full roster of happy campers.

Prior to becoming director, Chauncey had held many staff roles at both Icaghowan and Menogyn, and he describes himself as “the ultimate camp counselor.” As director, he focused on building relationships with staff, campers and parents. He spent a lot of time “reassuring and rebuilding” and making sure that camp was a safe, fun place for kids to be. He knew the name of every single camper and really understood the value of relationships.

After 2 years as the director, but also head of maintenance, key relationship builder, board liaison, and “jack of all trades” at camp, Chauncey stepped back and Cheri took over as director. Cheri served as executive director from 2001-05 and during that time, she focused on continuing to rebuild the Camp Warren brand. She became the face of camp, going into people’s homes to have recruiting parties. She worked to build trust and focused on attracting new campers. Chauncey worked in the Twin Cities and came to Camp Warren every weekend, during which he would spend time making repairs around camp, supporting summer staff, and hanging out with Simon.

“Cheri and Chauncey brought an infectious energy to Warren.” said Meghan Cosgrove, who would follow the Keepers as Warren’s next executive director. “As a staff team, we absolutely loved working for them because they were fair, they honored each individual’s talents and they completely revitalized camp programming to put the focus back on the camper experience. I, and many others, are eternally grateful for the role Cheri and Chauncey played in stabilizing Warren in the late ’90s and beyond.”

Together, the Keepers took Warren from a struggling camp o one that YMCA Camping Specialist Gary Forster visited to ask, “what’s the secret?!” Cheri and Chauncey are both quick to credit the summer staff teams that they worked with during those years. They were “a walking embodiment” of the camp brand and such a gift to work with. They also credit a very active board of directors and the excellent then-YMCA General Manager of Camping, Christa Getchell who were willing to be hands-on and offered a lot of support.

A Family Affair Indeed

During those hard-working years, Simon played the essential role of “camp kid.” When he was a toddler, Cheri remembers putting him in a carrier on her back and bringing him everywhere with her. Simon’s early memories are of counselors teaching him the “Barbie Girl” song, jumping off the dock, and lots of laughter. Cheri remembers staff and campers “sweeping him under their wing” and watching out for him.

Cheri passed the title of executive director to Cosgrove, who had worked on summer staff for several years and had been a camper before that. Cheri and Chauncey had put the work in to stabilize Warren and they and the board of directors and General Manager, were happy to have camp in Meghan’s qualified and passionate hands.

The following summer, Cheri and Chauncey transitioned into the role of camper parents when Simon became a first-time camper. Cheri recalls secretly calling camp program director Devin Hanson to ask for updates. She worried that Simon wouldn’t know the rules and would wander wherever he wanted. But Simon was a model camper and loved being at Camp Warren.

Simon remembers that he got a lot of attention that summer because the older campers still knew him as the “camp kid.” He was happy being back at Warren.

Simon continued as a camper each summer. He shared his favorite memory from being on a 10-day long boarder trip when he was 13. His counselors on that trip challenged the group to break the record for miles paddled each day, which they did, going up to 20 miles in a day. Simon credits this trip for making him who he is today.

From Camper to Counselor

In 2017, Simon once again made a transition, this time from camper to Camp Warren staff member. He remembers figuring out that his counselors “had been flying by the seat of their pants” and didn’t have all the answers like he had imagined they did. But that realization was empowering and helped him become an adult. He learned to trust himself to make decisions and left that summer feeling stronger and more confident because of it.

Summer 2023 featured three Keepers yet again. Younger brother Owen joined Simon on staff and youngest brother Finn came up as a camper during session 2B.

Cheri explained that she “delights in the evolution of leading camp, then sending the boys off when they were young, and now being known as ‘Simon’s parents’ at Camp Warren.”

Chauncey and Cheri both exude joy and have smiles that light up the room. When they talk about their years at Warren and the time they spent as campers themselves, they trip over each other with stories and laughter. They are passionate, proud, and their enthusiasm is contagious. Their family’s love for camp is apparent within minutes of a conversation.

“Y Camp is who we are” according to Chauncey. Camp has been part of their lives since they were children and has played a significant role in their family’s identity.

When Simon talks about Warren, he speaks passionately about the community, the people and the legacy of camp.

“Camp Warren helps kids be their own person and their best selves; that’s what it did for me.”

When the camp and the people are one and the same, it becomes easy to see why this love story has been going on for generations.