Announcing Paul Blakely – New Boys’ Camp Director at Camp Ajawah

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We are excited to announce the new Boys’ Camp Director will be Ajawah alumni Paul Blakely. Paul joined the Ajawah family as a young Scout hailing from Troop 342 (Eden Prairie, MN). He continued the tradition of many at Ajawah and went from camper to patrol leader to staff member, serving in multiple senior staff positions at both Boys’ and Girls’ camp, where he is fondly remembered by his camp name “Muffin.” This past summer, when Ajawah was looking for a Beach Director, Paul responded to that call and joined the Ajawah staff once again.

When not looking out on Linwood Lake, Paul lives with his wife, Colleen, on their 70 acres of land in Wisconsin. He received a BFA in Theatre Design from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and has worked as a senior software engineer in Los Angeles, CA before moving back to the Midwest.

Paul joins Girls’ Camp Director, Rev. Mindy Meier (Tilly), as a member of the cohesive Camp Director team. He will be joined at Ajawah this summer by Director Emeritus, Dave Moore. In his first duties as Camp Director, Paul recently joined Dave and Troop 100 at Ajawah, where he connected with campers and hired staff in between intense broomball games.

With Paul’s passion for Camp and empowering youth and young leaders in a rustic outdoor setting, the Ajawah community is looking forward to seeing Paul thrive in this new role. His servant leadership style is one of accountability, meeting the needs of others, and leading from the heart. Thank you, Paul. We’re all here to support you in this new adventure.

Please join us in welcoming Paul to the new Camp Director position!

From Dave Moore, Director Emeritus:

“Paul Blakely is a former Ajawah camper and counselor. He has worked in the kitchen at Girls Camp, and on the Beach at Boys Camp. Last summer, when COVID hit, Paul was one of the Ajawah leaders left standing. He continued his job as Beach Director, but he also came up from the lake and took over the kitchen for a time, a taxing double assignment. Paul’s leadership style fits right in with the Ajawah style. He is pleasant, friendly, soft-spoken and totally trustworthy.”

Camping Sunday – February 9th:

Please join us this Sunday, February 9th at Westminster Presbyterian Church following the 8:30 AM or 10:30 AM service for Camping Sunday and the Camp Ajawah Bake Sale. This is an event where we discuss Ajawah and raise funds for camp, including for Camperships. Paul and Dave will be present to greet the Ajawah community, both new and old.

Announcement – Dave Moore as Director Emeritus

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After more than sixty years as Camp Director, and nearly 80 summers attending Ajawah, Dave Moore will transition to the role of Director Emeritus from his position as Camp Director at Westminster Camp Ajawah. The scope of his new role will be determined by Dave, the new Director for Boys’ Camp, and the Camping Board.

As we enter this transition, we hold dearly the words of our fearless leader, who sends his thanks in his recent announcement:

“Thank you for letting me be part of Ajawah for so many years. If camp has helped to form you — given you some of your best values, memories, joys, friendships — it has done the same for me in overflowing measure.” Dave Moore, December 2024.

Dave, we thank you and cannot put into words the impact you have on every person that calls Camp Ajawah their safe haven and place of community. The bonds you create and cultivate between campers, staff, and all of those in the Ajawah family is immeasurable.

Ajawah Community: Please look for announcements in the near future regarding a celebration for Dave in 2025. We will also be posting reflections throughout the year.

Summer 2025 Registration now open!

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We are excited for another summer of fun and friendship at Ajawah. Dates and rates for summer 2025 sessions can be found on the boys/girls camp pages as well as the registration page. New this year we have the option of a 1 week boys session that overlaps Boys 2 – arrive at the same time, but depart the first Friday vs staying for the full 2 weeks. This is designed to give families with summer plans prior to school starting up some more options.

Double Fun for Boys Session 2 Repeat Campers!

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Girls 1, Girls 2, and Boys 1 all filled up this year, but we have bunks waiting for campers in Boys Session 2. To help fill those bunks, we are offering a reduced price of $325 to campers who have been in Session 1. (You only have to do the medical forms once!) We will make adjustments to accounts where families paid in full for both sessions already.

Boys Session 2 runs from July 28 through August 9, so starting school shouldn’t get in the way.

You can sign up now at the Register Link!

For Boys going to just session 2, rates for the 2 week session are unchanged at $650, with $160 deposit due at registration.     Boys session remainder charges will be billed in July.

2024 Friends and Family Program!

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Since Camp Ajawah’s inception over 100 years ago, we have had generations of families attend Ajawah year after year. To celebrate this, we are excited to announce our new Friends and Family Referral Program for 2024!

For every first-time camper who is referred to Ajawah by a current camper (i.e. one who has attended Ajawah prior to this summer), both referred and referring campers will receive 10% off of their Ajawah registration fee. Further, each current camper may refer up to 5 first-time campers, for a total of 50% off their registration fee!*

To receive this discount, both the referring and the first-time referred camper must attend a camp session this summer, though it doesn’t have to be the same one. Both campers complete this short (~ 1 minute) form, which will go to the registrar. All forms are due by September 15, 2024. 

Please spread the word! We’re excited to have new members in the Ajawah family.

*Discount will be applied as a reimbursement, after all Summer 2024 camp sessions are completed.

If you have questions, please reach out to Julie, our Camp Ajawah registrar, at ajawah@wpc-mpls.org

Summer 2023 Dates and Rates !

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Camp Ajawah had a very successful 2022 session and we look forward to this summer!

  • Girls  1  June 18th -June 30th
  • Girls 2   July 2nd  – July 14th
  • Boys 1   July 16th – July 28th
  • Boys 2  July 30th – Aug 11th

Rates: $650

Deposit $160

If you need a campership, please let us know by contacting the registrar at:

ajawah@wpc-mpls.org

Summer 2021 In-Person Sessions

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March 16, 2021

Dear Ajawah Parents, Campers and Friends: 

Our team has been working hard, and are crafting a safe program infused with the Ajawah spirit for an in-person Ajawah experience for the 2021 season. Registration for in-person Ajawah 2021 Girls and Boys camp opens next Monday, March 22, 2021. Please read carefully the following information about registration. 

  •  We will hold eight 6-day sessions (Sunday to Friday). Because we are limiting the number of campers to 30 per session, we’d like to ensure that as many campers as possible are able to come. Each camper will initially only be guaranteed one session. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. At a later time (likely May for Girls Camp and June for Boys Camp) we will open up registration for additional sessions, as space allows. When you register, please indicate your preference of session (in order). Also, please indicate the number of sessions your camper wishes to attend. Here are the dates for each session: 
    • Girls 1: June 20-June 25
    • Girls 2: June 27-July 2 
    • Girls 3: July 4-July 9 
    • Girls 4: July 11-July 16 
    • Boys 1: July 18-July 23 
    • Boys 2: July 25-July 30 
    • Boys 3: August 1-August 6 
    • Boys 4: August 8-August 13
  • The fee for each session will be $350 for the 6-day session.  If you need a campership, please let us know by contacting the registrar at: 

ajawah@wpc-mpls.org

  • There will be many changes at Ajawah this year that we will be putting into place to keep campers, staff, and families as safe as possible, given the current recommendations and restrictions related to Covid-19. Please note that these plans may change if the guidance from the CDC or the Minnesota Department of Health should change prior to the start of camp. Some of these changes include: 

○ Campers will be put into “pods”, or “groups” which will include staff and campers, totalling 15 people or fewer. These will generally be divided by age, and are the groups campers will eat, sleep, swim, and play with. There will be very limited contact with other “pods”, or “groups” in camp, if any. Because of this, you are welcome to indicate one other person your camper would like to be paired with in the pod / group. Please know we can’t guarantee this, as it will be based on several factors including the combination of ages of other campers. We will do our best. Also,we would like you to be aware that if you are sending siblings in the same session, and they are in different pods / groups, they won’t be able to be in physical contact with each other while at camp. 

○ Drop-off and pick-up will be very different. We will plan on having a low-contact, socially-distant process for both. Details will be coming in future 

correspondence. 

○ We will have additional requirements for campers prior to arrival, and during arrival which will include being in Minnesota or neighboring states for 14 days prior to the camp session, isolating as much as possible for 2 weeks prior to camp, testing prior to arrival (we will provide information about where this can be done, but will need to be arranged by the family), testing of campers on arrival (performed at camp), and a modified packing list.

○ We will have additional safety precautions in place during camp including fewer campers per tent (maximum of 3), masking and distancing until all arrival test results are available, and masking and social distancing between campers and staff of different pods / groups, additional hand washing and sanitizer, daily symptom and temperature checking, small group dining, and no out-of-camp activities. Additional details will be available soon. 

○ More information can be found at www.ajawah.org 

If you have concerns about these changes prior to registration, please let us know. 

We are really excited to be able to have an in-person Ajawah experience this year, and are working closely with related guidance and organizations to make sure we can be as safe as possible and still experience the essence of Ajawah. 

We can’t wait to be back at Camp!

Dave and Tilly