New Hampshire summer camp sends children home after 6 unruly days

Camp Quinebarge in Moultonborough, N.H., closed after just six days. Isabella, 11, and Kayden Gove, 8 , both attended camp and had to go home. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

By Mia McCarthy updated on July 23, 2021

Camp Quinebarge sent all of their campers home after an understaffed and disastrous six days forced the camp to shut down, according to The Boston Globe. 

“We have been in tears, bored, and devastated the whole day,” a camper wrote in a letter home.

The rural overnight camp offers two-week programs for children ages 6 to 16 at the campsite in Moultonborough, N.H. The camp has been in operation for 85 years.

Daily activities include horseback riding, field trips, and arts and crafts. This year, activities were reportedly mixed with dirty dishes, vomiting campers, and a counselor being punched in the face.

“You have to trust us. You have to,” the Globe said one camper wrote in a letter home. “We are not joking and we are not having fun. So many things are wrong with this place.”

Parents were stunned to receive an email from camp staff telling them to pick up their kids over a week early after a challenging six days finished with a delay from the camp’s food supplier Sysco.

“Shock does not even begin to cover it,” parent Rebecca Grove told the Globe.  She also told CBS Boston there was an “atrocious lack of communication from the directors going on.”

Camp Quinebarge cancelled all of its upcoming summer sessions until next year. While Grove said she was refunded, other parents said they have not been so far.

The Globe wrote that Eric Carlson, executive director and recent owner of the camp, said the unfortunate ending was not due to long-term issues, but rather a combination of issues, many caused by the pandemic. Carlson has run the camp with his wife, Lesley, since 2012.

This year Carlson reportedly had a particularly hard time hiring staff and was training some members only a few days before camp started.

“I was hired about four days before campers arrived,” said MJ Lowry, a 21-year-old counselor. An email obtained by the Globe said Carlson was looking “to hire 15-20” people during the week of training.

Advertisement:

The Globe also reported that some counselors quit, and others were fired.

One camper also allegedly punched a counselor – giving him a bloody lip – and hit another camper in the head with a wooden block. Carlson told the Globe this camper was sent home after three days.

“Upon reflection, we know that camp is only good for the kids if we can ensure their health and safety,” the Globe said the Carlsons and camp director Nick Hercules wrote in an email. “That is why as soon as we finish our closing work for 2021, we will begin preparing for summer 2022.”

Update: After the Globe published its report, the camp’s owners, Eric Carlson and Lesley Marcus Carlson, pushed back on the story, releasing their lengthy statement in full on Facebook. In it, they acknowledged the staffing and food supplier issues but painted a different picture of the campers’ shortened experience.

“In many ways, the one week of camp this summer resembled any other in our long history: There was a lot of laughing, singing and playing, and the kids loved the non-activity time the most as they were able to just hang out and be kids,” they wrote. “That is what made the decision to cancel the remaining sessions after just a week of camp so heartbreaking. It was a decision not made lightly.”

“We desperately wanted to make the summer of 2021 a return to normalcy but were ultimately unable to,” they added later. “We immediately notified families that they would be refunded their tuition for the remainder of the summer.”

Tawonga counselor, Berkeley High grad drowns near camp

Eli Kane, flanked by his parents Scott and Nancy Kane (Photo/Facebook)

By Sue Fishkoff | July 17, 2021

Berkeley native Eli Kane was on his day off from Camp Tawonga on Thursday when he and some other counselors headed to a river in the Stanislaus National Forest. It was a popular swimming hole for Tawonga staffers, off camp property.

Somehow — the circumstances have not been determined — he drowned. He was 20 years old.

He was the son of Scott and Nancy Kane and the brother of Jesse Kane, all of Berkeley. Both boys became bar mitzvah at Reform Congregation Beth El in Berkeley.

Eli was a 2019 graduate of Berkeley High School, where he played on the soccer team, and he was a student at the University of Michigan, according to several media sources. It was his first summer as a counselor at the Jewish overnight camp near Yosemite National Park. 

Yesterday evening, Tawonga’s administration sent out a global email to some 10,000 people, including all parents of campers and staff members.

“We are heartbroken to inform you that Eli Kane, a beloved member of the 2021 Camp Tawonga staff, died on July 15 after drowning at a river spot away from camp,” it read. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Eli was a bright light, beautiful spirit and an adored Tawongan.” Noting that Kane was a longtime Tawongan camper before becoming a counselor-in-training and, this year, a counselor, it continued: “Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with Eli’s family, and we are grieving with them.”

The Tawonga email, much of it posted on its Facebook page, noted that several other staff members were with Eli at the swimming hole, but none of them were injured. No campers were present.

Emergency personnel from Cal Fire and the Forest Service responded. According to Tuolumne County Deputy Sheriff Niccoli Sandelin, his office received the call at 12:52 p.m. July 15. When officers arrived at the swimming hole, witnesses were giving CPR to Eli. Lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead. “Details surrounding the incident are still unclear and exact cause of death will be determined at time of autopsy,” Sandelin told J. in an email.

Campers at Tawonga were informed of Eli’s death on Friday, and he was memorialized during services Saturday morning, as described on the camp’s blog: “This morning, we honored Eli Kane during a beautiful, soulful and powerful Torah service. Together, as a community, we took a moment of silence to honor and remember him.”

Campers and staff said Kaddish as a community and joined in a Mishebeirach, the Jewish prayer for healing, for Eli’s family. Grief therapists arrived at camp today to supplement the on-site staff therapists in supporting campers and staff.

Meanwhile, leaders and staff at Tawonga are struggling to balance their own grief and the desire to mourn as a community with the need to keep camp moving forward for the children. “We hope to retain the magical Tawonga experience for the campers while also holding the sadness of this tragic loss,” Tawonga CEO Jamie Simon wrote on the camp’s Facebook page Friday. She added that the campers are “all safe” and taking part in their regular camp activities.

On Friday, Congregation Beth El sent out an announcement to its synagogue community. Along with his family’s synagogue involvement, Eli was a camper and recent staff member at the congregation’s summer day camp, Camp Kee Tov.

Berkeley High School Principal Juan Manuel Raygoza shared the tragedy with staff on Friday, saying the school community was “heartbroken.” One of Eli’s teachers, Rebecca Villagran, wrote that he “was an amazing young man, brilliant and sweet.”

The Kane family is receiving visitors at their Berkeley home through Monday. A funeral has not yet been held.

Staff writer Gabriel Greschler contributed to this report.

12-year-old girl flown to hospital after fall from rock wall at Camp Ernst

Dan Griffin Updated: 10:57 PM EDT Jul 27, 2021

BURLINGTON, Ky. —

A young girl fell 20 feet from a rock wall at a YMCA camp and was airlifted to Cincinnati Children's Hospital on Tuesday.

Officials said her prognosis is good, but they want to figure out exactly what happened to prevent another fall.

YMCA Camp Ernst leaders said the girl, about 12 or 13 years old, according to fire officials, is part of their overnight camp program.

They said she was on a ropes course when she fell.

"She was talking, she was moving her arms and legs and the initial prognosis is that she's doing OK," YMCA of Greater Cincinnati Chief Development Officer, Alison Hansen, said.

It is a scare that has the YMCA Camp Ernst location in Boone County digging deeper.

Hansen said the girl fell 20 feet at about 3 p.m. Tuesday as she climbed a rock wall.

"She was on the rock wall portion of the course and she was tethered and did have a helmet on as all of our campers do. We are, this is so new and this is so fresh, that we're still trying to figure out what exactly took place today and how she fell," Hansen said.

The girl, officials said, takes part in an overnight camp.

Hansen said both day and overnight camps are continuing as they investigate.

"We have immediately closed the course so we can take a look and see what happened and make sure all of our equipment is working properly," she said.

She told WLWT about 15 children and counselors were nearby as staff nurses helped in a matter of minutes.

Hansen said AirCare responded out of an abundance of caution.

She said there have been no problems at the rock wall before, but they will make changes to prevent another fall.

"My twin girls were here as overnight campers just last week. I picked them up on Sunday and you, as a parent, you feel for the child, you feel for the family, you certainly understand the stress that they are going through when they get that phone call that their child has been injured," Hansen said.

Burlington fire officials said the girl was conscious and alert, and complained of a headache, but had no broken bones.

Camp leaders told WLWT the family and the girl are both in their thoughts and prayers.

YMCA Camp Ernst leaders also said children who were there have been talking with counselors about what they saw and how they feel.

They told us they were also about to call their parents and guardians to talk with them about the incident.

Jeffrey Epstein met first known underage victim at prestigious Michigan arts camp: book

By Thomas Barrabi , Andrew Murray | Fox News

Deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein met his first known underage victim at a Michigan summer arts camp to which he had heavily donated and once attended by celebrities such as Felicity Huffman, Norah Jones, Jewel, and Josh Groban, according to an excerpt from a new book by Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown.

The book, entitled "Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story," details Brown’s years-long investigation into Epstein’s underage sex trafficking operation and its impact on his victims. Brown recounts how Epstein used his fortune to "prey on young girls," including attendees of arts camp Interlochen, where Epstein had built a lodge on campus.

Epstein would make frequent trips to the camp with his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. In 1994, the pair reportedly "befriended" a thirteen-year-old girl at the camp.

"The girl had just lost her father, a classical music conductor, so she was still grieving and vulnerable," Brown writes in the excerpt. "The camp maintains that they’ve never received a complaint about Epstein, and the woman, who is now living in California, has not spoken publicly."

"In a sworn deposition, Epstein’s former butler, Alessi, mentioned that the girl often visited Epstein’s Florida mansion and in later years, her name appears on the flight logs of his plane," she added.

Brown noted that a woman, who was not identified, filed a lawsuit in January 2020 alleging a similar meeting with Epstein at the camp when she was 13.

"The woman said she was sitting alone on a bench between classes when Epstein and Maxwell approached her, telling her that they were arts patrons who wanted to give talented young artists like her scholarships," the excerpt says.

In the lawsuit, the woman alleges Epstein and Maxwell began asking her questions about her background, with Epstein eventually asking for her phone number. Epstein later contacted the girl’s mother, claiming he "helped young talent," and invited both of them to his mansion in Palm Beach.

"Over the next several months, Epstein and Maxwell tried to groom the thirteen-year-old girl. He told her to call him her "godfather," and Maxwell befriended her like an older sister, the suit claims," Brown writes. "They took her to the movies, went shopping, and invited her to spend more and more time at the estate. Soon, the sexual comments started."

Epstein purportedly paid for the girl’s music lessons and gave money to her mother. 

The book says Epstein assaulted the girl for several years, with Maxwell allegedly scolding her if she resisted his advances. Epstein allegedly moved the girl and her mother to an apartment in New York and paid for her to attend a private school.

"In 1999, when she was eighteen, she finally left him and moved away to start a new life. For a while, Epstein repeatedly called and berated her for not appreciating him. But soon, the calls stopped. By then Epstein had moved on to new, younger prey," the excerpt says.

Epstein took his life while in federal prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell has been jailed since last July and faces charges of enticement of minors, sex trafficking of children, and perjury. 

Brown’s book on her Epstein investigations is set to be released on Tuesday.

Officials speak on Boy Scout chaperone accused of placing hidden cameras in bathrooms at summer camp

by: Andy Banker Posted: Jul 28, 2021 / Updated: Jul 29, 2021

St. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo. – FOX 2 has new information about a Boy Scouts volunteer accused of putting hidden cameras in showers at a haven for St. Louis area scouts.

Camp Gamble is part of the S-Bar-F Scout Ranch in St. Francois County, about 80 miles south of St. Louis. It draws thousands of boys and girls every year.         

Fox 2 News has learned that concerns about the suspect may extend far beyond our area. 

Boy Scout chaperone accused of placing hidden cameras in bathrooms at summer camp

Excitement for scouts builds along the drive to Camp Gamble, as they pass totem poles from scout troops through the years dotting the roadside.  

Investigators, troop leaders, and parents say that makes this case more sickening.  

“Cameras were discovered in two of the shower rooms in the camp,” said Det. Sgt. Greg Adams, St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department.   

”The cameras were discovered by parties who were there camping, who were assigned a bathroom shower stall cleaning detail.” 

That was Friday. There were nearly 20 St. Louis area troops at the ranch at the time, according to investigators.   

David Lee Nelson, 39, was a volunteer chaperone for the of the troops and put the cameras there, investigators said. He now faces 15 felony counts of invasion of privacy and promoting child pornography.  

He remains in the county jail Wednesday night on a $500,000 bond. The camp remains open.    

A troop leader told Fox 2 News he had no concerns bringing scouts there. He commended camp staff for quickly finding the cameras and tracing the alleged crime to Nelson.   

The Boy Scouts of America’s Greater St. Louis Area Council has released a statement saying:   

“The Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America places the safety and well-being of our Scouts, volunteers, and their families as our top priority. We are saddened, disturbed, and angered by this incident as it runs counter to everything we stand for at the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America.  

“We commend the volunteer leaders who made the discovery of the devices and took immediate action by following established protocols that are part of the Youth Protection Training required by the Boy Scouts of America for all adults involved with children. 

“The Council is grateful for their quick work which led to the identity and the eventual arrest of the perpetrator.” 

The BSA has some of the most robust youth protection policies which are informed by respected experts in the fields of child safety, law enforcement, and child psychology. Youth protection training is mandatory for all volunteers and employees.

To find out more about the BSA barriers of abuse, visit the organization’s website.  

Despite the barriers of abuse, these events remind us all how important it is to be ever vigilant when it comes to the safety of our children and the evolution of technology everywhere. 

The council is cooperating fully with authorities on every level. As this is an ongoing investigation, please direct further questions to local law enforcement by contacting Det. Sgt. Greg Adams, St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department, 573-756-3252 Ext. 213.  

“I think the Boy Scouts do a good job of a vetting process, but I don’t believe any process is foolproof and any time you could have a subject that has ill intentions and who wants to victimize people; not just the Boy Scouts, but any other organization,” Adams said.  

There are at least six known victims, so far: male, female, adult, and minor, he said.   

Investigators are asking parents and volunteers to call or email to help find three minor, male, victims whose identities are still unknown.  

“If you believe that your child was there and could possibly be a victim, we’re working diligently to identify the 3 unknown male victims as this time,” Adams said.  

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Leader of Troubled Summer Camp Retires Following Allegations of Rape and Sexual Abuse

Ariel Tu and Rhonda Schwartz Jun 30th, 2021, 4:11 pm

In the wake of lawsuits alleging rape and widespread sexual abuse at a popular Virginia summer camp for teens and families, the non-profit group that runs the camp has announced the retirement of its CEO, Kevin Todeschi, who was named in both of the cases.

In a statement to Law & Crime, Todeschi said his decision to retire at the end of the year will “facilitate the healing process of the organization and the camp community.”

Todeschi had worked for the Association for Research and Enlightenment, A.R.E., for almost four decades.

One of the lawsuits was filed by eight women who alleged “a dangerous cycle of continued sexual abuse and cover-ups that has lasted generations.”

The A.R.E. said Todeschi’s retirement came after the completion of an internal investigation, the results of which have not yet been made public. But Todeschi said the investigation confirmed “that I was not involved in any infractions at A.R.E. camp, nor did I participate in any suppression of information about any camp incident.”

The summer camp, located in the mountains of southwestern Virginia, is described by the A.R.E. as an idyllic place for children. But the eight women allege that they were sexually harassed and abused as children while they attended the summer camp.

“The first time I was sexually assaulted by a male counselor was when I was 13,” Lynsey Doe said in an interview on the Law&Crime Network program “Brian Ross Investigates.”

“I was raped, and I reported it,” the woman said.  “And I was silenced and victim-blamed.”

Lynsey said when she returned to the camp a few years later, she was ordered to apologize to the counselor who she accused of raping her.

“There was a ceremony held, very cult-like,” she continued. “They were just gaslighting me and saying it was my job to forgive him and reintegrate him into this community because the values of this community are unconditional love.”

Another former camper, Hannah Furbush, now 27, said she started to notice that the female campers, including other teenagers like her at the time, were being preyed upon by older male staff members. Furbush said she was coerced into participating in a “liberated underwear movement.” During the event, underage female campers would strip down to their underwear and run through the camp.

Other allegations included so-called “Massage Trains,” where campers and staff allegedly gave each other massages and back rubs.

“You had no say in who touched you,” said Furbush. “And often times when you are a tall woman like myself, being hugged by somebody from behind, you’re being touched in a place that you don’t want to be touched.”

Furbush also alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a senior director when she was 20.

“He had made advances to me all summer long. He touched me inappropriately all summer long, as well as sexually harassed me relentlessly,” she said.

But when she finally reported him, nothing happened, and the senior director was rehired for the following summer term, she noted.

“I was ostracized from the community and blamed because his feelings needed to be prioritized, which is a common theme in our community,” Furbush said.

“We want to put the shame back where it belongs because the shame belongs with A.R.E. who failed to protect these young children, who fostered this cult-like atmosphere of sexual abuse and sexual assault,” attorney Steve Estey, who is representing the women, told Law&Crime.

[images Courtesy of Lynsey Doe & Hannah Furbush]