New York National Guard families spend a day on the challenge course

Students participating in the New York National Guard Family and Youth Program Symposium walk the wires at the Shiloh's Edge high-ropes challenge course. The 75 children of National Guard Soldiers and Airmen participating in the symposium spent the day at Shiloh's Edge negotiating a number of obstacles to build teamwork and confidence and just have fun.

Story by: Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo - 42nd Infantry Division Public Affairs

Saratoga Springs, NY--Nearly 200 New York National Guard family readiness volunteers and youth leaders spent the weekend of Sept. 18-20 learning better ways to do their jobs.

“This workshop has been a great opportunity to identify lessons learned and best practices from folks who have been doing this for some time,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Cipolla, Commander of the 204th Engineer Battalion in Buffalo. “It will definitely assist our Family Readiness Group in developing programs to help Soldiers and their families.”

The weekend was designed to train our volunteers in dealing with the stresses of military life and deployments, said Lt. Col. Kelly Hilland, the director of the New York National Guard Family Program.

“The program is designed to enhance the quality of life and assist geographically dispersed military families by providing extensive support throughout the tough times of military life, including mobilization, reintegration and the resulting issues that affect members and their families,” Hilland said.

This is accomplished through an established network of trained volunteers working with Active and Reserve Components; government agencies; employers; veteran & volunteer service organizations, and private businesses in support of all military service members and their families throughout New York State, she explained.

“Our goal is to make our service members and their families resilient by insuring they know about the resources available to them and know how to access those resources,’ she added.

Cipolla and his wife Sue learned a great deal from the workshop about educational opportunities and financial programs available to families of National Guard Soldiers.

“I’m here to learn so I can teach others; and getting contact names and phone numbers to get assistance for family members was very helpful,” Sue Cipolla said.

While the adult leaders discussed the program’s finer points, nearly 75 children, ages 5-18, shared a full day of leadership, and team and confidence building at Shiloh's Edge high and low ropes challenge course in nearby Halfmoon.

Shiloh's Edge is a non-profit organization which uses outdoor activities to enhance the physical, mental, social and spiritual lives of children.

“This was a great opportunity for our kids to challenge themselves and create lasting lifetime friendships and memories,” said Shelly Aiken, NY National Guard Youth Program Director. “They learn to work together and depend on each other, just like their parents do in the National Guard.”

Sixteen year-old Skymarie Kinkle attended the Symposium thinking it was a chance to spend the weekend away from Long Island with her Mom, brother and Stepdad, Private 1st Class Keith Bickmeyer from Co. B, 642nd Aviation Battalion. What she hadn’t planned for was a new experience that would help her overcome her fears.

“It’s all about teamwork and building trust to rely on each other to get through an immense amount of obstacles,” Kinkle said. “It was a lot of fun and I got over my fear of heights.”

Since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the deployment of more than 10,000 members of the New York Army and Air National Guard to combat zones, the family program has expanded to include full-time consultants in child welfare and psychology and the establishment of professionally-staffed outreach centers around the state.

Family Readiness Group volunteers, meanwhile, have become an integral part of the Army and Air Guard units they support, maintaining programs that help families cope with the stress of separation during deployments, Hilland said.

Point Break Workshops

From Adam's view-

"Wow! I can't even begin to describe the incredible day I just had with 75 juniors from Schenectady High School. Today was the second Point Break program, but the first I was involved in. Point Break is a school assembly program which is kind of cast as an "anti-bullying program" but it is really SO much more than that.It is called Point Break because it is hopefully an experience that the students will latch onto and use to propel them in life. (In surfing Point Break is when you catch the wave that will propel you farthest.)
There are many fun elements to the day but as it progresses, things get serious and kids are able to share their deepest pains in a supportive environment. One of the final activities has students stepping forward who can identify with some extremely serious statements like: Drugs or alcohol have had a negative effect in my family, I have used drugs or alcohol to deal with the pain, I have considered harming someone else to deal with the pain, I cut myself to deal with the pain, and I currently have a plan to take my own life.
In the first wave of Point Break for Schenectady High on May 1st, six out of the 95 students stepped forward for that final question. Today three more did. This particular issue is EXTREMELY relevant to this school, as four students have already taken their lives this year and eight in the past three years. Our hearts are just broken for these hurting kids.
Even before engaging this second wave of students today, the school principal had heard enough about the program from the May 1 event that he has contracted us to get next year's entire freshman class of 900 through the program in 10 waves in the fall. The Principal showed up today to watch some of the program and was canceling meetings for the afternoon so that he could stay longer.
Because this is a school sanctioned activity, we cannot mention God. However, His presence has been overwhelmingly powerful in the room each time, as kids are being vulnerable with each other and with adults who care. AND although we don't mention Christ, His name is literally written on the walls of the room in graffiti murals and students are very easily able to recognize that these adults who are loving and supporting them also love Christ.
Please pray for the hurting kids of Schenectady High and for the future Point Break programs. If you live in the area and would like to be involved, we are looking for a pool of adults who may be available for some of these events. We are able to teach the small group leaders in 10 minutes all they need to know to be effective for the day (I learned it today). You don't need to be a social worker. We can use you. Please contact us."

We Need You!

The Shiloh's Edge Challenge Course Needs You!

We are looking for more adult instructors to volunteer with us.
You will receive the necessary training that will enable you to engage young people in a powerful new way.

Please contact me for more information.

Thanks!

Shiloh's Edge Climbing Team returns from Tennessee!

Adam writes, "Well, we have returned safely from our southern trip. Another hugely successful Spring Break with kids. As I mentioned before we left, this was a smaller group, but amazing none-the-less.We had pretty decent weather the whole trip. A few rainy nights, but none that ever kept us from climbing. We got in five days of hard bouldering and slipped a rest day in the middle. Our travel went very smoothly, a little traffic here and there but we reached our destinations without incident.The climbing and the energy were great, however what I came home most jazzed about was the discussion on the ride home where I got to share my full testimony and what a relationship with Christ means in my life.The analogy that I used was one that the kids could relate to very well. I said that having Christ in my life was like having Kyle and Nyle (our two largest climbing partners) as my spotters while I am high up on a hard route. The climbing is still hard, but the assurance that I will not be seriously injured is ever present. However, during the times in my college years when I wasn't allowing Christ to be the center of my life, I honestly felt like I was 'off-route' and had no spotter at all. I was scared and doing life on my own, trusting only myself.The kids really identified with these feelings and know both the comfort of having great spotters and the anxiety of having no spotter at all. They assured me that this was something they could understand and said, "that's a cool way to think about it."
Please pray that the Lord will continue to stir that message in the hearts of these kids and that I will have many more opportunities to share my faith in Christ with them.
Thank you for your prayer and support of this exciting ministry. I am looking forward to many more weekend climbing trips this spring and some longer trips this summer.
Together in ministry,Adam"

Shiloh's Edge Challenge Course

Our Challenge Course is up and running for the 2009 season. We hosted a large group of students today from Vermont and New York.

"We're how far off the ground?"

Focusing on the solution

Spring Break Climbing

We spent the day at Little Falls where the sun and blue skies added to the enjoyment of outdoor climbing.

Allagash 2009 - Sign up now!

Register now for this year's Allagash Adventure

*Day hiking on Mt. Katahdin and exploring the ice caves
*Meet new friends from around the country
*Campfire cooking
*8 Days on the water
*Exciting fishing
*Lake, river, and whitewater travel

Environment:
This 98-mile canoe route is an absolute classic. The Allagash River is without a doubt one of the most sought after canoe trips in the Northeast. As we travel north through an extremely remote section of Maine, we’ll experience incredible scenery, abundant wildlife and a variety of water conditions. In fact, this journey contains every sort of canoe adventure imaginable: large lakes, small ponds, lazy rivers, swift whitewater sections, including the famous 8-mile Chase Rapid. Moose sightings are almost a daily occurrence. Our record for the trip is 28 different moose over 8 days! We’ll also spend a day hiking to Chimney Pond on the flanks of the mighty Mt. Katahdin, home to some amazing ice caves. This pristine remote pond is surrounded by 1000’ granite cliffs and is truly a must see.

Section progression:
No prior hiking, canoeing or camping experience is needed for this expedition but good physical fitness is desirable. We’ll spend a good deal of time teaching paddle strokes and basic canoe skills on the water section. You’ll also learn all of the necessary camping skills like tent pitching, cooking, and Leave No Trace ethics.

Weather and other challenges:
There are times you might be cold, wet, or tired, but you will learn to manage these situations, and maybe even smile while doing so. The consistent practice of risk management techniques and assumption of responsibility for yourself and other group members will help make your expedition in this wild and beautiful place a trip to remember.

Trip itinerary:
Students will arrive at our office in Latham, NY on July 22nd at 10:00 a.m. to give us an opportunity to issue gear, meet the rest of the team and load the vehicles. The team will spend the night together at our office and then the following morning we’ll travel to Maine. We’ll return to Latham by 5:00 PM on Sunday, August 2nd.

About your Guides:
You’ll be accompanied throughout the expedition by seasoned guides who have spent a great deal of time leading adventure based backcountry trips. The senior trip leader, Steve Prettyman is a New York State licensed guide who is also trained in wilderness first aid and emergency response. Over the years he has gained extensive experience in leading groups and individuals (including his three year old daughter) down the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

Contact Steve at shilohsedge@gmail.com for more information.