This year we will take two Spring Break trips due to school schedules.  The dates of these trips are March 7-11 and March 21-25. I am looking forward to exciting itinerary we have built!

Rites of Passage

Our first full day will be spent working with staff from The Rites of Passage. The Rites of Passage Council is dedicated to supporting personal growth and professional development, providing core training in ecopsychology, ritual process healing, ceremonial initiation, leadership skills, and supporting the creation of sustainable and environmentally responsible communities. They advance no singular spiritual belief system. Rather, they support the opening of compassion and a trust in the Spirit of one's own understanding.

Carl Sandburg

Our second day will be spent touring, hiking and exploring the grounds of Carl Sandburg, an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."

Carl Sandburg's Legacy Touches Our Lives

Carl Sandburg spent a lifetime exploring what it meant to be an American and asked the eternal questions, "Who am I, where am I going and where have I been?"
 
He did this through poetry, song, lectures, writing and lasting friendships with kindred spirits.

Explore Sandburg's legacy and Experience Your America.

Activities: The House Tour is the only "guided" activity, although, park staff and volunteers are happy to entertain any questions you have regarding the other areas of the site.

House Tour: Mr. Carl Sandburg and his family lived in this house from 1945 until Mr. Sandburg's death in 1967.   They lived a simple life and surrounded themselves with things with which they were comfortable.  

Visiting the Barn: Mrs. Sandburg owned and operated the Chikaming Goat Dairy.  At its peak there were over 200 goats at Connemara!  Mrs. Sandburg's goats were renowned for their quality milk production and superior breeding. Your visit to the barn is a self-guided venture, although, there are park volunteers at the barn who would be happy to answer any questions you may have about Mrs. Sandburg's Chikaming goatherd. Remember to wash up after visiting the goats and please do not bring any food or drink into the barnyard.

 Hiking: Mr. Sandburg used to take his chair out to some of the rock outcroppings along the trail to sit and write or just to sit.  He enjoyed observing his natural surroundings. There are numerous trails at Connemara, which vary in length and difficulty.  Please allow time to explore this beautiful setting.  We encourage you to pick up a map at the park bookstore when planning your hike.

Teambuilding Activities

Our third day, Bonclarken's Director of Recreation has designed activities to meet  our specific group goals with the morning spent doing community-building, building in a crescendo to the Leap of Faith.

Leap of Faith: The Leap of Faith is a heart-stopper. After climbing a 20 foot telephone pole, a leap of faith is required to reach the bottom.

Service

One of the most important components of our trip will be service work.  Throughout our week, our residents will be working with the Rescue Mission, the Animal Compassion Society and Four Circles Recovery center.  It is an opportunity for us to give back and give hope to many who may need it.

If you want to live richly, live intentionally. Choose what you wish to create, and then experience the immense satisfaction of making it so.

Instead of being consumed with doubts and fears about what might happen, be focused on what you will cause to happen. Listen to your heart, and take the initiatives that most closely resonate with what you hear.

Absolutely accept and embrace whatever randomness life brings your way. Yet do it from a perspective of your own choosing.

Get the very most from each day by making the intentional choice of how to spend it. Instead of being pushed in a hundred different directions by the conflict and complexity that surrounds you, harness the energy of your passion and purpose.

Direct yourself, consistently and persistently, toward the places, situations, experiences, people and results that you wish to have in your life. You have more than enough energy, opportunities and ability, when focused in a specific direction, to achieve whatever you choose.

 ~Ralph Marston