jews d

in
the

Generations Of

FUN

Willoway Day Camp to
celebrate 50 summers.

JONATHON KOENIGSBERG
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

A

s the blossoms bloom, the
weather warms and the kids
count down the days, the staff of
Willoway Day Camp are hard at work,
making the pools clearer, the crafts
craftier and the bug juice tastier than
ever.
And this summer, campers might
expect a little something extra. The
Milford-based camp is celebrating its
50th season, set to begin with a “50th
Rockin’ Summer Kickoff ” on Saturday,
June 9.
Founded in 1969 by Lorraine and
Arnie Fisher of West Bloomfield and Rita
and Mel Seidman of Farmington Hills
(the Seidmans retired in 1987), Willoway
prides itself on offering non-competitive
summer fun for campers ages 5-14.
“When we first started Willoway, we
did so with the belief that children thrive
in a fun, unforced, non-competitive
environment,” said Arnie Fisher, a long-
time Detroit Public Schools educator
and 1948 graduate of Detroit Central
High School. “While much has changed
over our first 50 years, we have always
remained true to this vision.”
For 35 years, Willoway operated in
Wixom at the corner of 12 Mile and
Beck roads. There, the first generation
of Willoway campers explored nature,
learned to swim and ate a few thousand

“Arnie Burgers” — all while building life-
long friendships. Along the way, some
even met their future spouses and,
later, sent the next generation of kids to
camp.
“Willoway has played a special part
in my family’s life from going there
as a child myself to working there
during college and now sending my
children there,” said Nanci Fearon of
Birmingham. “I made some lifelong
friends and met my husband, who was
one of Willoway’s international counsel-
ors from Manchester, England. Today,
we keep in contact with many of those
we worked with almost 20 years ago.”
In 2004, highway improvements to the
I-96/Beck Road interchange meant the
Fishers faced a choice: close the camp
or find a new location. For Arnie, it was
a no-brainer. “Our first 35 years were
terrific,” he said. “We found a 16-acre
horse farm in Milford, thought about
how we could transform it into a sum-
mer camp, and decided it could be an
incredible place to spend a summer. And
we’re 15 more summers in.”
Today’s generation of campers arrives
each day, on Willoway buses and vans, to
the present location on Old Plank Road
in Milford.

LEGACY CONTINUES

“All three of my kids have enjoyed won-
derful summers at Willoway,” said Emily
Shwedel Levin of Birmingham. “My daugh-
ter never missed a Willoway Thursday
overnight, and she really gained a ton
of self-confidence to try new activities
beyond her comfort zone. My sons learned
how to swim proficiently at Willoway. It’s
clear they really care about our kids from
the second they step on the bus each day.”
In the run up to Willoway’s 50th sum-
mer kick-off, Lorraine Fisher, a 1954
Mumford High School graduate, said, “We
really think of Willoway as a family busi-
ness first. We are always available to help
with parent questions and concerns, and
we are so proud when current campers
and former campers from decades ago
stop us and say what a wonderful experi-
ence they had a Willoway.
“Reflecting on the impact we have been
able to make — whether building campers’
self-confidence or helping them to water
ski or fish for the first time, we know that
these are experiences for a lifetime.”
Matt Lester of Bloomfield Hills said,
“Willoway is an iconic name for those of
us who grew up as summer campers and

continued on page 12

TOP: Western Day at Willoway, 1981. LEFT: Lorraine and Arnie Fisher flank their grand-children on the
Willoway Day Camp Nature Trail. Bottom row: Alex Vieder, Brandon Vieder, Adam Fisher and Ben Fisher.
Middle Row: Nick Vieder, Kaitlin Fisher, and Jessie Fisher. Top Row: Daniel Fisher and Meryl Vieder.

10

May 31 • 2018

jn