Camp Fish Tales breaks fundraising record

Honors Karl Ieuter as ‘Keeper of the Fire’

Ashley Schafer, [email protected]

Published

11:15 am CDT, Thursday, August 27, 2020

Camp Fish Tales in Pinconning hit a record fundraising total for its annual Fish Races event, which was held last week on Friday. Aug. 21.

For the fourth annual year hosting the fundraiser, the non-profit camp organization raised $46,149, compared to $30,173 last year. It is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year.

“We are thrilled that we hit a record high at our fourth annual Fish Races,” said Executive Director Shannon Forshee. “We couldn’t have done it without our gracious sponsors, volunteers, board of directors, guests and many people that donated silent auction items. We are better together! The campers and I thank the community from the bottom of our hearts!”

The event was originally slated for March, but was moved to August amid the uncertainties of the coronavirus pandemic. Still, the organization was able to raise more this year. All of the proceeds will go toward camper scholarships and camp maintenance.

Also during the event, they announced the Keeper of the Fire Award recipient.

At the end of each week-long session in the summer, they give out ashes from the last campfire of the week to a camper who encompasses the spirit of Camp Fish Tales. The camper then brings those ashes back the following year to re-start the first fire of the season. Each year, they also dedicate this award, called Keeper of the Fire, to a person that has a passion for camp.

Karl T. Ieuter was honored with this award at last week’s event. He has been on the board since 2015, helping lead the implementation of strict financial controls, bringing in an outside accountant, and helping rewrite the bylaws. Through grant funding and local foundations, he helped secure funding for our brand new 24-bed cabin.

“From the moment he came on the board, he started turning camp around and has not stopped,” Forshee said. “He is an advocate for camp and our campers. His passion is unparalleled. Camp is truly blessed to have him.”

Read our coverage of the event here. 

Camp Fish Tales is a barrier-free, accessible camp located on 67 acres in northern Bay County. Camp Fish Tales serves individuals of all ages with varying types of disabilities in order to ensure an enjoyable and enriching experience for all campers.

For more information regarding Camp Fish Tales, or to register a camper, visit www.campfishtales.org or call 989-879-5199.