Chinmaya Mission Dallas/ Fort Worth

8th

Annual Balavihar Camp

Labor Day Weekend 2014 August 29 - Sept 1

Camp Summit, TX

Table of Contents

Transportation – Chalti ka Naam Gaadi..............................................................................3

Departure – Chalo Camp................................................................................................3

Return – Aana ................................................................................................................3

Summary of Contact Info ...................................................................................................3

Daily Schedule...................................................................................................................4

Standards of Conduct .........................................................................................................5

Personal Effects – Saamaan potli........................................................................................7

Camp Checklist – stuff to bring......................................................................................7

Bedding..........................................................................................................................7

Toilet Articles / Misc Items ............................................................................................7

Optional .........................................................................................................................7

Things NOT to bring......................................................................................................8

Children with Asthma ......................................................................................................11

Teachers at the Camp.......................................................................................................12

SWAMI SARVESHANANDA .............................................................................................12

Transportation – Chalti ka Naam Gaadi

Departure – Chalo Camp!

• Please drop off the children starting at 4:30pm. Bus will leave Chinmaya

Saaket promptly at 6:00pm on Friday August 29st

Return – Aana

• Plan to pick up your kids between 1:00pm and 2:00pm on Sept 1st

• We plan to leave camp at 12:00 pm on Monday. Under normal driving

conditions, the bus will arrive at Saaket by 1:00pm. However, being a Labor

Day weekend and given traffic conditions, the arrival time may vary. • Of course if you do come early and have to wait, sit in the temple and meditate,

it will do you good.

Summary of Contact Info

Contact Number

Sandhya Gavva (Emergency Only) 214-335-3506

Medical Center of Lewisville 500 West Main Street Lewisville, TX 75057

972-420-1000

Dr. Dhruv Balkundi (on – site Doctor) 214-862-9997

Anurag Jagota 214-536-8296

Daily Schedule

FRIDAY: Location 4:30 pm Check-in registration Saaket

5:30pm Departure Saaket

7:00pm Arrive at campsite Cabins

7:30pm Invocation Ceremony/Introductions/Instructions Lodge

Campfire (if allowed) Take luggage to room Return for pizza and ice-cream Lodge

10:30pm Lights off Cabins

SATURDAY & SUNDAY:

5:30am Wake up / Shower

6.30-7.15am Yoga

7:15 am Milk

7.45-8.45am Class

8.45-9.30am Breakfast Lodge

9.30-10.15am Chanting 10:30-

11:30am Class 12.00 -

1.30pm Lunch Lodge

1.30-3.30 pm R&R – crafts

3.30-4.30pm Workshop / discussions

4.30-5.30pm

Games - organized 10 members from each house play

volley ball, 10 member team for soccer, 10 member

team for softball, basket ball

5.30-6.00pm Snack & shower Lodge/Cabins

6.00-7.30pm Satsang, bhajans, chanting and class 7:30-9:00pm Dinner Lodge

9.00-10.30pm war-games (Sat) talent show (Sun) Rec Hall

10.30pm Roll call and Lights off Cabins

MONDAY:

5:30am Wake up / Shower Cabins

6.30-7.15am Meditation & Yoga

7:15 am Milk Lodge

7.45-8.45am Class

8.45-9.30am Breakfast Lodge

9.30-10.15am Chanting 10.15-

11.00am Convocation conclusion

11:15-11:45 am Lunch Lodge

12.00pm Check out from campsite

12.00pm Bus departure

1.00pm Estimated arrival at Saaket

Standards of Conduct

1. Act as responsible campers and respect other campers:

a. Respect each other’s property, no borrowing the property of other without permission,

b. A camp member will not act in such a way as to be consistently hostile and

un-cooperative, this includes gossip, swearing, or use of profane language. c. Boys are not permitted in the girls’ cabins. Girls are not permitted in the

boys’ cabins.

2. Work Responsibility - be on time: All camp members will adhere to the policies and procedure as outlined in the Chinmaya Mission Camp Schedule such as

attending all scheduled classes as planned by Swamiji, going to sleep as

scheduled, and doing what is asked of you. Campers are to be on time to all sessions.

3. Dress Code: Activities are both indoors and outdoors. Use your best judgment to wear something that is comfortable but appropriate.

4. Respect the camp facilities

a. Do not deface or destroy items in the rooms. b. Keep the room clean.

c. Pick up trash on the ground, even if it is not yours.

5. Be safe. Do not leave the camp grounds for any reason without an adult. Do not

leave the main camp area. Do not go down to the fishing pond or the trail.

6. Cell Phones: If children bring cell phones, no cell phones are allowed in any class. They MUST remain in the cabins. If you take the cell phone out during R&R to take

pictures or post to Facebook, you MUST put it back before you go to class.

7. Small Piece of Advice: This is a time for rest and relaxation but this is also a time

to learn and remember to HAVE FUN!!!!!

Communication Policy

For Parents

The point of the Camp is to get away from the day to day and be immersed in a different

environment. Your kids may be away from you the parents for the first time in their

lives….or is it the other way around. As parents you may understandably be worried about how your child behaves in camp? Are they eating? Are they participating? Rest assured

that is also our game plan to make sure that they behave, they eat and they participate!

We encourage you to allow your child to savor the limited freedom they have in a safe environment and allow them to explore their independence. Quite frankly, you are better

off if there is NO call from us.

Towards that end we are putting in place the following policy:

• We strongly recommend that you do not provide your children cell-phones

especially those that are in the lower grades 7th and below. • If you do provide them cell-phones please do not call your children on their cell

phones. We do not want the camp to be disturbed at day or at night. Don’t

worry Munna and Munni will be fine. If they are not we will be the first to let you know.

• No laptops allowed.

• You may put notes in their back-packs to remind them of various things. Or simply letters for them to open throughout their stay.

If there is an emergency you may contact Sandhya Gavva. She will have all the cell phone contact numbers at camp.

Please understand, that if you do have the cell phone number of anyone at camp, do not abuse it to insist on talking to your child.

Personal Effects – Saamaan potli

Being appropriately prepared for the camp experience makes a child feel more secure and

confident. Below are some friendly reminders for parents.

Camp Checklist – stuff to bring

Be sure everything is marked with attendees’ name. Luggage space is limited. Each

attendee may bring only one(1) suitcase/bag plus one bag containing bedding. Please put

tags on the bags. All items not on this list must be approved prior to departure.

Clothing Bring old but clean clothing. Mark all items as stated above.

• Pajamas -1 to 2 pair

• T- Shirts / Kurtas / Salwaars • Shoes - 1 pair of sneakers and 1 pair of flip-flop / sandals

• Grocery bags for laundry

• 1 pair of jeans/trouser • Sun hat / cap and kerchief in hot weather

• Bathing suit (to wear while showering)

Friday Saturday / Sunday Monday Min Total

T-shirt / Top Bus 1 for morning 1 for evening Bus 6

Underwear Bus 1 for morning 1 for evening Bus 6

Shorts Bus 1 for morning 1 for evening Bus 6

Socks Bus 1 for morning 1 for evening Bus 6

Bedding

• Sheets – minimum 2, max 4. Pillow and pillow case.

• Sleeping bag and / or blanket. • You may find it convenient to place all the bedding in a large trash bag. Use Blue

Masking tape for marking the Trash bags and LABEL your kids names on the bags.

Toilet Articles / Misc Items

• Bath towels and washcloths- 2 each

• Toothpaste/toothbrush/ Comb and brush • Facial tissues

• MEDICATION placed in a labeled Ziploc bag to be handed to Dr. Balkundi

• Sunscreen • Roll-On Deodorant highly recommended over sprays

Optional

• Digital camera – at your risk. We have a camp photographer.

• Fanny pack or day pack

Things NOT to bring

• Jewelry / Taabeez / Kavach

• Money – there is nothing to buy

• Cell phones (recommend leave at home), Electronic games, PDAs, MP3 players • Matches

• Chewing gum / Candy/ Cokes / snack foods (This keeps bugs and critters out of

cabins & suitcases. Of course, there are exceptions for medical needs.) • Firearms or archery equipment

• Aerosol sprays (will be taken up). Rollon Deodorant recommended

• Fishing rods, Knives, Axes or saws

• Radios, TV's, boom boxes • Curling irons or hair dryers

Children with Asthma

Keep in mind that we are changing environments when we travel to the camp. Your child will be exposed to new antigens, cool night air and heavier exercise on a consistent basis.

Asthmatic children with allergies to grasses and dust can especially have difficulty. Camp

does not have a full service emergency facility. In case of emergency a child is

transported to Medical Center of Lewisville.

We recommend that children with severe asthma who come to camp having begun

a preventative regimen prior to the camp week tend to do better than those who

make no adjustments in their medication routine.

So that we may be prepared for any asthma event that your child may experience

we ask that you:

• Send all asthma medication(s) and a nebulizer when you have one • Check expiration date on the medications, dates must be current to dispense

• Prescription labels are required, either attached to the medication or written out by

the physician on his/her prescription pad or letterhead • Standing orders from your physician, on physician's letterhead, regarding the order

in which medications should be administered when symptoms escalate

Teachers at the Camp

SWAMI SARVESHANANDA

Swamiji has served as the resident acharya of Chinmaya Mission Dallas/Fort Worth for the past 9 years. With Pujya Gurudev’s

blessings, he completed the Brahmachari training in 1995. He was

bestowed Sanyasa Diksha (order of renunciation) by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda, Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide on the

auspicious occasion of Maha Shivaratri (March 03, 2011).

Earlier, Swamiji was himself a CHYK (Chinmaya Yuva Kendra) member and later a

Balavihar teacher and the Vice President of Hyderabad CHYK. Before coming to Dallas, he was a Brahmachari in Vijayawada. His inspiration, dynamism, keen wit, and sense of

humor were evident to over 100 students who regularly attended his weekly CHYK classes

for almost seven years!