To reinforce our sense of community and nature, Grandma’s Camp® created its own totem to be at the heart of each camp. Each camping family becomes part of a group (called tribes), giving them an opportunity to meet, work, and play with other campers. Each group is named after a Native American tribe.

Grandma’s Camp® has the goal of raising enough capital to build its own site so we can offer a 5-day camping experience. Each day would have a theme based on one of the following totem icons:

At the top of the Totem Pole is the American Eagle, which represents our Country and stands for vigilance, strength and unity. On this first night together, the campers gather around the fire ring and learn what lessons the week will provide.

The second figure on the Totem Pole is an upside down "Frog", which represents responding to emergencies. The frog symbolizes "change". A frog must go through a lot to become a frog. So it is with the students who will learn what to do in an emergency as they learn to change the way they think.

The third figure on the Totem Pole is the "Watchman", that person who guards the tribe. In our case, it is those persons who protect our communities, our country and us. On this day the firemen, policemen, emt’s, search and rescue dogs and the National Guard will visit the camp to talk with the campers so that they might learn that these "first responders" are our friends and not our enemies.

The fourth figure on the Totem Pole is "The Bear" who represents survival and family values. On this day the campers will leave their cabins and hike to a new location. On the way, they will learn what to do if they get lost in the woods. That evening, around the campfire, grandparents will tell stories of what it was like when they were the age of the children they brought with them.

The fifth figures on the Totem Pole are "Three Persons Entwined" and they represent the "past, present and future." On this day, the campers make memories by putting together scrapbooks of the week and making matching pieces of jewelry for themselves and the one who brought them to camp.

The sixth figures on the Totem Pole are the "Two Heads" which represent that "two heads are better than one". On this day the campers learn to make sound decisions based on the FIND method.