Executive Director

Hi, I am Becky Pasman aka Mamma P, the Executive Director. Western Michigan University is my alma mater. I have a BS in Elementary Education and an MA in Middle Level Curriculum and adolescent development. In June of 2007, I retired from teaching eighth grade at Paw Paw Public Schools.

I am now actively involved with the American Camp Association as a conference planner and facilitator, an associate standards visitor, and writer for the ACA Michigan Chapter newsletter, The Woodpile. I'm the mother of two brilliant and talented young adults, both former VBYC staff, and the wife of gifted musician, builder, and cook (staff opinion). My husband and I spend a great deal of time in the off-season traveling.

In my spare time, I also volunteer as a classroom helper for one of my former students, work in the library at a local parochial school, practice yoga, kayaking, or walk with my dog. This summer will be my eighth summer at camp. I love watching a summer unfold, hearing campers call out to me on cabin row, seeing the year to year growth in our return campers, listening to the laughter and songs, and most of all just being Mamma P.

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Program Director

Aloha! I, Alexander Moyer, am back by popular demand! This time through I will be the program director for VBYC (audience applauds). This will be my fourth summer at VBYC and first as program director. I was a lifeguard, sports instructor, waterfront director, and campground manager. I graduated cum laude from Central Michigan University with my B.S. in Education majoring in history and speech and the dramatic arts. I have three solid years of camp under my belt through VBYC, FFA, and YMCA facilities. Currently, I'm working as a high school media specialist in Flat Rock, Michigan and I simply cannot wait until this summer!

Waterfront Director

Hi there! My name is Erica Johnson and I am the Waterfront Director for this summer.  This is going to be my seventh summer at camp and my fourth summer on staff. I worked in the kitchen as a kitchen boy three years ago and I have been on the waterfront teaching canoeing ever since. In the off-season I live in Athens, Georgia where I attend the University of Georgia. I am currently a junior and am studying psychology and sociology. Along with taking a full course load, I also work at our student recreation center as a lifeguard, manager, and safety instructor (I teach lifeguarding, CPR, First Aid, etc.). I am on the club swimming team and spend a bit of my time volunteering at the local Boy’s and Girl’s Club.  After all this, what brings me back every summer are the campers. Camp means the world to me and the campers both new and return are what really make it what it is. I am looking forward to an amazing summer!!

Archery

Ahoy mateys!  My name is Matt Watters, and I will be teaching archery for the summer of 2011!  I am currently an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and I am majoring in Math and Computer Science.  At the University, I am a goalie on the hockey team and part of the Illini pride sports boosters.  I was lucky enough to teach archery 3 weeks last summer and I am very excited to be returning this year for the entire summer.  I have been going to camp for over 10 years now and have been in positions of camper, counselor, S.I.T., and staff member.  Camp is something that I look forward to every year and this summer is shaping up to be one of the best!  I cannot wait to get back to get this summer of greatness underway.

Arts & Crafts

Bonjour! My name is Zada Harris and I will be teaching arts and crafts this summer! This will be my fourth summer at VBYC and my first year on staff. I am studying biology and french at Hope College where I’m involved in theatre and also go on fun expeditions with the Biology club (yes, it’s nerdy and fantastic). I’m super excited to return to camp and create the most awesome crafts evaaaah. During past summers and breaks, I’ve spent quite a bit of time as a volunteer at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts assisting with day camps and special events. I am looking forward to a summer full of crazy songs, Harry Potter discussions and sitting around campfires.

Head Cook

Greetings!  My name is Betsy Antisdale and I am returning to the kitchen for the 8th year as Head Cook.  I am a full time mom, who works part time as a quilter and at a local bakery.  In my spare time I enjoy cooking, birding and being outdoors.  It is rare in life to have a job you love as much as I love working at VBYC.  This summer I am looking forward to sharing new foods with kids, teaching staff, and loving every minute of it!

Kayaking

Hey everyone! My name is Amanda Mancini.  I'm going to be your kayaking instructor and one of the lifeguards.  I have worked as a lifeguard at a water park for the past two years, but this will be my first time going to summer camp.  I am currently a student at Kalamazoo College majoring in Biology and a minor in Psychology with a neuroscience concentration.  I love soccer, swimming, running, and just sports in general, and I plan on running for the cross-country team at K College this fall.  I can't wait for all the summer fun coming up!

Kitchen

Hey! My name is Ben Holt and I have been going to camp for 10 years as a camper, counselor, S.I.T. I will be one of your Kitchen Boys this summer. I am achieving my Associates in Business Marketing and Management at Lake Michigan College in South Haven. When I am not at camp, I work at a bike shop and as the pole-vaulting coach for South Haven High School. When I am not working elsewhere, I spend my time listening to music, going to concerts, biking, and watching LOTS of movies. I love making kids laugh, and playing games like roof ball or with the Big Purple Stretchy Thing. I can?t wait for it to get warm out and camp to start.

Kitchen

Hi there! My name is Brian Groth, and I am your wicked awesome kitchen boy again this year. Because I loved being a kitchen boy last year so much, I decided to come out and do it all over again. This will be my fourth year at camp and my second year on staff. I am currently enrolled for my second year at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac my home town, and I am working toward my Associates degree in art.  I love hard labor and I strive to be my best at it every day. When I’m not working in the kitchen, I love traveling camp dressed in something wacky and silly from costume corner. While at camp, I strive to make everyday exciting and a new learning experience for them.  I can’t wait for summer.

Kitchen

Hello! My name is Sydney Achler and I will be on the girls’ side of the VBYC kitchen this summer. I’ve been coming to camp for the past nine years, despite the many miles of travel from where I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Much of my time is dedicated to rehearsals, crew days, and working productions. That being said?I am achieving my BA in Theatre Arts at Illinois Wesleyan University. I spend what’s left of my free time watching the Food Network, reading, and exploring. After four years of counseling VBYC campers, I’m incredibly excited for a brand new experience as a staff member! I look forward to seeing all of our return campers as well as meeting all of the new ones! See you this summer!

Kitchen

Greetings! My name is Dottie Frailey, and I will be a fantastic kitchen girl this summer! Camp has been my summer activity for the past nine years as a camper, counselor, and SIT. I'm very ecstatic about joining for my first year on staff. As for school, I am working towards a degree in International Relations at Grand Valley State University. In my spare time I play ukulele, walk my dogs, and watch movies. Camp is around the corner, so let's get ready for an awesome summer!

Kitchen

Hi everybody!! I'm Kati Mac and I can't wait to see you all this summer! This is my fifth summer on staff at VBYC and this summer I will be working in the fabulous VBYC kitchen. During the school year I attend the University of Illinois, double majoring in Political Science and Psychology. I work as a Resident Advisor and I spend my free time playing volleyball and volunteering at The Crisis Nursery. I'm coming back for another year at VBYC because I love getting to know the kids, working with the other staff members, and enjoying time in the beautiful, natural camp setting. I'm excited to be working with the Miss Betsy and the fabulous kitchen staff this year, plus I can't wait to feed all of you :) Get ready for lots of kitchen parades!

Lifeguard

Salutations! My name is Marian Pintar and I am your 2011 Co-Swimming Instructor! I am an undergraduate at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin majoring in communication and philosophy with minors in psychology and entrepreneurship. At Marquette, I am President of Club Adrenaline (think skydiving and rock climbing and outdoors-y things), Treasurer and Dancer for HYPErformance (a hip hop dance crew), and a fitness instructor on the weekend. I have been coming to camp for eleven years (Holla!) and it is my pleasure to be returning for my second summer on staff. Living in a city has left me missing the games, the campfires and the general silliness of camp. So grab your bathing suit and towel and get ready to make a splash this summer!

Lifeguard

Hello, my name is Dillon Preston and I will be one of your lifeguards and swimming instructors this summer. This will be my second summer on staff I was a kitchen boy last summer. I am a freshman at Western Michigan University where I am majoring in Biology and Geography. I came to camp when I was younger and I loved every minute of it, this will be my 7th summer at camp In my free time I like to fish, hike or play soccer.

Lifeguard / Canoeing

Hello, my name is Cody Preston and I am the 2011 canoeing instructor at VBYC!!! This is my third summer as a VBYC staff member and my second summer as a lifeguard and canoeing instructor. I am a student at Western Michigan University currently studying to be a Physician’s Assistant. I have been coming to VBYC since I was eight years old. I've spent a lot of time at camp and I love it a lot and want to make camp as fun for today's campers as it was for me. I'm a very active person I love the outdoors, hiking, swimming, camping and playing all kinds of sports especially soccer. You can almost always find me playing some kind of sport with the campers in the bowl during the summer. I can't wait for the 2011 summer to start and I will see you all on the waterfront.

Low Ropes

Ahoy, my name is Mike Schmidt and I am absolutely wired about working at camp this summer.  I will be running the Low-Ropes course, so campers bring your fun caps.  I hail from Mason, Michigan and I'm currently an undergraduate at Central Michigan University (Hoo ha, proud to be a Chippewa!).  Here at Central, I am the Student Government Association or SGA representative of my hall.  Within the SGA I am a member of the Student Services Committee.  Right now, I really want to go into education.  I first started thinking about teaching after a couple years of Taekwondo.  I have been studying Taekwondo since I was in third grade, and I realized that I love teaching when my instructor started letting me help run some classes.  I would mostly teach kids the material needed for them to advance to their next rank.  It is so rewarding to see them work hard and succeed.  I'm all cooped up here at Central so I can't wait to get to camp and stretch out my legs.

Nature

Hi there!  My name is Jocelyn Sloan and I will be the nature staffer this year.  I am a student at Hope College and I plan to major in Exercise Science and minor in dance with dreams of becoming a Physical Therapist.  In the past I have work with kids of all ages as an assistant dance teacher.  I love being outside whether hiking, camping, swimming, or just taking a nap in the grass. This will be my first year VBYC and I am super excited to learn all the goofy fun camp songs and share my love of nature with you!!

Office Manager

Hi, My Name is Margaret Thar Foster - Ms Margaret to the campers.  This is my 12th summer as Office Manager for VBYC.  I received my  BS & MS in Human Ecology and Ag Extension & Adult Education from MSU.  As a child I attended VBYC as a camper, participating in the Van Buren Folk Dancers.  During the summer of my senior yr at MSU working as a summer intern in Berrien County 4-H Program I participated in bringing their 4-H members for a week of camp at VBYC. My children and grandchildren have participated in the summer camp as campers and staff.  After retiring from the Dyslexia Resource Center I moved to Florida and decided I love Michigan summers, so I have enjoyed working with the staff of VBYC, watching the staff grow as young professionals as they prepare for their future roles in our society. 

Riflery

Hey ya'll, my name is Nick Beam. I am going to be your riflery instructor this summer for the second time. This will be my 14th summer at camp and my second summer on staff. In all of these years I have been involved as a camper, counselor, SIT, and staff member. I am currently working on my bachelor?s degree at Kalamazoo College studying in Biology and Chemistry. I am planning on going to medical school once finishing my degree. Here at ?K? I play trumpet in the jazz band and pitch for the baseball team. I am uber-excited to be back at camp again for this summer and I am ready to have some fun with all of the campers. Get ready for an awesome summer!!!

Song, Dance, & Drama

Hello, hello!  My name is Theresa Lytwyn and I am your Song, Dance, and Drama instructor for the summer! This is my first time at VBYC and I know I will have a blast! I am a student at Western Michigan University where I am pursuing majors in Elementary Education and Dance and minors in English Lit and Social Studies.  I have been dancing practically all my life (since the age of three), training in many different kinds of dance and have not stopped! I have worked with many different ages of kids through youth group activities and various volunteer activities in the community.  In my free time, I love to scrapbook, read, bake, and bike and walk for extremely long amounts of time.  I look forward to teaching many fun folk dances this summer along with drama and singing the summer away!

Sports

Hello, my name is Anthony Peterson (AP), the sports instructor at Van Buren Youth Camp. I am currently studying communication arts at Adrian College. I have been working with kids since my freshmen year in high school. I have worked at Children basketball camps and have performed (danced) for kids over the last two years. I also play basketball and run track at Adrian College. I love sports and I also love to get involved and help young individuals have a good time with sports and games. I am really looking forward and I am really excited to help the children have a great time at camp. I'm also anticipating helping the kids grow as individuals and help them develop leadership skills, help them learn to care for others, assist them in appreciating the little things in life, and most importantly help them have some FUN!!!

Volunteer Coordinator

Greetings! My name is Katie Brems and I am your 2011 Volunteer Coordinator!  I am also a first year partaker at Van Buren Youth Camp; I’m consistently catching myself feeling overly excited for this summer of learning, teaching, and more importantly playing! Currently, I am studying Organizational Communication and Business at Western Michigan University.  I have been able to volunteer around the country with an organization at WMU called Alternative Spring Break working mostly with nature and kids; currently I am the Fund-raising Chair for the group.  Last summer I was an Administrative Intern at Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids and was able to work with their day camp, lifting spirits of kids affected by cancer in some way. When I’m not working or studying I enjoy playing piano, guitar, arts and crafts, and anything outdoors with my partner in crime (my dog) Presley. I look forward to meeting and sharing this summer with all of you!