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Episode 75: Creating a Happier World with Airborne

Episode 75: Creating a Happier World with Airborne

Welcome to the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast's 2025 Season! We're kicking off the season with a series on "Creating a Happier World," because our vision at GAC is to create a happier world, one camper at a time. In this episode, Audrey "Sunshine" Monke chats with Aaron "Airborne" Johnson about many topics related to creating and being part of positive communities for kids. Airborne's GAC story started back in 1999, when he joined our staff as a Group Counselor. This summer (2025), he'll be at our Shaver Island outpost camp during Session #2, serving as our Shaver Host. In the role of Shaver Host, Airborne provides leadership and support for our campers and staff while they're on Shaver Island, which is about 20 minutes from our "Main Camp" location on Huntington Lake. When he's not at GAC, Airborne serves as principal of Ironwood Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona.

Resources Discussed

Sunshine & Chelster's Parent Orientation that includes information about parent expectations, reviewing camper standards of behavior, camper medications, communication during your camper’s stay at GAC, and more! 5 Steps to Help Kids Resolve Conflicts, Sunshine Parenting: Conflict Resolution Wheel How Big is My Problem? Kelso's Choices "Effortful Fun" Laura Vanderkam

Podcast Credits

Music by Henry "Dobro" Johns Narration (intro ... Read more

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2025 Theme: Try Something New

2025 Theme: Try Something New

  While we always want our campers to Have Fun, Make Friends, and Grow at camp, we also put a focus on one specific character trait or skill each summer by having a Summer Theme. Over the years, we’ve covered a variety of themes. In 2012, we focused on gratitude. In subsequent summers our themes have been: Cool 2B Kind, Creating Connections, Give a Hand, Growing Grit, The Energy Bus, Find-a-Friend, Filling Buckets, Be You, Better Together, Choosing Kindness, Count on Me, and Building Empathy, which was our 2024 theme.  We chose this year’s summer theme, Try Something New, because we want our 2025 campers to challenge themselves to get outside their comfort zones and try new activities and experiences while at camp. For our first-time campers, coming to camp is a great example of Trying Something New! At GAC this summer, we’ll practice setting goals and taking safe risks by trying new things. And we’ll encourage and cheer each other on while doing so. We want all of our campers to build confidence in their abilities and to understand that it’s normal to feel some discomfort when trying new things.  Our “Try Something New” theme builds on the work we’ve done with campers over the past few ... Read more

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Helping GAC Families

Helping GAC Families

With the recent Southern California fires, we've had many people from the GAC community including current families, alumni, and staff reach out to us asking how they can provide support. We have heard from 36 camp families who lost their homes in these devastating fires, and we have been gathering information from them about how the GAC community can help. In addition to replacing camp supplies and memorabilia, we are also offering tuition aid to families who need financial support. The Caldwell Foundation, which facilitates camp scholarships for campers to attend Gold Arrow Camp and other camps every summer, has set up a special fire fund for the GAC families who lost their homes in the fires. All donations to the GAC Fire Fund will go towards replacing camp supplies and covering camp tuition for the families who lost their homes. You can pledge your support (which is a tax-deductible donation) here, and we will add the amount to your next camp invoice (for families currently enrolled) and forward the funds to the Caldwell Foundation.  Alternatively, you can donate directly by:

  • Using this PayPal link. Be sure to include “GAC Fire Fund” in the space “Add note to your donation.” 
  • Mailing a donation check with memo “GAC Fire Fund” to:

The Max and Marion Caldwell ... Read more

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Helping Our Kids Process Trauma & Loss

Helping Our Kids Process Trauma & Loss

When scary things happen, communities help each other. Some people in our community are helping by checking in on their friends, offering a place for evacuating families to stay, and helping at shelters. Many people outside of California are also thinking of us and hoping that we all stay safe.

Kira Bender, MS OTR/L Center for Connection, Pasadena, California

We have many camp families, staff, and alumni who live in Pacific Palisades, Altadena/Pasadena, and the greater Los Angeles areas who have suffered the loss of their homes, schools, places of worship, and businesses. We join our entire GAC community from outside of the Southern California area in expressing our deepest condolences for the devastating losses so many of our cabin mates, co-workers, and friends have experienced.  This interview (watch the video here or listen to audio only here) with Dr. William Lacey is a resource for families and other adults who want strategies for helping kids process the trauma and losses many families in our community have experienced.

About Dr. Lacey

Dr. William Lacey is a Licensed Psychologist who specializes in neuropsychological assessment of children, adolescents, and young adults. His clinical expertise for neuropsychological assessment includes diagnosis, academic and treatment planning for individuals with neurodevelopmental concerns (e.g., learning disorders, AD/HD), traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, complex emotional difficulties, and other complex medical conditions. Domains of psychotherapy expertise include depression, anxiety, ... Read more

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