Awards
The Halsey Gulick Award
The Halsey Gulick award was first presented in 1982 by the Maine Youth Camping Association to recognize people who have distinguished themselves in the field of organized youth camping in Maine. The award commemorates the leadership contributions of Maine’s J. Halsey Gulick, one of camp’s early leaders.
Recipients are selected by their colleagues in camping; anyone may recommend candidates and candidates need not be members of MSC. The award is presented at MSC’s September event at Migis Lodge.
2025 Halsey Gulick Recipient: Kathy Jonas – Camp Walden
The Maine Summer Camps Halsey Gulick Award is presented annually to persons who have distinguished themselves by giving unselfishly of their time, energy, and resources to improve organized youth camping in Maine. This year’s recipient is a thoughtful camp leader, mentor, innovator, and collaborator who has supported Maine youth camping for more than two decades.
Her commitment to promoting and nurturing the positive impact of camp experiences is a core value, a fellow camp director says. This year’s awardee has dedicated her career to living that core value – fostering all campers’ personal growth individually and in community.
Cited for her “unwavering dedication to organized youth camping, wise leadership, and a joyful spirit that inspires all who know her,” the 2025 Halsey Gulick Award winner – a quiet presence, continual contributor, and a true believer in giving back – is Kathy Jonas.
2025 Recipient Kathy Jonas Award Citation
Recipients of the Halsey Gulick Award 1982 – 2024
The Jack Erler Award
The Jack Erler Award is given for outstanding contributions to organized camping, as exemplified by Jack Erler’s long-time invaluable contributions to Maine Summer Camps. It is presented to individuals, groups, or organizations that may or may not be members of Maine Summer Camps, to recognize exceptional support of Maine Summer Camps. The award recipient will be chosen by the Maine Summer Camps Awards Committee upon determination of an appropriate candidate. This award commemorates Jack Erler’s commitment to Maine youth camping, which has extended throughout his 50-year career as an attorney, collaborator, and advocate.
2024-25 Erler Award Recipient – Jim Chalmers
This year’s Jack Erler Award recipient – the third ever recipient of the award – is described by camp directors as knowledgeable, compassionate, empathetic, and generous. That this year’s awardee is not a camp owner or director speaks volumes about his ability to support camps and, as one camp administrator says, serve as a “trusted counselor and advisor.”. Camp directors also praise the recipient’s extraordinary generosity of time and experience.
His business has for years sponsored a broad range of MSC events, including educational workshops, webinars, and the Maine social gathering at the ACA, New England annual conference. These generous contributions are truly valuable to camp professionals, making “the camping industry a better industry – more safe and more effective for kids,” says one camp director.
For all these extraordinary qualities, and his outstanding service in support of organized youth camping in Maine, Maine Summer Camps presents the 2025 Jack Erler award to Chalmers Insurance Group Chief Sales Officer Jim Chalmers.
2025 Erler Award Recipient Jim Chalmers Citation
Past Recipients of the Jack Erler Award
Dedication to Camping Recognition
This is MSC’s recognition of those who have dedicated a significant amount of time working in Maine organized youth camping.
Eligibility for Dedication to Camping Recognition:
- Any staff member, current or former, regardless of their camp position, is eligible.
- Length of service must be 25 years or more for initial nominees.
- Service fully or predominantly to Maine camps.
- Service does not have to be consecutive or to one camp.
- Count years as staff member, not years as a camper.
- Can be seasonal or year-round.
Recognition:
A list of award recipients will be distributed at the MSC Annual Meeting, in the MSC newsletter, and awardees names will be posted on a special page of the MSC Website. Recipients will receive a certificate from MSC. There will be no MSC ceremony or in-person awards, however many camps give out the recognition certificate at a camp awards event.