This year, we’re featuring an activity with two purposes. First, long before That Thing it helps your students begin thinking about the hungry and the needy. It helps them get involved and put their creative minds hard at work.

Secondly, it provides Churches who participate in Canned Hope an opportunity to win a $1,000 scholarship to That Thing. 

Canned Hope is a canned goods sculpture. Your group needs to compile a large collection of canned goods, build a sculpture of some sort, then get the most votes at the online (post That Thing) contest. 

• Start by collecting the necessary supplies, run a food drive or try contacting a local grocer or business to partner and sponsor your art sculpture; (sponsors will be acknowledged online and in photos of the art). 
• Need Ideas? Do a google image search on “canned food sculpture” to see what other people have done.
• Your scultputre concept can be anything: a social statement, religious, themed, funny, artistic, etc. It’s open to whatever you and your group can dream. 
• Develop your concept and creation before the event, then transport to That Thing and rebuild on-site. 
• At the conclusion of the summer, all of the canned goods will be donated to food pantries to help provide for families in need next fall. If you would like your canned goods returned to your local food pantry, you can pick them up after July 27.

The online voting contest will be open to anyone…from That Thing, your church, family, friends, etc. Photos and information of and about each sculpture will help people decide who to vote for. The contest will begin shortly after That Thing ends and will run for 10 days. The sculpture receiving the most votes will receive a $1,000 scholarship to That Thing 2011.

Q. I have multiple students coming with our group who who need financial help; our church is doing everything we can. Is their other help?
A. Sure is. Impact 2818 Outdoor Ministries, the ministry that develops That Thing is wholly committed to getting kids to camp. In 2009, over $100,000 in scholarships actually. On December 1, the paper and online applications will be available at http://www.impact2818.com/i_financial-scholarships.html

Q. How does a camper getting an Impact 2818 Scholarship affect our group ticket purchase?
A. Once the camper is approved for a scholarship, they need to contact their youth worker. You will need to collect the iCash code they were sent in their confirmation email and contact the Camp Registrar 888.MAT.2818. The Camp Registrar will apply a note to your account. Once the participant is verified in attendance at That Thing, the scholarship will be applied as a payment.

Q. So, do I owe 100% of the balance before That Thing if somehow, 50% of my students were to use scholarships.
A. No. You will not have to owe for any approved scholarships you have applied to your account. If a student doesn’t show up to camp, you will be billed for that final amount after the event. 

What happens if you’re trying to get your tickets and there isn’t a lodge available that is big enough? Or, what if you booked in and now your number of students/adults is growing out of your cabin?

Call us, ask for Gern: 574.834.2212.

We want to make sure you get the best arrangement for your students.

• We have overflow lodging available that is only sold as an overflow space. it’s essentially a space for 12 students and 2 adults (one gender only) with a roof, doors, windows, curtains and beds, but no running water…you’ll have a portable bathroom outside the building and your overflow students will be using the showers and food service in your main lodge.
• When we can, we’ll shuffle the campus houses around so long as we feel confident about capacities and availability for individual students. 
• We help make arrangements for groups to book out 2 lodges like they’re booking one, (one deposit, feeding for many, etc.)

 But, in order for us to serve you, we have to know your unique situation.  Call us up, fill us in and we’ll do our best to serve your need.

By the way, sorry about the sabbatical, registration launch kept us quite busy.

This morning as registrations started moving quickly on week 1 we had a discussion about how a group could still get lodging if they’re bigger than the cabins available but can’t switch weeks.

Choose two smaller cabins, we’ll register them as one space in regards to your payments and deposits. You’ll have to call us to take care of the second cabin manually (574.834.2212). But, go ahead and register the first one and then call in.

Elkhart Faith UMC will be doing this with North Star and Forest and then they plan on brining in a large tent to provide a common meeting space for dinners. Additionally, we have some other meeting spaces that can be used for evening devotion times and such. 

But, the best idea, book it now and book it fast!

We’ve only got 3 spots left on week 1! 

We’ve reposted information about the day tickets. The new price is available on the tickets page and provides the information about when it’s best to buy to get a great deal.

Sorry about that. 

It’s time to start planning your summer calendar. Epworth Forest CC will be opening registration for That Thing on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.

See you online Tuesday morning!

it’s time to book yourself up for 2010.  Starting this Tuesday, November 3, you can start booking your lodges.  

If you haven’t had a chance to choose a lodge, check them out on the lodge finder.

YOUTH SPECIALTIES!!  If you’re down in Cincinnati this week for Youth Specialties, stop by and say hello.  We’ll have a booth in the exhibit hall and we’d love to see you.

So, we’ve added a little widget to the new website, we call it the Extra Tix Widget.

It’s a great little space to browse for/purchase overflow tickets or to sell them.  But, it’s also designed as a means to help groups connect with other groups even before you purchase tickets.

So, check it out; jump on gotothatthing.com and look for the little "Tix" logo at the top of the page or find it on the tickets page. It’s got some nonsense filler data for now so you can see how it can be used.  But, keep the widget in mind if you’re looking for a few tickets or you realize you have a couple open beds. The closer to capacity you can max out a lodge, the better the cost for your students. 

It’s Sunday and my weekend rituals involve a lot of football this time of year. But today, it’s just disheartening to watch. The winless Titans are just falling apart and had the misfortune of playing the patriots in about 2-3 inches of snow. Up 38 - 0, in the final moments of the half, The Patriots decided to push their winnings and continue throwing for the end-zone while they had to cross the entire stretch of the field in about a minute.

I can only say the Patriots, their coaching staff and their quarterback, came out looking like some of the worst role models ever during that marvelous 64 second drive. 

Most weeks, against most teams, that would have been a normal decision. Here though, in the snow, against a winless team, one that wasn’t pulling together a single drive for anything; it was simply running the score, playing to improve personal records and crushing spirits. It was sad to watch and I can’t imagine the sense of disappointment, desperation and probably even embarrassment the players were feeling. High School football games in Connecticut have rules and will suspend coaches who win enormously while running score up like that.

Here’s the big question to this whole thing. Imagine you’re the coach of the Patriots going in for the half time talk. What do you say? Do you tell them that they’re obviously the better team and now it’s time to show character over athleticism? Do you go in and pump ‘em up for more?

Exactly what kind of role model are you?

Now, what if you’re Titan head coach Jeff Fisher, what are you going to do at the half when you go in to speak with the guys in the locker room? Do you call them failures and tell them to man up? Do you tell them they’re professionals who’re getting paid millions to win and they are so failing? Do you encourage them, speak to their hearts and tell them that some days, it’s just not going to go well; the next half and tomorrow, are all new?

Exactly what kind of role model are you?

As I’m finishing, it’s 59-0 with most of a quarter left to play…