Iowa attorney helps preserve YMCA Camp for all ages

For Attorney Kirk Hartung, the “closest place to heaven on Earth” is Des Moines YMCA Camp. That is why when the future of the camp was at stake, he took swift action to save it.
Kirk Hartung has been active with the Des Moines Y Camp program for as long as he can remember. Kirk’s first experience at Y Camp was in 1966, but, for his family, the tradition can be traced back through two generations. His grandparents spent time at camp during their summers, and, in turn, Kirk’s parents went to Y Camp growing up. It only makes sense that Kirk would have a similar experience and passion to keep the magic alive for generations to come. His children have attended camp, and his grandchildren are now the fifth generation of Y Campers in his family.
Kirk has served on the Y Camp Board for 40 years. He has been board chair twice and served as chair of the Y Camp Centennial Committee, chair of two capital campaigns, and chair of the annual campaign multiple times.
He explains what makes Y Camp so special: “It’s the people, the program, the positive attitude, and the character traits that you develop, such as honesty, caring, respect, responsibility, and friendship, that are important to learn as a young kid and still important to reinforce as an adult.”
Growing up in the Saydel community, Kirk’s family attended the Des Moines Y Camp, a YMCA program with facilities in the Boone River Valley and programming for all ages. YMCA Camp programs operate across the nation with a mission to “build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.”
For more than 100 years, the Des Moines Y Camp has been providing a unique experience for campers that supports lifelong skills and lifelong friendships, according to Kirk. The Des Moines Y Camp is one of multiple branches across the United States. Since it started in 1919, it has attracted campers from all over the country and includes special programming for children with medical conditions such as cancer and cystic fibrosis.
Kirk shares how the program at Y Camp helps its campers disconnect from the digital world, electronics, and email – all the things that pile up in everyday life – and gets them out in nature. “Kids need that, to get out and be outside, not to be always connected to devices,” he states.
Regarding children’s summer camp, Kirk says: “You don’t have to make friends, they’re given to you. You stay in a cabin full of kids of all different backgrounds, and those differences disappear at camp.”