ABOUT US

Summer Camp & Retreat Center in Southern Illinois

Camp Manitowa was co-founded by Andy Brown and Dan Grabel in 2010. Andy and Dan have worked together since 1994 running summer camps across the Midwest and have over 50 years of combined experience with children, youth, and families. Owning a summer camp had been a lifelong professional dream for both, and after a two-year nationwide search, Camp Manitowa was born when they purchased the perfect property in Southern Illinois. Previously owned by the Lake Benton Baptist Camp, which operated the camp from 1947-2005, Andy and Dan invested over $1 million to renovate the entire property. Both grew up attending and working at summer camps and have a combined 50 years of experience running camps and working with children and youth.

Andy lives in St. Louis, MO with his wife, Stephanie, and they are proud parents of four grown children. Their oldest, Dylan is our current Camp Director; their youngest, Lily is our Program Director; and their other two, Gaby and Jake, have both spent their summers at Camp Manitowa. Dan lives in Denver, CO with his wife, Lisa, and their teenage daughter, Cora, who has grown up since she was three as a camper and is now a counselor.

Camp Manitowa hosts coed overnight summer camps and year-round retreats at its location in Southern Illinois, just 90 minutes from St. Louis.

During the summer, Camp Manitowa serves campers entering 2nd-10th grade from all over the Midwest. During the fall and spring, Camp Manitowa hosts school and college groups, religious groups, scout groups, music festivals, yoga retreats, weddings, and anyone wanting to get away for a fun and meaningful camp experience. Camp Manitowa utilizes three different lakes and offers a wide variety of programs and activities for all our participants.

FUN

At Camp Manitowa, campers get to choose their daily activity sessions. If they find something they love to do, they can choose to do it each day. We believe in giving campers the space to be creative and have control over their experience. Our core activities include water skiing, tubing, canoeing and kayaking, swimming, our 50-foot climbing tower, eight-element high ropes course, and 400-foot zip line, Gaga Ball, basketball, soccer, and a variety of other sports, arts & crafts, biking, outdoor living skills, music, campfires and, of course, s'mores.

We shuttle campers daily to the Rend Lake recreation complex and take advantage of the entire facility. Its 20,000-acre lake, large sand beach, bike trails, driving range, frisbee golf course, and Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center offer an amazing addition to our program.

ADVENTURE

The Camp Manitowa formula includes "Adventure by Choice". Summer camp is a place to explore and move outside one's comfort zone. This means something different for every person. Through a variety of activities, programs, and outdoor adventure trips, we hope to help everyone find and fulfill their sense of adventure.

COMMUNITY

Summer camp is a special place and provides the opportunity to interact with lots of people. By limiting the total number of campers each session to around 100, Camp Manitowa kids become part of a family of campers. We create programs and systems to ensure that everyone at camp knows each other and forms positive relationships.

RESPONSIBILITY

We model positive environmental behavior and will always teach responsible, earth-conscious living.

MISSION

The mission of Camp Manitowa is to provide each camper with lifelong memories and help them increase and develop their confidence, independence, and maturity. It is our goal to gain the trust of every camper so that they return to camp and grow into kind and responsible young adults.

We also strive to provide excellent customer service and transformational experiences for all who participate in our summer camps and retreats, and to offer an outstanding experience in Southern Illinois.

VISION

We hope to bring campers back to Camp Manitowa for generations through their participation in our multitude of outdoor activities, the creation of lasting friendships, and personal growth. Our summer camp program provides campers with a forum to experience new challenges, enhance self-confidence, develop skills, and establish enduring friendships in the safe, beautiful surroundings of our Midwest location.

Each camper at Camp Manitowa brings something special to the camp atmosphere. Our unique gathering of kids and caring, mature, professional staff creates a diverse and supportive community that we hope to sustain for generations.

DIRECTORS

Andy Brown, MSW

B. Andrew "Andy" Brown, MSW, is a life-long St. Louisan with a long-standing commitment to camping. A 1988 graduate of Fontbonne College in St. Louis, Andy received his MSW from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis in 1992. After a brief stint at Youth Emergency Service, a University City-based shelter for troubled teens, Andy began his career in Jewish communal service. He was the assistant director at the St. Louis JCC's summer camp, Camp Sabra, and later the director of Camp Sydney R. Baer, the JCC's large day camp.

From 1996-2007, Andy worked as the executive director of Camp Livingston, the independent nonprofit Jewish camp serving kids from throughout the Midwest. Andy is married to the former Stephanie Zetcher, currently a teacher at United Hebrew Congregation, and is the father of four children: Dylan, a social work professional and Camp Manitowa Camp Director in Chicago, IL; Jake, a professional in New York, NY, Gaby a professional in New York, NY; and Lily, a BBYO Fellow and Camp Manitowa Program Director in New York, NY. Contact Andy at andy@campmanitowa.com.

Dan Grabel, MSW, MEd

Dan Grabel was born and raised in St. Louis, MO; moved to Knoxville, TN in 2013; and most recently to Denver, CO, in 2020. Dan has made a career working with children and young adults in a variety of settings. He has over 25 years of experience working in residential and day camp settings, including Goldman Union Camp Institute in Indianapolis, IN; Camp Sabra in the MO Ozarks; YMCA Camp Greenville in Greenville, NC; Camp Charles Pearlstein in Prescott, AZ; and Camp Livingston in Bennington, IN. Dan also has ten years of experience working in Illinois and Missouri public schools as a school social worker.

Dan obtained his BA at Indiana University, his MSW at Washington University in St. Louis, and MEd at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Dan's wife, Dr. Lisa Reyes Mason, is on faculty at the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work, and his daughter Cora is a student at Thomas Jefferson Hight School. Contact Dan at dan@campmanitowa.com.