Gardner Camp offers many outdoor experiences

HULL, Ill. — It was a normal day like any other at State Street Bank back in 2012, with members of the Trust Department sitting in a conference room and opening the last will and testament of a client.

The documents of John Willis “Jack” Gardner II were opened following his passing on August 5, 2012. He was 95 and had been married for 42 years to his wife Betty, before she passed in 1993. He had served our country for more than four years during World War II and worked for the family business, Gardner-Denver. An extraordinary life.

But little did State Street Bank (SSB) know the awesome responsibility Mr. Gardner was to bestow on them.

Jack had a passion for hunting. He spent many hours strolling the family’s acreage in Pike County. When it came time to determine who would be the caretaker of more than 540 acres, much to their surprise, Jack entrusted State Street Bank with the land.

There were a couple of caveats that were part of the deal: The land was for youth and the youth were to be able to use the land for free. 

So employees of the bank got to work clearing the overgrown area to create Gardner Camp.

First, they tackled hunting. Laurie Brinkman, SSB Vice President/Trust Officer said safety was critical.

“This is mentored hunting,” she said. “So, they come with a sponsor, whether their father, grandfather, an adult must be with them.”

“We’re there for the youth to enjoy the outdoors to learn … have recreation and education,” said SSB Assistant Trust Officer J.P. Snyder. “So, there’s a place for them. So many people want to hunt. But if they don’t have a grandparent, or a parent, or an uncle that has ground to hunt, they have nowhere to hunt. We will even provide a professional guide for them.”

No one knows this experience better than the new Director of Gardner Camp, Jen Tyler. For five years, her son had been hunting public land, driving hours with no success. But then they found out about Gartner Camp.

“To have somebody that knows where these animals are, and he can experience that,” Tyler said. “And you can just imagine the fulfillment on a 14-year-old face when he actually sees a deer.”

This Fall he bagged his first deer.

“It truly was an exceptional experience,” Tyler said.

After years of development, other educational options are now available for not-for-profit groups and schools. Along with multiple forms of hunting, there is trapping, fishing, kayaking, archery, and a variety of other shooting sports. A variety of Astronomy Programs are available at the StarLab Planetarium, featuring the most powerful telescopes for hundreds of miles.  Building an outdoor classroom is on the horizon.

On May 7 there will be 3 on 3 tournament, but it doesn’t involve basketball. Teams of three from 15 schools will be competing in archery, trap, and rifle … with the grand finale, a kayak relay race. 

With a degree in Recreation, Park, Tourism Administration from Western Illinois University, Tyler is excited to get started.

“Our kids are the future,” she said. “And we need to let them use the land and develop all those skills. And what better way to do that than being outdoors.”

“Another goal is that every experience they have at Gardner Camp must be a ‘WOW’ experience. That is our goal,” Brinkman said. “And so anytime a child comes to Gardner Camp, we want them walking away as if it was a ‘Wow’ experience and unforgettable for them. And there’s probably no doubt in our mind, they’ve learned something. We want our programs to be extraordinary.”

A free camp in Pike County covering over 540 acres for youth ages 8 to 18 developed by a bank’s Trust Department for a person they have never met definitely qualifies as extraordinary.