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San Francisco, CA – It was announced
today that Catholic Charities CYO (CCCYO), one of the largest non-profit
providers of social services in the Bay Area, has appointed Jim
Willford as the agency’s Executive Director of CYO
Camp and Retreat Center located in Occidental, California.
Willford has a rich background in inner city teaching,
and camp programming and management. Most recently, he served as the Executive
Director
of YMCA Storer Camps, a large summer camp and year round environmental
education
and retreat center on 1,200 acres in south central Michigan that
serves 28,000 children annually. Previously, Willford spent fifteen
years as
an elementary school teacher in Toledo, Ohio and Los Angeles, California,
where he taught at a bilingual, inner city school.
“Jim’s expertise and enthusiasm make him the
perfect leader for CYO Camp,” said CCCYO Executive Director Brian
Cahill. “Not only
does he have the experience of running a large camp and environmental
education program, but he is committed to the traditions that
make CYO camp unique and have transformed kids’ lives for decades.”
Located on 216 acres of coastal redwood forest in Occidental,
CYO Camp has provided a positive and healthy summer camp experience
for thousands of Bay Area youth since 1946. CYO Camp offers a
supportive
and challenging
camp adventure where children from a variety of ethnic, cultural,
religious and socio-economic backgrounds are able to develop
a strong sense of self-worth,
mutual respect and community, and have a unique recreational
experience regardless of their ability to pay.
The CYO Retreat Center is located on the same majestic
property in Occidental and is available for rent to the public when camp
is not in
session. It features twenty-four heated cabins, “Day House” apartments,
multiple camping and campfire sites, a large redwood amphitheater,
a 6,000 square foot lodge and meeting hall, various sports and playing
fields,
two full-size pools, a staffed main kitchen, miles of wooded
hiking trails and a private lake.
In addition to furthering the legacy and tradition of CYO
Camp, Willford looks forward to introducing a new generation of Bay
Area youth to the
amazing adventure of camp. “I’m so impressed with the CYO
Camp tradition and the many lives the CYO Camp experience has touched
over the past 50 years. I and our experienced staff look forward to continuing
those traditions and helping kids gain new skills and create new memories
they’ll treasure for the rest of their lives,” he elaborated.
A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Willford
grew up in Ohio and attended camp every summer since elementary school,
eventually becoming a counselor and staff member. Jim resides
with his family
in
Sonoma County. # # #
[Photos available]
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Catholic Charities CYO is one of the largest non-profit providers of social services in the Bay Area.
Our mission is to serve and advocate for the poor, the sick, the distressed, children, youth, families,
immigrants and seniors, regardless of their faith. All money contributed to Catholic Charities CYO
directly supports our programs in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo Counties.
Founded in 1907 to care for the orphans of the San Francisco earthquake, Catholic Charities is an
agency of the San Francisco Archdiocese, yet operates as an independent non-profit organization,
and does not in any way contribute to or receive funds from the church.
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