Camp Aruga
Wisdom, Excellence, Collaboration, Advocacy, Respect and Equity
Written by: Lorelie Sta. Ana Perez, PNACF President 2014-2016
The temperature was in the mid-’30s. These were the coldest 3 days and nights from January 16-18, 2023, at Wekiwa Spring, a 7000-acre Florida State Park situated in Apopka, Florida. The State Park is 20 minutes north of the bustling city of Orlando FL and an hour away from the major theme parks. The park offers a serene, lush, tropical hammock, clear azure spring water, and wildlife viewing including bears, deer, alligators, herons, egrets, and manatees along with a great camping site: a perfect location for a leadership retreat.
Dr. Gloria Briones, PNAA president 2022-2024, has the vision to develop strong chapter leaders and strengthen relationships among regional chapter members of PNAA. She was inspired by a leadership camp executed by PNACF that she attended years ago when she was still the VP for South Central Region. She was hoping she could replicate the same experience at different regions of PNAA. She discussed the idea with her Executive Board and Camp Aruga (means care) came into being. She chose South Central Region (SCR) to pilot the program and the Philippine Nurses Association of Central Florida (PNACF) as its first executor.
PNACF was the ideal choice since PNACF had done 2 leadership camps in the past at a smaller scale. This time, 19 chapters participated, with a projection of 100 participants. Manny Ramos, current SCR VP was designated as the Project Director while former PNACF president, Rosie Antequino, was chosen as the SCR Project Leader. Rosie Antequino readily formed a PNACF planning team to undertake the daunting task. The first job to tackle was to find a camp which can accommodate 100 people for 3 days and 2 nights that is also suitable for the planned activities. Wekiwa Spring Youth Camp fits the criteria. Aside from the real atmosphere of a camp, it also provides modern amenities like large conference rooms, temperature-controlled cabins, and cushioned beds with indoor and modern outhouse bathrooms.
Logistics came next. The team anticipated the weather would be cold, so there was a need for at least a hundred thick blankets and a couple of hundred pillows. But, how about the food for 5 meals? What kind of food to serve and how can the food be delivered from outside? What supplies will be needed and who will order them? How about the program? What will be the topics and who will be the speakers? How about the audio/visual, and application for CEUs? Who will prepare and clean up the 20 cabins: the aftercare in the kitchen, the dining room, and the conference room? Who will be responsible for the campfire, the welcome night, and decorating the place for each event? Should we order personalized tote bags, t-shirts, pens, mugs, and pins? Every little detail was tackled, and work committees were formed to facilitate the execution of the plans.
Day 1 January 16
The day of the event. We requested the camp director to allow us to start as early as 10 am to give us time to prepare the place prior to the arrival of the campers. But guess what? The campers arrived earlier than expected and graciously helped with set up.
At 3 pm, some of the campers joined the 1 ½ hour tram ride tour offered by the park ranger to get a glimpse of behind-the-park scenes. They also received immersive nature education about the native flora, and fauna such as gophers, tortoises, the black bear, owl, panthers, and bobcats as well as prescribed burns in Florida.
The 5 pm orientation was followed by a sumptuous dinner. Everyone enjoyed the first dinner of sotanghon soup, chicken pastel, BBQ pork and chicken, garlic rice, green salad, and dressings, with Biko (rice cake) plus fresh fruits for dessert.
After dinner, all attendees proceeded to the Luau-decorated pavilion to enjoy the Welcome Night. As the guests entered, they were greeted by a Hawaiian lei. The program was opened by the entrance of the Hawaiian King and Queen of the night: Dr. Marlon Saria and Dr. Gloria Beriones, accompanied by their court: former PNAA presidents, Dr Leticia Hermosa and Betty Miranda. It was followed by a dance presentation of the host chapter - an interpretative dance to the tune of Colors of the Wind. Being nurses and natural leaders, every chapter rendered either a planned or spontaneous presentation with the president of each chapter to introduce their delegates. It wouldn’t be a Filipino crowd without tons of pictures taken. It was fun-filled night of camaraderie.
“ “I disengaged myself for a while, but this has brought me back. In fact, I woke up early this morning and wrote my plans of things to do for our chapter””
The welcome night was extended at the campfire. The surroundings were pitch black with little lights coming from a distance. The campers braved the bitter cold as they gathered around the bright warm bonfire to share their stories of how they became a member of PNAA and the significance Camp Aruga meant to them. The night was closed with a late snack of crispy turon, hot coffee, and warm puto.
Second day, Tuesday January 17
The campers were awakened by the aroma of strong coffee and bacon coming from the dining room. The campers were surprised to find the chef and his assistant were also camped in to ensure the food would be served timely and hot. Oh yes, there were two resident chefs who prepared the fresh meals right from the kitchen of the dining hall from day one till the end. Campers feasted on pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, various fruits, juices, hot arroz caldo, and creamy champorado!
One group of attendees had a broken thermostat in their cabin and were not able to sleep well. They were provided with additional thick blankets and there was a Divine Intervention as the temperature started to warm up for this date.
If the attendees were still sleepy after breakfast, it was easily turned around by an opening pep rally presented by PNACF delegates with participation from Dr. Gloria Beriones, Dr Leticia Hermosa and Dr. Marlon Saria.
The whole day was packed with equally superb, engaging speakers and super fun interactive activities. Dr. Letty Hermosa’s lecture on Know Your Organization stirred so much interest, especially on the topic of 501c6 and 501c3. She concluded her lecture by offering her contact information for further inquiries. She was followed by Dr. Marlon Saria who was intriguing on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion while Dr. Mary Doise Ramos was insightful with her presentation on the Developing Care Partner Activation Program Among Filipino Americans.
The long morning was interrupted by another savory lunch of pansit, menudo, pinakbet, rice, and macaroni salad with delectable cassava cake for dessert. A comment from one of the attendees:
“I never had so much food in a conference.. here there are so many delicious choices.” ”
The afternoon was opened by Dr. Liwliwa Villagomeza. She presented an engrossing topic on Knowing Thyself: The Impact of Personality Types on Team Effectiveness. Dr. Victor Vapor delivered an Oscar acting performance as a prelude to his lecture on Emotional Intelligence. He kept the audience engaged throughout his lecture. Not to be outdone, Aga Sta Romana presented a competitive game on his topic of Resiliency. Manny Ramos tied up everything with his lecture on Board Competencies for Effective Governance. Dina Hussein closed the conference by sharing her thought-provoking experience on Advocacy.
“What an inspiring conference! Thank you for all the work you put into this. Content, methodology, and speakers are super excellent”
“Excellent topics and Stellar speakers. I would like to see more empowered and influential Filipino American nurse leaders from South central region”
After dinner, the attendees marched for their graduation. They were bestowed with a pin, designed with the Camp Aruga logo, a certificate of attendance, as well as 7.5 hours of CEU’s. There was never-ending picture-taking!!! Filipino nurses are hardworking people, but they know how to party as well. It will not be a celebration without Karaoke and line dancing. There was so much energy, and no one showed exhaustion despite the long day of activities. Everyone has a grin of happiness.
“Good job! Thank you for hosting such a very informative and interesting topic. The boot camp in Camp Aruga is an experience to remember. The knowledge learned will be put into my experience and skills. Good luck to all of you. P.S The food is very good. High 5 chef!!”
“Thank you for having this event and the opportunity to participate. It is obvious that there was so much work put into this to prepare and get ready for this plus the entire event itself. I learned so much and is ready to implement in our practice.”
““I learned a lot! Fun, educational, camaraderie. Let’s do it again!””
Last day, Wednesday, January 18
Parting is such a sweet sorrow but everything has to come to an end. Campers packed up, turned up the mattresses in their cabin, and headed back home. Some stayed at local hotels to spend a few more days in the nearby Theme parks.
Rosie Antequino summed up Camp Aruga by saying, “While we have challenges in preparing, planning and implementing our program, still it is a successful boot camp in promoting unity and enriching relationships amongst chapters; particularly the leaders which is the basic goal of this camp.”
