Friends of the Ozarks Alumni Association

Welcome to the YMCA of the Ozarks Alumni page! We are excited to share with you the opportunity to connect with old friends, reminisce about days gone by, and to cherish the times spent at Camp Lakewood, Triangle Y Ranch, and Trout Lodge! It is our sincere pleasure to bring you back to the place that shaped so many lives, and still continues to educate children, bring together families, and provide a fun camping experience for all of those who visit.

The Alumni Committee is in the business of "friend-raising". It is our goal to re-acquaint you with old friends from the place that you love so much, and that significantly touched so many of our lives.

Camp Changes the World One Child at a Time

For the past 100 years, St. Louis children have enjoyed the benefits of YMCA camping. Camp Lakewood has been an experience "that lasts a lifetime." Primarily serving the Greater St. Louis area, it was, and still is, not uncommon for campers from across the United States to travel to Missouri to begin their camp experience. Camp Lakewood is still one of the largest camps in Missouri, providing a summer of fun for over 3,000 children during the summer and 15,000 children during the rest of the year.

Throughout the years, Camp Lakewood has remained true to the four core values of the YMCA (caring, honesty, respect, responsibility) and continues to carry out the mission of the YMCA. We exist to provide a caring, respectful, responsible, and honest environment for children to build a healthier spirit, mind, and body. It is our hope that by instilling the principles of the YMCA, the children that we serve will become the future positive leaders of the world.

Camp Builds Strong Character and Responsible Adults

It is our goal that the children who attend Camp Lakewood will become stronger, kinder, and more responsible adults. Many Camp Lakewood campers have gone on to become positive influences in our communities. You may recognize them in the community where you live. They are dentists, teachers, police officers, fire fighters, businessmen and women, doctors, attorneys and more. For many of them, camp has had a profound impact on their lives, and made the difference between their dreams and attaining their goals.

YMCA Trout Lodge Strengthens Families and Provides Family Fun

Since 1946, Trout Lodge has been providing conference services and getaways to groups and families throughout the St. Louis region and from afar. Through the YMCA mission, Trout Lodge has provided programs that not only educate the guests and staff, but also provide a fun, safe experience for all of those who visit.

Although the guests benefit greatly from the Trout Lodge experience, Trout Lodge has also provided a solid foundation for its staff to build their lives, careers, and shape who they are today. The staff has dedicated summers of their lives for the benefit of the families and groups they serve, all while learning about who they really are. We believe that Trout Lodge and Camp Lakewood creates respectable, caring, and well-grounded members of today's society.

Triangle Y Ranch Allows Everyone to Be a Cowboy/Cowgirl

The Triangle Y Ranch offers trail rides, hayrides, and chuck wagon dinners to our campers and guests. Throughout the years, current and past staff has improved the ranch programs by continually adding creative programs to keep the ranch new and exciting for the guests and campers who use the facilities.

Our innovative staff has introduced programs to educate, instruct and provide fun through horsemanship and related activities. Ranch Directors have introduced such activities as cowboy campfires, rodeos, roping and paint branding demonstrations, horse overnights and much more. The Wranglers brave 100-degree heat and freezing temperatures on trail rides, and the dirt and dust that is inherent with working at a ranch. If it wasn't for them, the YMCA of the Ozarks could not provide the charm of the cowboy way to our guests, campers, and staff.

Thanks for helping all of us live the dream of being a cowboy, even if it is only for an hour!

Who Should Register

The Camp Lakewood, Triangle Y Ranch, and Trout Lodge family continues to grow every day. Realizing that you are part of the family is the first step in joining us on this journey down memory lane, and keeping Trout Lodge, Triangle Y Ranch, and Camp Lakewood a strong and vital component of the world community. Therefore, if you have been a Lakewood camper or counselor, a Trout Lodge guest or staff, or a Triangle Y Wrangler please register on this website.

Help Us Out

We are in the process of extending our Alumni database, and your input will greatly help to expand our efforts. If you have lost contact with an old camp buddy, or if you know where a lost camper is, please inform us by emailing alumni@ymcastlouis.org. We will try our best to get you back in contact with your pal, and bring you back to camp.