Camp Wartburg is a beloved fixture in rural Monroe County, having served as a place for faith, fun and countless other purposes for thousands of area youth over the years.

While the camp is set to keep going strong for many years to come, the individual who has overseen its tremendous growth and impact on the community for nearly 30 years will soon be taking a much-deserved rest.

Camp Wartburg Executive Director Bob Polansky is retiring at the end of the year, taking his leave from the Monroe County community even as his legacy carries on at his much-loved camp.

Polansky went on something of a journey before making his way to Southwestern Illinois. He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and grew up for a time in Minnesota.

He arrived in Illinois as he attended Augustana College in Rock Island, majoring in religion and, as he recalled, being very involved with the track team.

Polansky noted he originally considered becoming a pastor in his youth, though in the end, he simply found himself working with young people at several different youth or ministry centers.

In speaking about his professional background, he mainly discussed his time with Lutheran Child & Family Services and working with a group home in the Chicago area.

He spent a number of years with LCFS before they acquired Camp Wartburg, ultimately bringing him down to Monroe County.

“Camp Wartburg dragged me here,” Polansky said. “I worked for them for about 10, 11 years prior to coming down here. I worked up in the Chicagoland area in a children’s home and a group home, and then, when Lutheran Child Family Services – which owns the camp – took over in late ’96, I got talked to in ’97 about possibly coming down and helping out.”

What originally sounded like a nice change of pace – he was also drawn having met his wife at a previous camp job – wound up becoming a life’s project for him.

“When this became available, it sounded like an interesting challenge, and here I am 28 years,” Polansky said. “A long time… The true meaning of a tenure.”

The camp has grown and changed significantly over the past three decades, with Polansky first recognizing that the number of kids who visit each year has increased dramatically.

As he recalled, things began with two schools in the area bringing around 180 campers over the summer.

Camp Wartburg now has connections with 60-70 schools in the region, seeing about 1,500 campers each summer.

Polansky joked about how, even as he’s long been interested in working with youth, he found himself somewhat averse to children’s centers as he wasn’t excited working with particularly young children.

“It’s kind of funny, I first didn’t want to work there because I didn’t want to work with the little kids, and the irony is I work with, y’know, all ages, a lot of little kids,” Polansky said. “God has a good sense of humor.”

Polansky spoke further on his experience overseeing Camp Wartburg and all it has come to offer over the years.

He recalled first getting his footing in the community, reaching out to the Local Area Network through Human Support Services, connecting with a number of social service providers and asking what was needed in the community, getting the feedback that local youth seemed to need additional options for camp as well as after school programming.

Wartburg has excelled when it comes to camping options. Polansky noted at least 120 kids each day visit for day camp during their regular season, with plenty also visiting for overnight camp over the course of a week.

Programming offerings are varied, from high ropes at the camp to caving trips at Illinois Caverns. Visitors have also come to enjoy trips along the Kaskaskia River and a number of field trips just within the community.

Looking back on some pleasant memories at camp, Polansky recalled an instance of a young camper climbing up the high ropes course and seemingly needing some heavenly support.

“The camper came up and was shaking and scared and very, very nervous, and her first words were, ‘Oh my God,’ and I said, ‘Yep! He’s here!’ And then I said, ‘Did you want to pray to him for strength?’” Polansky said.

Polansky further discussed the work done in the world of outdoor education. Kids get to experience nature hikes, fire building, team building, ziplining and various other activities.

He also nodded to the after-school program, which saw a boom amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Retreats and other hosted events such as birthday parties are also a big part of Camp Wartburg.

Polansky also made special note of the camp’s pickleball offerings, with folks stopping by in the evenings from Monday through Thursday, paying per day to enjoy the rec center’s courts for a couple hours.

Wartburg also plays host to a myriad of other goings-on like scrapbooking, quilting and family reunions.

Polansky remarked that the camp is “a big place, and we are very busy here year-round.”

He voiced great appreciation for the many individuals who have contributed to all of these programs and the camp in general through the years.

“Everything that’s been done, blessed by God, but it has been a lot of people working,” Polansky said. “I’ve been blessed to have a fantastic staff. A lot of great people who’ve been around here. Had a great group of support from board and donors, friends, family, they’ve all really helped support me in the ministry here.”

He spoke further on the folks who have passed through camp as leaders or campers, noting how some of his staff have gone on to be pastors, teachers, youth workers or leaders in their community.

Recounting a less fond memory from his tenure, he recalled an instance some time ago of a former camper taking a cab from a distance away to Camp Wartburg, having had a pleasant time at camp and looking for a haven away from some troubles at home.

Polansky described that situation of her running off into the woods as “a very long 24 hours” – though he ultimately appreciates and takes great pride in the security and safety of the camp.

Returning to the camp’s development, he remarked on the additions that have been made over the years as they’ve strived to meet the community’s needs.

“We have really tried to add something every year, physically too,” Polansky said. “It could be something as simple as a tractor or a van, or it could be, ‘hey, we’re going to build a new rec center’ or ‘we built a new dining hall.’”

As though the great many program offerings weren’t enough, Polansky also noted how the camp is also listed as an emergency shelter in the case of some disaster in the county.

While Camp Wartburg has filled many niches for the community, Polansky still had more to say about the camp’s place as a center of faith in the area.

He noted how every child leaves the camp with a Bible if they don’t have one already, and staff encourage them to get in touch with their local churches when they depart Wartburg.

He further described how he’s seen a number of campers feel such a newfound faith and connection to Jesus that they’ve brought that connection to the rest of their family, getting them to pray or attend church.

“Connecting them to Jesus, connecting them to a church. In the end, it is all about Jesus and sharing Jesus with others, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of doing that,” Polansky said.

Polansky has left quite the mark on the area he’s called home for the past three decades, with many holding a very high opinion of him and his contributions to the community.

Among these individuals is John “Sparky” Hemenway, camp operations director at Wartburg, who has worked alongside Polansky for over a decade now.

Hemenway recalled meeting him in 2003 and getting a job at Wartburg around 2010.

He commended Polansky first and foremost for the environment he’s established for the campers and staff over the years.

“Bob is excellent at creating a safe space to take risks,” Hemenway said. “A lot of people that come out to camp, it’s their first job, it’s their first time doing stuff and it’s their first time really experiencing independence, and what Bob has always done is create that space for you to try new things. And if there’s ever an issue, ever a problem, he’s there to make sure that it was done safely.”

Hemenway also had kind things to say about Polansky’s general demeanor. He spoke to how pleasant the director is to be around, and how he’s known for his love – if not eccentricity – of bats and caving.

“He’s also a goofball. He jokes around in the office,” Hemenway said. “He loves having a space that’s very joyful. He’s created a culture over the years of that in the camp office.”

Hemenway further discussed the legacy Polansky will be leaving as he departs Camp Wartburg.

“He’s developed an organization that produces young people who are comfortable with pushing themselves and taking risks and creating safe space for it,” Hemenway said. “That’s the essence of what we really wanna grow when it comes to Bob’s legacy, creating a space where people can explore their talents, explore their skills, be comfortable with the idea of failure and that they can get up and go on.”

Among many figures in the community who have worked with Polansky over the years, Waterloo Mayor Stan Darter had plenty of good things to say about him.

Darter spoke about how they met around 2012, crossing paths at the VFW, the Monroe County Coalition for Drug-Free Communities and HSS.

“All of my involvement with Bob Polansky has to do with his service to others,” Darter said. “That’s probably something he works at every day. He’s very good at it.”

Like Hemenway, Darter commended Polansky for his character and humor.

“Bob can find humor in virtually any situation, and being able to work with him, that makes everything so much easier,” Darter said.

He described Polansky as entertaining and good at trivia, and he recalled fond memories of him coming out to eat at the VFW regularly with his mother, who always arrived ahead of him and ordered the wrong food – only for him to eat it anyway.

Darter also spoke on the impact Polansky has had thanks to his work at Camp Wartburg.

“Camp Wartburg basically contains his heart and soul,” Darter said. “He lived every single day, whether he was there, whether he was at Human Support Services on the board, it was always about Camp Wartburg and his work there.”

His time at the camp coming to a close, Polansky said he’s looking forward to doing a great deal of traveling in retirement.

He expects to stay plenty active, however, visiting and working at several national parks along with enjoying time spent with family.

When it comes to Camp Wartburg, he’s confident the camp will be in good hands.

“What I hope for the people who carry on after me is that we carry on with the same mission, with the same energy, with the same emphasis of, y’know, sharing Jesus with others, keeping this a nice, safe place,” Polansky said. “I think I’m leaving this in good hands. The staff who are here are very qualified, very skilled, and I think they’ll do a wonderful job. I would hope for them that they can take it beyond where I brought it.”