Eric Wimbley has worn many hats at Pretty Lake. The longtime youth advocate was a camper there as a child, later a camp counselor, then a board member, serving two terms as president. Now he's got the top job at the 250-acre organization in Mattawan -- executive director. Wimbley starts June 1. He spoke about plans for Pretty Lake's 100th anniversary and his priorities for the future in an interview on WestSouthwest.
Wimbley was most recently director of security at Kalamazoo College. He continues to serve as a criminal justice instructor at the Allegan County Area Technical & Education Center, teaching high-school students. Prior to that, he had a 25-year career with the Michigan State Police, where he retired in February 2012 as commander of the Paw Paw Post. The Kalamazoo City Commission passed a proclamation that same month honoring Wimbley's retirement.
Active with youth throughout his personal and professional life, he says he has had an affiliation with Pretty Lake for nearly four decades. It started with attending camp for three consecutive summers in the 1970s, then the following decade becoming a camp counselor and lifeguard. Wimbley elevated his involvement to board member in the mid-90s, a role he's held since.
"It was wonderful," Wimbley says of his Pretty Lake Camp experience in an interview with WMUK's Earlene McMichael that aired Monday on the WestSouthwest public-affairs show. "It had a huge impact on my life."
Wimbley remembers being shy as a child.
"I had a difficult time communicating," he says. He felt nurtured at camp, where he says the realization took hold "that there were other things outside of my community area that I could aspire to become." Wimbley says Pretty Lake Camp also gave him a vacation opportunity that was not always possible growing up. He was one of seven children in his household on the East Side of Kalamazoo, born to a mother who was a homemaker and a father who worked at a General Motors plant.
"But the larger part of what camp brought to me was opening the door and meeting other people," Wimbley says. "I took that from camp and wanted to look for opportunities to give back. And, I still feel like I owe a debt to camp. So I continue to serve camp and the community."
Pretty Lake is a nonprofit organization offering a number of programs year-round, including leadership retreats for adults and children. However, it is probably best known for its stated mission of providing cost-free summer camps for at-risk youth from Kalamazoo County, a total of over 50,000 served since the institution's inception in 1916.
Wimbley says his goals include raising awareness about what Pretty Lake does, plus increasing collaborations with other nonprofits and area schools to help youngsters succeed up through their high-school years. Among the possibilities, he says, is mentorship, especially for students ages 15 to 18, outside the summer months. He envisions showing them how to serve on a nonprofit board, for example.
Pretty Lake will be hosting a 100th Birthday BBQ and Alumni Reunion at 3 p.m. June 12 on its grounds. Wimbley says the general public may attend, but RSVPs are encouraged.
WestSouthwest airs 9:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays, with a 3:30 p.m. rebroadcast.
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