Yes! Finally a rainy day!

Usually we greet a rainy day with groans and disappointment. Today is unusual in that we are happy to have the rain! We've had a very hot and dry - if you don't count the high humidy - summer so far. Our fields are dry and the horses are finding very little green grass for grazing. I was anticipating having to implement a burn ban. So when I awoke to the gently falling drops and a forecast for all day rain - I just smiled.

After breakfast I heard the Camp Director advise everyone to move into "Rainy Day Plans". With the absence of thunder & lightning and continued warm temps, today's rainy day plan seems to be just some slight modifications of activities. Campers are still swimming and boating - the counselors are noting "you were going to get wet anyway!" Our store manager is grinning as he sees those rain ponchos he stocked finally start to leave the store shelves. Arts & crafts is full and the board games that have been gathering dust all summer are challenging all.

Wish you were here to listen to the rain drops, see the kids & staff go puddle stomping and here the cries of "I want to be the car" as the monopoly game commences.

I love rainy days at Camp. Of course, I love every day at Camp! TTFN - I'm heading outside to find someone to "puddle stomp" with!

Making Time for Yourself

In the midst of the busy summer season, I received this reminder today to Make Time for Myself as a parent. It's so easy to lose ourselves in the daily routines of work, parenting and homemaking. In all three areas, there is always more to do than can be accomplished each day. I hope you will heed the advice in the attached article (at least once in a while)

http://www.parentfurther.com/resources/enewsletter/archive/self-care#1618



Meanwhile, thank you for all you do!

You can't understand it fully, until you experience it!

Growing up in a small town in Vermont, my summers meant long days at the township pool, tubing on the river that ran through town, trips to visit relatives, helping my uncle bring in the hay on his dairy farm and sleeping out on our screened in porch. One of my closest friends would leave this idyllic summer vacation and go off to Music Camp in Maine for two weeks every year.

She'd come back from Camp full of stories about people she loved, zany things that they did, practical jokes, weird songs, and "cool counselors". She'd tell all of us how she was counting down the days until she went back to camp. Occassionally throughout the year she'd recieve a letter or call from one or her camp friends. (Obviously this was before email, Facebook and texting)

Her hometown friends, myself included didn't understand. How could she possibly become so close to people that she only was with 2 weeks a year? She was normally a pretty cool person (as we all were) - so how could she find it fun to sing songs about lizards and dress up as super heroes? We had no context for understanding her love of Camp. We absolutely couldn't fathom why Camp was so important to her!

I left Vermont to attend College in New Jersey as a Recreation Major. In the spring of my Freshman year, a fellow "Rec Major" talked to me about being a Day Camp Counselor at local YMCA. I interviewed at the Madison (NJ) YMCA and was hooked. Two years later, a friend suggested that I try working at a YMCA Sleepaway Camp. So, the summer of 1981 brought me to Camp Speers-Eljabar YMCA for the first time, as the Eljabar Program Director or as I coined it "The Fun Director". I fell in love with camping! Suddenly I understood why my high school friend had to go to Camp each summer.

Camp is so much more than swimming, archery, and s'mores. Camps create a unique environment where the entire focus is on becoming a better person through fun, challenge and friendship. By nature and design, Camps' isolation make the rest of the world with all of its demands and distractions just fade a way. Everyone sheds their "real world" persona and can freely become who they really want to be. The time spent at Camp intensifies everything - you cut right through all the barriers to connect with others in the blink of an eye, you don't waste time or energy on worrying about what anyone is going to think about what you do or who you are, the "playing field is leveled". No one cares if you live in a mansion or low income housing. Within days everyone is wearing the same baggy shorts and stained T-Shirt over their bathing suits - designer labels make no more an impression than hand me downs from the Salvation Army. Camp is the great equalizer!

Yet, until you experience it for yourself, drink the bug juice, spend nights whispering to your new best friends, and push your own boundaries - Camp remains that thing you just don't totally understand! Parents who went to Camp ensure that their children do. For those parents who missed going to camp, we have to engage them so that their children won't miss out on one of the most important experiences of their life!

You might find the recent NPR broadcast of a great series "Notes on Camp" to be very interesting. Please enjoy the transcripts via the link below.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/109/Notes-on-Camp

Please help spread the word about the importance of sleep away camp for every child! Now more than ever, every kid needs that place, that time to discover the very best in him/herself.

Developing tomorrow's leaders!

As I was speaking with our LITs (Leaders in Training program for campers entering the 10th grade) and our CITs (Counselors in Training for campers entering 11th grade) this week, the thought that these teens would be "my staff" within a few years struck me. In that second, I started to look at these campers in a new light and became very excited about what they would contribute to Camp.

Some of the LITs and CITs I've known for 6 years and seen them develop from shy first year campers to confident teens. They've pushed their limits, developed friendships that will last a lifetime, and discovered the very best in themselves through their years of involvement at Camp. Others have joined them in more recent years, a few for the first time this year - as welcomed by members of the group as those who have been sharing Camp experiences for years.

This summer the LITs and CITs will hone their leadership and camp skills, testing them under the watchful eyes of Camp Staff. About October the calls and emails will begin - with this summer's CITs applying for Counselor Intern positions for summer 2011. As I think about them, I speculate who will be the "staff stars" in a couple of years, who will show himself/herself to be the ideal candidate to run the t waterfront or become Head Counselor.

Today was check out day for most of the campers who have been here during the past two weeks. A few dozen campers remained. This evening, all of those remaining in Camp Eljabar and their counselors were passing my house after swimming withe the Speers cameprs. they stayed to talk ad to play with our dog. Needless to say, Tucker - our Springer Spaniel was thrilled to have lots of people to play with and toss the tennis ball for him to retrieve.

One of the counselors shared a story about how one of the campers present (an 11 year old) had advised the parents of a fellow camper upon pick up that "next year send a picture of yourselves so when T.... is homesick she can see your picture." I immediately thought - wow, that camper will someday make a great counselor!"

One of the best parts of being the Director of Camp Speers-Eljabar YMCA is being a part of the lives of all of the campers and staff, especially seeing them grow in so many ways over the years. this week as I thought about our LITs and CITs and their roles in Camp during the next few years I ceratinly felt that all of our future is in great hands. Tonight, this belief was fortified by the glimpse into the more distant future I was given upone learning how a fellow 11 year old camper thought about how to help her fellow camper to be successful at Camp.

Our future at Camp and in the world is in good hands. Tomorrow's leaders are here - swimming, riding, hiking, creating, playing, laughing, loving and growing.

Camp Etiquette - How not to embarass your kids

Just was sent a link to a really funny article in NY Magazine. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. Follow the link below:

Camp Etiquette - How Not to Embarass Your Kids http://nymag.com/guides/summer/12126

Whlie still laughing I started thinking about all the suggestions that I could add from my years of Camp... Here's a few:

- Don't be the first parent or the last parent on check out day

- Don't tell everyone that I sleep with a nightlight

- Don't clean my cabin

- send cool things in "care packages" like water guns, glow in the dark necklaces, and playing cards

Now that you are smiling too... have a great day!

I'm bored!

It's only the start of the second week of summer camp and I just had a call from a mom asking how quickly she can get her daughter into Camp. Mom reports that the daughter is "driving her crazy with her moans of 'I'm bored!' This mom and daughter are not alone in this situation.

All across the US boys and girls are at home - creating "the sounds of summer" - the click, click of endless cell phone texting; the beep and blasts of video games; the droning of the TV; the whirring of the refrigerator as it opens and closes all day long; the requests to be driven here and there; the whines of 'I have nothing to do';...

We have the solution.

Replace those sounds with those of the splash of a canoe paddle as it dips into the lake; the ping of an arrow as it finds it target; the cheers as the ball whizzes into the goal; the yells of encouragement as a fellow campers scales the climbing tower; the shouts of joy just before the campers plunge into the cool lake waters; the greetings of new found friends;... YES! these are the summer sounds we all wish for! They can be found at CAMP.

It is not too late to enroll for summer camp! Spread the word and let's all enjoy the sounds of summer! www.campspeersymca.org

And we're off...! Week 1 flew by!

Whew! The first week of Summer Camp 2010 sped by in what seemed to be the blink of an eye! Tie-dye projects, beach parties, counselors in crazy costumes, slumber parties, MTV night, yoga, sailing, archery, BBQs in the Meadow, horseback riding, and so much more that we all sank gratefully into our bunks each night and woke each morning ready to do MORE! In one short week, campers and staff alike pushed their limits and found new abilities, built lasting friendships, gained self confidence and mastered activities and skills. As a Camp Director, I spend 40 weeks each year planning for and anticipating the Summer Camp season when we all discover the very best in ourselves! This week was even better than anticipated.Camp is pure JOY - where the most important thing is not how well you do something but that you DO IT.

Week Two is underway. Can't wait for what it brings! Stay tuned! www.campspeersymca.org

Summer Camp Eve

This evening I am struck by that same sense of heightened excitement and anticipation that I usually feel on Christmas Eve and the night before other momentous occassions. I'm officially declaring tonight "Summer Camp Eve! My Camp - Camp Speers Eljabar YMCA and almost all others in the NYC tri-state area are officially opening for the summer tomorrow.

All throughout NJ, NY, PA, CT, DC, MD... kids are saying "see you when I get back" to their friends while parents frantically consult the Camp Packing List to make sure that their child will have everything that they need for their foray into the wilderness - aka Summer Camp.

Just like Christmas morning, Summer Camp will bring great surprises, a sense of wonder and joyful connections to others. Just like the Christmas Season, at Camp people seem kinder, friendlier, and yes - more cheerful than other places and other times.

In keeping with this Christmas comparison - it's easy to exchange our lake, woods and fields for the enchanted winter wonderland of the North Pole - recognizing that Camp does become a place where magic occurs. And I guess that means that I - Camp CEO - am the Summer Camp equivalent to Santa Claus?!!! I will pull on my staff shirt, name tag and closed toed sandals - the Camp version of the Santa suit, assemble my staff (elves) and with a hearty "ARE YOU READY?" will signal the start of the Summer Camp Season much as Santa would do for Christmas time with his "ho ho ho"

The campfires, friendship building, long sunny days on the lake, treks through the woods, star gazing, role modeling, loud (often off key) singing and chanting, and endless fun - begin tomorrow.

And tonight, on Summer Camp Eve - I pause to joyfully anticipate all the wonderful experiences that tomorrow will bring.

So, Merry Summer Camp Eve to all - and to all a good night!

Playing in the Dirt Makes You Smarter!

Those of us connected to CSEY and the outdoor world have always known that playing outside and getting dirty is good for us! Now the American Society for Microbiology provides us with scientific evidence of all the benefits of getting dirty and having fun outdoors. Check out this article from the Huffington Post brought to my attention from a great newsletter from the Children & Nature Network. ENJOY!


Can Playing in the Dirt Make You Smarter?
Huffington Post – June 14, 2010By Linda Buzzell If you need yet another good reason to convince yourself or your kids to go outside and get your hands in the dirt, here it is: new research reveals that a bacterium in the soil not only lowers depression and anxiety but also can make you smarter! http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/3861/

What a day!

On Monday, June 14th we hosted 3 school groups with a combined student population of over 500 children and teens! This was be far our greatest number of guests at Camp on a single day in anyone's memory.

With over 35 staff leading activities throughout Camp's program areas - everyone appeared to be and expressed having a great day! At one point an estimated 200 people were rowboating, canoeing, swimming, fishing, and sunbathing at the waterfront - our lifeguards were kept busy but they were more than equal to the challenge. The basketball courts, target shooting ranges, and sports fields saw non-stop action. The arts & crafts room had a steady stream of candle makers. The hiking and mountain bike trails saw constant traffic as well.

On days like these, it's easy to focus on the numbers of people and what they were busy doing. However, a deeper look reveals so much more! I saw boys and girls overcoming fears, exploring new activities & environment, gaining skills and deepening relationships . I heard snippets of conversation as our staff talked about the turtles, lily pads and other aquatic life with students who seldom venture beyond the environs of Bronx NY. I watched confidence bloom as teenagers who never paddled a canoe previously, became adept and criss crossed the lake without tipping. I witnessed expressions of pure joy blossom on faces that had shown apprehension and boredom upon arrival.

These schools could have just as easily taken their students to the amusement park for their end of year trips. Instead they choose to bring them to Camp for an experience that would enhance and transform their lives. Even one day's exposure to the skills and growth opportunities that we foster can and does make a difference in the lives of children, teens and adults. Clearly this difference would be greater and more life enhancing with a longer experience. These short term visits to camp (for these groups ranging from 1 day to 6 days) give everyone a sample.

Who knows when these students will again find themselves at Camp Speers-Eljabar YMCA. We do know that they leave with a strong desire to return.

And being ones who always try to make the most of every situation - we ensured that everyone took home a camp brochure. Some even took home employment applications.

What a day! What a Camp! What a life!!!

Lasting Friendships ... because of Camp

We often note that the building of lasting friendships is one of the most important outcomes of the Camp Speers-Eljabar YMCA experience. Yesterday, I spent the day with an extraordinary group of adults who bear witness to this. The CSEY Alumni Committee sponsored the first "Eljabarbeque" at the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside NJ. Over a dozen people joined together for good food, fun and great conversations.

Most of those in attendance were campers during the 90s and became staff in the early 2000s. They with a number of other CSEY Alumni who have settled in the NYC/NJ area continue to get together frequently - meeting for sushi, attending each other's life celebrations (weddings, birthdays, new jobs...) and staying in touch through Facebook & cell phones.

What began for them as a week or two away from home - confronting homesickness, learning to canoe, and hearing about the lives of kids different from their own has evolved into deep, supportive and permanent relationships amongst a group of caring and responsible adults. All because of Camp!

As I turned on my computer this morning I noted that there are 20 days left until we open for this summer's camp season. While it is normal for me at this point to begin envisioning the lake filled with boaters and swimmers, climbers scaling the towers, mountain bikers whizzing by, and the dining halls filled with laughing, cheering and singing campers & staff - after yesterday I am also envisioning those same kids 15 years from now as young professionals joining together to share their camp memories and continuing their friendships - I hope that they will invite me to the picnic!

He's a little lost! He needs Camp.

A phone call from a parent today prompted this blog. The parent was calling about a friend's child who she described as "lost" since the death of his mother. She wanted him to come to Camp so he could be "special", feel good about himself and make friends. Of course, I agreed to do all we could to make this happen for him.

After I hung up the phone I started thinking about all the kids who come to Camp Speers-Eljabar YMCA because it's the place that they feel special and important. I thought of W.M. who tells about how shy he used to be and how he can now make friends anywhere because of his experience at Camp. He told me about going out for the High School football team because he had learned that he could be successful when he tried new things at Camp.

I thought about C.D. who joins every event with enthusiasm and makes friends with every camper. C.D. tells us that it's hard for her to make friends at school but that at Camp she finds it so easy.

I thought about G.V. who after 8 years as a camper is now going to return for her 4th summer as a staff member. She told me that ever since she started coming to Camp, her closest friends have been from Camp and that she lived for the summers when she'd be back.

I also thought about my own daughter, who as a high school freshman has already started to think about going away to college. She recently observed, going to college and learning to live with one or two roommates is going to be easy after living with 11 cabin mates at Camp each summer!

I will never forget the dad who approached me as I stood waving goodbye on check out day. He came up to me and blurted out "I don't know what you've done to my son!" (I started to panic) Then as tears spilled, he said "He's happy, he has friends, he is a new person. I don't know how to thank you!" and he gave me a great big hug. Then he walked into the office and signed his son up for 4 more weeks later in the summer.

Overcoming shyness, recovering from grief & loss, making friends, feeling appreciated, gaining confidence - it happens at Camp while singing silly songs out LOUD, climbing towers, paddling boats, toasting marshmellows, playing games, taking hikes and endlessly talking with campers and staff!

I feel kinship with the Statue of Liberty - though rather than standing in the NY Harbor, I stand in the Pocono Mountains -with my arms open wide and beckon "send me your lost, your friendless, your shy, your active, your searching, your developing humans and I will send you back happy, friend-rich, confident, and aspiring boys and girls."

Camp is that safe haven for zany, joyful, childish PLAY!

Last night I was in Plainfield NJ speaking with a group of Foster Parents about the benefits of the Sleepaway Camp experience and how Camp Speers-Eljabar YMCA serves children and families.

We talked about some of the zany, "weird" and unique things that kids do while at Camp; wearing their clothes inside out & backwards, painting their faces, dressing as their favorite superhero, stomping in mud puddles in the middle of a rainstorm, skipping stones across the lake, telling jokes & laughing so hard that you can't get the punchline out, singing silly songs as loud as possible, ...

As the parents and I chatted, a couple remarked that the zaniness I was describing sounded like "kids being kids!" and "things we did as kids".

Camp is that oasis where kids can just be kids - where Play is the business at hand. In one of those rare out of the blue coincidents - this morning a colleague shared this link to this great article in the Surbuban Chicago News "Why playing matters for kids!" Great article. It's well worth the few minutes it takes to read.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/lifestyles/2150207,Elgin-storyteller-play-1_EL041110.article

As parents and child development professionals/advocates - we need to make sure Kids can be Kids and PLAY!

Camp Staff contact with Campers!

A call from a concerned parent today is prompting me to write today about our policies regarding staff contact with campers outside of camp. This is a sensitive subject as one of the most important aspects of the camp program is the building of positive relationships by our staff with our campers. Then as soon as a camper leaves camp, he/she becomes off limits as far as contact by camp staff, even their own counselors.

As we cannot supervise out of camp contact by staff with campers, we've established a very clear policy. Very simply - we do not allow or condone any contact in any form (in person, on Facebook, via email, texting, telephone...) of a camper by a member of our staff other than in an official capacity.

Staff know this - we review this policy upon hire and annually thereafter. Unfortunately, we have no control over staff once they are not actively employed by us. For example, Summer Camp Counselors who may "friend" your child on Facebook. We need the assistance of our camper parents to monitor and report when our seasonal staff violate this policy.

Not only does adult staff contact with minor children pose a concern for the safety of the children, the adult staff are vulnerable to allegations of abuse/misconduct.

I encourage all parents to monitor their children's contact points - texting, email, Facebook, etc... to ensure their safety. As a parent of a 14 year old girl myself, I know how much she dislikes "my intrusion" into her life when I monitor her communications. I've made access to her phone and the computer contingent on my access. She may not like it or me - but she's safer!

If you have questions, concerns or suggestions - please don't hesitate to contact me at Camp 570-828-2329.

Wow - I am so thrilled that Spring has definately arrived! I even saw a piliated woodpecker on the stump outside of my house this morning. Even more exciting is that there are only 93 days until the start of our summer camp!

I worked today with one of our Partner YMCAs - the Somerset Hills YMCA - to plan the launch of a new project in concert with Recorder Publishing that will provide scholarship funding to support children from the Somerset County (NJ) area enrollment at our sleep away camp and Somerset Hills YMCA's day camp.

Our camps create experiences through withc kids build lasting friendships, gain confidence & indedpence, lead healthy lifestyles, take responsibility, master skills, and Discover the Very Best in Themselves!

This new initiative with Recorder Publishing will make it possible for more kids to go to CAMP this summer and for years to come.

I'll have more on this as we finalize plans and launch the project. Stay tuned to our website www.campspeersymca.org for details in upcoming weeks.

Thoughts from Camp Speers-Eljabar YMCA

Our Sunday Funday was FUN-tastic yesterday. One special moment when a small girl wanted to be able to take the tube down The Rut by herself - mom & dad were debating and then turned to me and asked, "do you think she can do it?" I looked at The Rut (full of snow - no ice), looked into the little girl's pleading eyes and said "there's no reason for me to say no" - mom & dad told their daughter to go. As she got into her tube and slid off, dad said - "wow, that's the first time she wanted to do it herself!"

We often think about summer camp as the ideal time/environment for kids to gain independence - yesterday's event reminded me that at Camp we have that amazing opportunity all year long. Whether it be the first time a young child speeds down a tube slide by themselves or crafts a candle, the opportunity is there.

Throughout the day yesterday, as families played in the snow here at Camp Speers-Eljabar YMCA the evidence mounted that well delivered outdoor recreation activities can strengthen famly bonds and foster development of important life skills for all. In today's world we all need to be confident, to take risks, to take turns, to try new things and find ways to connect to each other.

Can't wait until next Sunday for FUNday and families playing & growning together.