Hello! I’m Lynne Stanwood-Leadbeater; I am on the Board of Directors and I chair the Financial Development Committee at YMCA Camp Ockanickon, Inc. It is a privilege to be a volunteer for Camp Ockanickon, because I feel strongly about the importance of giving back to an organization that gave so much to me and four generations of my family. In 1937, the inaugural year of our girl’s camp, Camp Matollionequay, my grandmother, Lillie Brown, was a counselor here. Since then, my father and later my mother, my uncles, my brother and I, all my cousins, and all of our children have attended camp and benefitted from many of the programs here. My camp family does not end with just my relatives. Most of my parents’ and my friendships that still exist today began here at Ockanickon. I even met my husband here!

So, why did our family keep returning year after year for almost 80 years? Well, camp is fun. And we learned stuff! We learned how to swim, paddle a canoe, build a fire, make a lanyard. And while we were doing all those fun things, we were also strengthening our characters, gaining independence, overcoming shyness, learning to live with others, meeting people from all walks of life, and building lifelong friendships.

In the summer of 1955, my father was 15 years old and was a Relief Counselor (what we might now call an Assistant Counselor) here at Camp Ockanickon. He was called home because his father passed away unexpectedly. After a few days, when the funeral was over, he chose to return to camp to help him grieve his loss. He recalled to me that it was the right thing to do, that his Village Chief, Dave Mitchell, and all his camp friends, helped him through his difficult time.  When I was a painfully shy 7-year-old, my folks sent me to Matollionequay to help teach me how to not be so afraid of everything. And when my sister-in-law asked my advice on how to give her daughter confidence in a house full of brothers, the first thing I said was “send her to camp.” My niece just completed her fourth summer at Matollionequay and is as confident as can be (and a green feather camper too!). This camp was and still is our prescription for normalcy, safety, acceptance, and confidence, and the experiences we had here enhanced our lives in a profound way.

So why is my YMCA Camp Ockanickon story relevant? Because there are so many children, teens, and families right here in our community and beyond who would love to have these same experiences, who NEED them and DESERVE them, but cannot because they can’t afford to do so. Therefore, it is our goal to raise $293,000 this year to ensure that everyone, regardless of means, can experience the magic of camp through scholarships, financial assistance, military discounts, and our specialty camp programs.

The Annual Giving Campaign allows YMCA Camp Ockanickon to improve our community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. As we kick off our campaign for 2016, know that the donations to camp have worked and will continue to work to enhance the lives of children, youth and families in our community and beyond. (To donate, please contact suzette@ycamp.org or call 609-654-8225.)camp-ockanickon-annual-campaign-kickoff07