August 2011 - YMCA OF THE PINES

True Teamwork…

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-31T13:10:19-04:00August 31st, 2011|

Hello everyone... When the call goes out for help around Camp, people listen and respond. Being a little shorthanded last Friday due to the departure of 2 of my wonderful International Staff members, the clock was ticking for us to get our famous Pretzel Melts ready for Day Camp to enjoy for lunch. I put a call out and within 3 minutes I had 4 of the most wonderfully helpful Lake Stockwell Staff and one CIT at my door ready to go. Thanks to everyone who pitchend in Friday and ANY day we need it... especially thru the wild and wet weekend we just [...]

Thank you!

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-30T04:57:15-04:00August 30th, 2011|

We all know how incredible Camp is and we all know how special it is to receive a Blue, Green or Red Feather! But, did you know that we award a Tri-Feather? This is the highest honor that a staff member can receive here, at Camp. These Tri-Feather Staff Members are those that go above-and-beyond everything they do for our Campers. Their display of the Four Core Values is wonderful and they are nothing but Professional Role Models. I just wanted to take a moment to thank Stockwell's Tri-Feather Staff Members - Gaby Lestino and Cristina Donofrio - You both [...]

Summer coming to a close…

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-21T12:21:39-04:00August 21st, 2011|

Hello folks... Well... summer is winding down out here in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. Our Resident Camps ended on Friday and our Day Camp has only 2 more weeks to go. We are switching gears here to welcome all of the fantastic Conference groups who will be visiting us this season. I would like to extend a heart felt Thank You to each and every staff member who worked (and is working) with all of our Campers this year. They gave it everything they had and then some to make sure all in attendance had a fun, safe [...]

Off Camp Adventure

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-19T05:33:53-04:00August 19th, 2011|

This summer sixty five campers participated in the Ranger program, the off camp tripping program offered at our overnight camps. Over the course of six trips this year Matolly and Ocky combined to cover close to 132 miles on the Delaware River and 96 miles on the Appalachian Trail. While many times the focus at camp is on building a community through activities that emphasize our core values, the Ranger program is tasked with taking that community off of camp into an unknown wilderness. Throughout the summer the Rangers tackled scorching hot weather and plenty of rain while traversing their [...]

Our Infamous Oatmeal…

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-15T08:28:27-04:00August 15th, 2011|

Hey folks… Aside from our Pretzel Melts, one of the other most talked about dishes here at Camp is our Oatmeal. The biggest topic of conversation where our Oatmeal is concerned is the trouble people have duplicating it at home. One such conversation happened just yesterday via email and I thought I’d share the conversation with you all in the hopes that it could shed some light on the secret to making our creamy and filling Camp Oatmeal at home. […]

Summer Camp, NPR Style

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-14T13:16:25-04:00August 14th, 2011|

Wondering what’s so special about camp? Look no further than this special from This American Life archives. This particular broadcast is from the late 1990s but it still resonates today. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/109/notes-on-camp Rich Rinaldi Program Director Boys Overnight Camp YMCA Camp Ockanickon, Inc.

This is Color Wars!!

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-11T05:38:50-04:00August 11th, 2011|

The leadership teams from Ockanickon and Matollionequay joined forces this summer to re-invent an old tradition - Color Wars!! Color Wars is a day long co-ed event comprised of two teams, the red team and the black team, that compete in various challenges to earn points for their respective team. The sport challenges for the athletes included soccer, basketball and solley boccer (a mix of soccer and volleyball). Logic games for the creative thinkers included chess and puzzle making. There were art activities for the artists among us including banner making, skit making, and creating a boat float. Some campers even participated [...]

On the move….

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-09T17:09:30-04:00August 9th, 2011|

This past weekend, the volunteers from Above & Beyond fitness spent their Saturday morning working to clear more of our trails in preparation of our 1st 10k Mud Run. Chad Mason, the driving force behind the event has been working extremely hard to build the only mud run in south New Jersey, in doing so, helping YMCA Camp Ockanickon develop it’s the amazing trail system. […]

One Of Camp’s Culinary Favorites

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-08T14:07:34-04:00August 8th, 2011|

Hello everyone... Ever hear of the infamous Pretzel Melt? Wonder what one is? Here at Camp it's one of our crowd favorites... a Soft Pretzel baked in to the shape of a bun... sliced open and filled with Turkey Ham and a slice of American Cheese... put in the oven until it's soft and warm and full of melted goodness!! It's such a favorite that we made these T-Shirts to express our love for the delicasy (pictured here). In all my culinary travels i have never seen one anywhere else nor have i ever found a Pretzel bun like ours [...]

The Golden Trash Can

By YMCA of the Pines|2011-08-05T13:51:14-04:00August 5th, 2011|

Last week, Ocky’s Seneca Village Chief James Otwell created a new tradition for our overnight campers – the Golden Trash Can! Counselors keep a tally of how many pieces of trash their campers pick up throughout the session, and the camper with the most trash per village receives a golden piece of trash. The camper that picks up the most pieces of trash throughout the entire summer will get his name forever emblazoned on the Golden Trash Can, which will sit in the Ocky Dining Hall during the summer season. Thanks, James (or Chief Wild Horse, as he’s sometimes called!) [...]

Monthly Archives: August 2011