YMCA OF THE PINES
SUMMER CAMPS | RETREATS |
FAMILY PROGRAMS | CHILDCARE | WILDERNESS TRIPS
Got nothing to do the weekend of September 27th? Then be sure to sign-up for our Fall Father Child Weekend at Camp Ockanickon! Lot's of fun planned with activities like boating, archery, fishing and of course plenty of Ga-Ga! https://ycamp.org/documents/2013FallFatherChildWeekend.pdf
Hello all… Today marked the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington in 1963 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic “I Have A Dream” speech. It is noted as one of the largest political rallies in United States history for human rights. Just over a year later Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest recipient of the award at the time. The man standing in the photo above, Thich Nhat Hanh, was nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for that very same honor in 1967… but there [...]
Check out this wonderful Facebook post from one of our Stockwell VC's, who has been making a difference in our campers lives all summer long; Today started the last week of my summer at Camp Ockanickon, even though we're nearing the end, I still had an abundance of new Shawnee's to add to our lively bunch! One, who is having a rough time in life was shy and reluctant to leave my side, but by the middle of the day at playground he was running around and interacting with the other campers. At the end of the day when I [...]
Hello folks… Now and again when the season or the timing is right…. I reach back into my archives for old recipes and posts to see what we can bring forward again as I know our audience has grown and social media has changed the landscape of how, when and where we reach our audience… our readers… you. Well… this is the VERY FIRST recipe I posted… after assuming the role as Food Service Director here at Camp… from our snail mailed Camp newsletter we lovingly called “The Smoke Signal”. The Smoke Signal does not exist in it’s old format [...]
Looking for an excuse to come back out to Camp this year? Check out some of the new and exciting programs being offered at YMCA Camp Ockanickon this fall! https://ycamp.org/documents/2013FallWinterCalendarComplete.pdf
When the summer campers leave for the summer, camp hosts a variety of special needs camps, free, for children. Many of these children come from backgrounds and circumstances that make the camp experience fresh, new, and exciting. It also makes it kind of scary. Sleeping in the outdoors, climbing a rock wall, or even just seeing a few bugs can make the experience an exposure to the unknown. In the end it makes children more confident, more outgoing, and leaves them with memories that they can carry through their toughest times. One of the very unique experiences at camp is [...]
Hello all... I'd like you to picture, in your mind, an amount of food that would feed 1,600 hungry mouths. Now imagine how much time and energy and physical work it would take to prepare that much food. The people pictured above did that every single day here at Camp for every child, staff member and guest that came down our sandy trails and into one of our two dining facilities… or took their food "to go" on a day trip or an Overnight. On any given day our kitchen staff had up to 13 deadlines to meet… which means [...]
I heard about this story this afternoon while visiting Frost Valley YMCA this afternoon. I was able to find the actual article and it's pretty amazing: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2396039/Pilots-turn-plane-pick-11-year-old-girl-cancer-New-York-summer-camp-lost-passport.html
Pinata Cookies 1 cup sugar 1 cup powdered sugar 1 cup butter 1 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon baking soda 5 cups flour 1 tablespoon vanilla mini m&m's 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for frosting) 2 teaspoons milk (for frosting) directions: 1. Cream sugars with butter. Beat in eggs. Add oil. Combine dry ingredients together, and then gradually add them to the mixture. Mix in vanilla and almond extract. Cover the layered dough and freeze for four hours or overnight. 2. Remove the dough from the container and unwrap from the plastic. [...]
As 5th session comes to a close, which means the end of camp for this summer for a lot of staff, I always like the reflect on the summer. Most of the staff have been here now for about nine weeks (give or take a few weeks). These are a lot of weeks with lots of growth and memories for all. And not just for staff, but also for campers no matter how many weeks they have joined us for the summer. I think the reason why I like to reflect so much at the end of camp is because [...]