Monthly Archives: September 2014

  As a Matolly girl since 2000, summer is, of course, my favorite season here at camp.  As August  winds down and the sound of dining hall singing is replaced by rustling leaves and the visiting day groups, it's sometimes a little sad to be on camp post-summer.  Luckily, my second favorite season, fall, is headed our way.  I know I've already been layering sweaters and scarves, and am a little embarrassed to admit that I've already used my heater this September. Though summer camp is still 9 months away (yes, the countdown is already on here in the office!), [...]

Imagine it’s your first day of college. Your parents drop you off. You move into a strange room with a strange new friend. Your life in higher education is about to begin. Then hours after your parents leave someone in a bright tie-dye shirt herds you and three hundred of your new friends into a caravan of buses. You’re going to Camp. For nearly a decade Stockton College has started their incoming freshman experience just like this. Hour after Welcome Week begins students arrive at Camp Ockanickon to participate in SOAR, Stockton Orientation Adventure Retreat. For three days students participate [...]

In 1925 and 1926, Ockanickon's leadership was looking for a permanent home for the camp. After finding the Medford site, they designed a pamphlet to share with potential donors. In addition to a description of camp's first 20 years and why a permanent site was necessary, they included some quotes from previous campers and other prominent YMCA supporters. The pamphlet was dubbed "Acres for Character." Their words still ring true today. "The organized summer camp is America's most significant contribution to the educational system of the world." Dr. Charles Eliot President Emeritus Harvard Univerity "The Young Men's Christian Association through [...]