Monthly Archives: April 2015

It was a hot summer in 2001, my teary-eyed mother watched as her only child started playing Uno cards with the rest of the boys in his new home for next week. It was a dusty old cabin filled with over packed suitcases and a daily schedule that my mother read 10 times over. As I watched her finally will herself away from the laminated paper, I gave her a big hug and asked her to send me lots of candy. Once my mother pulled it together and eventually left camp, I was on my own for the first time [...]

If you’re driving on Stokes Road in Medford, New Jersey and you turn left onto Tabernacle Road, as you bear right onto McKendimen Road, there’s an unusual sight you just might miss if you blink. Next to this road, there is a canoe wrapped around a tree. If you look at this, some thoughts like “oh wow, why is there a canoe wrapped around that tree?” or maybe you think “I can’t believe a tree grew through that a canoe.”  Whichever comes to mind, it’s definitely an interesting sight. For me, seeing that canoe gives me an undeniable sense of [...]

As winter melts away, we here at the YMCA Camp Ockanickon Outdoor Center are excited to welcome Spring and all that comes with it. Put away the heavy coats and mittens because it is time to get back outside and have some fun. This past week at the Outdoor Center, we had two different schools join us at Camp just before hosting our annual Spring Military Family Weekend.

I started my new role as CEO of YMCA Camp Ockanickon, Inc. on March 9, 2015, so it’s been about a month. I figured this was a good time to share a little more about myself and to take a breath and to reflect a bit. I moved to Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, on March 1 from Rockville, Maryland. It is my first time living in New Jersey, and the sixth state I’ve called home as an adult. It was a welcome move for both me and my wife, Beth. We are now much closer to family, which is important [...]