Monthly Archives: March 2018

by Susan Miller, Director of Marketing/Communications The recent nasty Nor'easters certainly put a hurtin' on our 800 acres of pine forest here at camp. We had more downed trees than we could count; many of them blocking trails or leaning precariously on structures. Our trusty maintenance staff was  doing its best to get ahead of the mess, but help was certainly needed. So on Thursday, March 29, nearly all full-time camp staffers - and a bunch of kind-hearted volunteers and seasonal workers - spent most of the day clearing debris, raking leaves and sweeping and dusting from a pretty messy [...]

by Greg Keresztury, Director of Operations If you are familiar with Douglass Lodge, you know that it is one of the most scenic places on camp. The lodge is tucked away in the center of Ockanickon, sitting along a narrow section of the lake.  The central “common room” in the lodge has a back wall of long windows, so folks inside the lodge can enjoy the peaceful, serene view the lake provides. During the summer, Douglass Lodge serves as the infirmary for Camp Ockanickon, our sleepaway camp for boys. During the non-summer months, Douglass Lodge is one of our most [...]

By Susan Miller, Director of Marketing/Communications When I was a young girl, my friends and I used to love to go horseback riding as often as possible during the summer months. Throughout Camden County, where I grew up, there were places you could go for an afternoon - or even an hour or two - for lessons and trail riding. We didn't have a lot of formal training, but we loved every minute spent with those beautiful animals. So I was delighted when I came to camp and realized that we offer horseback riding as an option for our summer [...]

by Susan Miller, Director of Marketing and Communications Recently, Gab Ostroski, Director of Camp Matollionequay (our girls overnight camp) was recognized as one of "40 under 40" by the SNJ Business People in South Jersey. The event was celebrated at Lucien's Manor in Berlin on Feb. 27, 2018. Eighteen summers ago, Gab came to camp from Australia to work as a counselor at Matolly; she's served as director for the past 14 years. She runs a beautiful program, empowering girls and creating leaders of her staff and campers. Her motto is: "Be brave, lead with love and know that you [...]

By Mark Dibble, CEO, YMCA Camp Ockanickon I was recently struck by the tragedy of a twelve-year-old taking his life as a result of bullying.  It got me thinking about my childhood. When I was a child I faced several issues that are relatively commonplace today, but were not thirty years ago. I had severe food allergies. My parents struggled to find ways to feed me. Milk gave me an anaphylactic reaction. They tried soy milk but it turned out soy (and legumes in general) made me sicker than cow’s milk. They tried goat’s milk, same result. Eventually they settled [...]