Dear Ockanickon Families,
Your sons are magical.
Camp is merely a pleasant place without them. With them, it’s an arena of awesome.
They leave the comforts of their couches and choose to come sleep in a 90 year-old cabin on a 4-inch mattress. Then they have the time of their lives.
They turn woods into wonder and lulls into laughter.
They create chants about seven-legged spiders they meet at early morning lake swims. They sing with all of their bodies and all of their voices.
They expertly move objects through space.
They direct a twirling tomahawk to stick in a log 22 times in a row.
They launch arrows towards targets and hit precisely where they aim 42 times in a single day. 42 bullseyes!
They propel the ball through the net when it matters most.
They cast into the shadowy depths and reel in creatures.
They teach their fellows to tie knots, to untangle lines, to carefully release.
They hike faraway trails and canoe historic waters.
They decode every word of every clue to the whereabouts of a hidden block. They lead their party to discover it and win the day.
They become brothers with boys from around the world.
They inspire their fellows to do their best.
They reach out to their fellows when they’re in need.
They walk across ropes in the air.
They write and share poems to an amphitheater audience.
When their team needs it, they swim the longest distance they’ve ever swam.
They explore.
They grow.
They thrive at camp.
It’s their arena and it’s their stage.
They hone and harness their tricks.
And the more they push their potential, the more magical they seem.
We miss them and can’t wait to see them back.
Thank you, sincerely, for sending them our way this summer. Thank you for raising magical sons.
Matt Foran, Director, Camp Ockanickon for Boys