Last week was very exciting for all of us here at camp. We hosted the Northeast YMCA Outdoor Education Affinity Group Retreat, Spring Break Day Camp, Learn to Climb, the Moorestown Friends School Fourth Grade, and the South Jersey Law Enforcement Outdoor Challenge. We found ourselves in many different settings learning, instructing, and playing. Some things that really flapped my shutters;
– Watching so many campers get to the top of the wall when they thought they couldn’t.
– The exciting new games I learned from my friends at The New York YMCA Camps like Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Secret Handshake.
– The new stories we shared with Moorestown Friends School, courtesy of our friends at Camp Jewell YMCA.
– The support from Moorestown Friends School and Spring Break Day Camp in moving thirty canoes to Bette’s Beach. Their help was put to use this Saturday when we had over 30 teams come to compete in the South Jersey Law Enforcement Outdoor Challenge, a triathalon hosted by us here at Camp as part of the Police Unity Tour to benefit the families of fallen officers.
What I enjoyed most about this week was the strengthening of community here at camp. At our Spring Break Day Camp children from different schools and backgrounds all spent time growing in the outdoors together. During the Northeast YMCA Outdoor Education Affinity Group Retreat over 50 YMCA professionals from seven different Y’s came together here at Ockanickon to learn from each other and become stronger educators. As the weather continues to warm we know that these great experiences will become ever more frequent. I am continually appreciative of playing a part in these opportunities where children and families have the chance to be a part of something great.
Rich