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By Becca Gutwirth, School Age Child Care Director When schools are closed, there’s something for everyone at School’s Out at Camp. On November 7 and 8, we welcomed 45 students, ages 5-12, from Medford, Medford Lakes, Tabernacle, Shamong, and Mount Laurel. Students started Day 1 at the Ockanickon Dining Hall with board and card games, Legos, loom bands, coloring and more. After a hearty breakfast of pancakes, potato coins, cereal, yogurt and fruit, our School’s Out staff was joined by staff from the YMCA of the Pines Outdoor Center. Before and after lunch, students rotated through three stations, getting to [...]

By Matt Foran, Director of Camp Ockanickon  A Popular Video Game Ad Entitled, “Journey Ahead” “Wake Up … Wake Up,” begins the ad for a very popular video game this season. A young male with a serious case of bed hair awakens and wanders off into a new world. The protagonist encounters challenges and trials, makes his way into a deep cave with a glinting treasure before a dragon emerges from the depths. The narrator makes a call to action – to come together, to overcome fears. It sells the idea of a journey into a new place away from [...]

by April Eyler, Matollionequay Program Coordinator Leadership. That’s a big word. Character. Another big word. At Camp Matollionequay, we instill the core values each and every day through our character and leadership development initiatives. This begins the moment a camper of any age in any village steps foot on camp. It extends to our Leadership Development Program, also known as LIT/CIT. This program introduces, develops, and fosters leadership and character development through observation, discussion, and hands-on experience with campers of all ages and has increasing responsibility throughout three summers. Within this program, the Counselors in Training learn to be high [...]

by Matt Foran, Director of Camp Ockanickon for boys We tell Ockanickon campers, “The Hero Is You.” Why? Think about the heroes of stories. When you read or hear a story, there’s something you’re meant to understand. In fact, we believe it’s the main reason we tell stories.  You’re meant to understand that the hero is you. In your own life, it’s you who is at the center of the story.  It’s you who encounters fear and failure.  It’s you who meets allies and mentors.  It’s you who could explore, grow, and discover new potential. It’s you who could use [...]

By Lynn Passarella, Director of Lake Stockwell Day Camp And in the blink of an eye, 10 weeks of simple joy has come to an end. I cannot believe how fast summer 2019 came and went. I am so thankful that your camper was able to be part of Lake Stockwell Day Camp this summer. Many new friends were made and countless smiles were seen throughout each day. It is my hope that your camper completed their final session happy, more confident and independent, and full of great stories. I hope it will take a long time for the smiles [...]

Dear Camp Matollionequay Parents! As the 2019 summer has come to an end and the school year has begun, I wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU.  Thank you for sharing your summer with us and for sharing your greatest gift of all – your daughter.  It is truly an honor to be a part of this wonderful community and without you, there would be no Matolly.  THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Throughout this summer we have shared some really special moments as a community – whether it was a musical lunch, the array of activities, the [...]

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 [...]

Greetings from the Kitchens at the YMCA of the Pines!! It’s been a while since I put the proverbial pen to paper and sent a blog post out into the world for all of our campers, friends and families to read and I thought a message was about due! I wanted to take this opportunity to catch everyone up on a few things… most of all, some of the positive and well received changes and new offerings and options coming out of our kitchens this season! Starting this summer, we have made cereal available at every meal! In addition to [...]

By Riley Crompton, Summer Photographer at Camp Matollionequay Matolly is my home and this camp community is my family. I continue to come back every summer because this place and these people mean the world to me. I truly believe that everyone leaves camp a better person than when they arrived. I started coming to camp when I was 10 because my friend’s older sister attended and recommended it. I was the most homesick little Seneca you’ve ever seen, but I knew that if I could work through the homesickness, I would find that camp was very special. With the [...]

By April Eyler, Program Coordinator, Camp Matollionequay Each summer, each session, and each day at Camp Matollionequay, we live by the motto “Empowered to be me.” This guides our thoughts, our actions, and our program that we participate in. Through the Empowerment Emblem Program, each camper empowers themselves to learn a new skill each time they attend camp. I am proud of the Empowerment Emblem Program and I truly believe that through empowering one girl at a time to seek adventure, take risks, and develop leadership, we will empower the world. While all of the emblems within the Empowerment Emblem [...]