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Our “home grown” staffers at Lake Stockwell

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-07-04T10:18:25-04:00July 4th, 2019|

by Lynn Passarella, Director of Lake Stockwell Day Camp One of my favorite things about Lake Stockwell Day Camp is watching the campers grow into staff members. Out of the 100+ staff members we have here at Stockwell this summer, 34 of them have been campers here at some point in their lives. Whether they were Seneca campers, Explorer campers, or even Counselor-in-Training participants, each of them were part of our day camp program. This summer, there are a few staff members working here for the first time and there are a few staff members who are working here for [...]

A sandy circus at Cherokee Beach!

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-07-02T14:11:49-04:00July 2nd, 2019|

Today our third and fourth grade campers were able to partake in our first-ever circus-themed sand castle contest! Cherokee Beach was filled with smiling faces and handcrafted sandcastles covering the sand. Campers were able to work together as a team to try and build a replica of various circus-themed items that were randomly assigned to them. Our campers truly brought this week’s special event to life as they constructed their clowns, circus tents and animals.

Preschoolers try out their dance moves

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-07-01T15:25:48-04:00July 1st, 2019|

Today (July 1), our Music Director Sarah visited our preschoolers at Pomona Lodge! The energetic 3- and 4-year-olds showed off their dance moves by dancing to some music. Everyone enjoyed dancing to “I like to Move It” from the movie, Madagascar. (If you don't know this adorable song, check it out on YouTube.) Sarah also taught our youngest campers a new camp song called Chili Chili. This catchy song had every kid singing. While the kids were singing they all showed off their own special dance moves! Our music director loved dancing with our preschoolers and she is excited to [...]

Our summer staffers travel far to work at camp

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-06-27T12:48:22-04:00June 27th, 2019|

YMCA of the Pines works with multiple agencies that support the J1 working visa, allowing international staff members to work in the United States. This summer at Lake Stockwell, we have 19 staff members from places all over the globe. Pictured below are our international staff members for this summer. Seeing familiar faces? Camp made such an impact on a few last summer that they returned to camp for another great summer! Top Row: Hannah G. – Stratford, England / Will H. – Bradford, England / Nathan H. – London, England / Emily G. – Glasgow, Scotland / Brianna [...]

Core values pay off at Lake Stockwell!

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-06-26T15:28:19-04:00June 26th, 2019|

by Lynn Passarella, Director of Lake Stockwell Day Camp Sarah, the leader of our Lenape Group (5th grade), has implemented a great recognition program for her tribe, known as THE DIAMOND DONUT! The Diamond Donut has been created to award the campers for demonstrating the 6 core values of YMCA of the Pines. After each period, a new camper is awarded the donut to wear on their backpack. Campers are able to nominate one another; they determine who should receive it for the following period. Here are a few of our Diamond Donut winners today: Zach Z. for Inclusion: At [...]

A Safari through the land of Lake Stockwell!

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-06-25T12:12:29-04:00June 25th, 2019|

by Jess Dicken Today at Lake Stockwell day camp, our younger campers were able to adventure through our own Stockwell safari! Campers were able to meet many interesting creatures, such as the Gallanoodles, Brontonuggets, Stare-o-dactyl, Sleeposaurus, Buddyraptors, Dodgeapods, and the classic Iwannabeinthewater Rex. Campers were intrigued by the dinosaurs' unique traits and attributes. For instance, our lovely Dodgeapods are a competitive species that solve all of their life problems through the beloved game of dodgeball. Or our Stare-o-dactyl - do they ever blink? The world may never know! Our campers thoroughly enjoyed our first ever tractor ride through the Stockwell safari [...]

Diversity in our camp kitchen

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-06-18T14:30:23-04:00June 18th, 2019|

by Chef Jason Ostroski, Food Service Director Can you think of any other subject on Earth that is a better metaphor to showcase diversity than food? There is an almost infinitely broad spectrum of differences and minute subtle variances in the food of cultures all over the world… country to country … state to state … city to city … all create the broader strokes of diversity. Religious influences, local ingredient availability and even family traditions can create the more subtle differences. You can imagine that every table in the world could have a uniquely diverse arrangement of food and [...]

Ockanickon in the news!

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-06-10T16:39:51-04:00June 10th, 2019|

We're always so happy to share the good news about our programs here at YMCA of the Pines. South Jersey Local News published this story about the new direction at our boys camp - Camp Ockanickon. Read on - and feel free to spread the good word to your friends, family and colleagues. http://www.southjerseylocalnews.com/news/camp-ockanickon-for-boys-at-ymca-of-the-pines/article_1656e290-8b9a-11e9-b95e-3ba9ee293f93.html

Get to know Matolly’s Marlana Moore – Parent Liaison for Summer 2019

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-05-31T13:42:00-04:00May 31st, 2019|

If you’re a camper or a parent of a camper who’s been to Camp Matollionequay, you’ve surely met Marlana. She’s an amazing, hard-working, versatile leader, who’s been here practically forever so she knows our organization through and through. And she knows how to get things done! “Marlana is awesome,” says Camp Matollionequay Director Gab Ostroski. “We’re so fortunate to have her here at camp for another summer season. She’s done just about every job there is to do here – and she has a good understanding of the different age groups and how to work with our campers. This summer, [...]

Food services at YMCA of the Pines

By YMCA of the Pines|2019-05-29T13:55:10-04:00May 29th, 2019|

In the kitchens at YMCA of the Pines, it is our honor to serve delicious meals to customers of all ages who visit us for a wide variety of programs and events. From day campers and overnight campers, to Family Dinner Nights and Family Camp Weekends, to Women’s Wellness retreats or a 5th grade class trip - the types of people and styles of groups we cater to is limitless! We also run cooking classes and workshops and have special visits from Santa and the Easter Bunny! In our kitchens, teamwork is essential and as part of the kitchen staff, [...]

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