Ocky for Boys Archives - Page 4 of 13

Friendship

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-02-07T13:38:55-05:00February 7th, 2013|

This year will be my fourth summer here at Camp and I cannot even begin to express my excitement for another year of fun, new games, new challenges, and most importantly, friendships. Throughout my life I have had all different types of friends but nothing compares to a good camp friend. The quote below, in which I found online, describes all of my camp friendships I have grown to cherish so much. I hope that throughout your summer here at camp beyond you are able to have these friendships that I do today. "Over time we've developed something extraordinary, That [...]

A dirty four letter word …

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-02-05T09:45:55-05:00February 5th, 2013|

A lot of times at camp as in life we're faced with challenges; new, exciting, or different. Our own self perception can dictate how we handle those challenges and whether or not we overcome them. "Whether you think you can or your can't, you're right." - Henry Ford Having a consistent, vocal support group encouraging us to face challenges and overcome adversity is important to dealing with life's challenges. However, in the end, all of our challenges come down to the way we perceive them. I had the opportunity the hear a very intelligent, promising young instructor speak about the importance of failure and it's [...]

Hero

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-02-02T13:15:17-05:00February 2nd, 2013|

How many times in your life have you seen something happen that you knew was wrong, but didn't say anything about it? I can remember quite a few times in my life that I wish I could redo. The link below will take you to a story about a waiter in Texas who doesn't have to regret his decision to keep quiet. I'd love to hire this guy for Summer Camp... http://www.today.com/moms/waiter-hailed-hero-after-standing-boy-down-syndrome-1B8038223 Brent Birchler Boys Camp Director

Thought of the Day

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-25T14:31:28-05:00January 25th, 2013|

I remember being 12 or 13 and learning a valuable lesson from Rick Worrell and Chris Morris while preparing to leave on a Trailblazer trip. The lesson was about treating all people with respect, whether they were a maintenance worker, a kitchen staff member, or the van driver, because all of those folks worked hard to make sure we had a good experience at Camp. Years later, I came across this passage and I was reminded of that lesson. "During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a pop quiz. I breezed through the questions until I [...]

It’s that time of year… Camp Fair Season!

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-23T09:23:52-05:00January 23rd, 2013|

This past weekend was the kick-off to our 2013 Camp Fair Season. We were at the Moorestown Mall in Moorestown, NJ and also at the Grand Summit Hotel in Summit, NJ! We had a great weekend and had the pleasure of sharing our love of camp with many families intersted in the summer camp experience. Tonight we are heading to Conestoga High School in Berwyn, PA from 5:30-8:30pm for another exciting Camp Fair! If you are in the area tonight or at any of the other locations throughout the next few weeks, please stop by to say Hi and cook [...]

School In Disguise

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-22T12:38:25-05:00January 22nd, 2013|

I recall Wayne Holmes saying, “Wouldn’t it be great if you could just go to camp all year? I mean, camp is school in disguise, but way cooler.” Well, Wayne, apparently you can. The coolest head of school seems to be in Fort Worth, Texas at the Trinity Valley School, “an independent-college preparatory school with the mission of providing students with academic and character development.” Gary Krahn, PhD, advocates for the need for school-camp partnerships and the importance of exposing students to the outdoors in to meet new people, develop relationships, and confront new situations. Students under Krahn participate in [...]

True Role Models

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-19T05:41:35-05:00January 19th, 2013|

Tired of hearing about Lance Armstrong and other professional athletes that can't seem to grasp the concept that kids look up to them? Check out this story about the Sports Illustrated Sports Kid of the Year: http://www.sikids.com/skoty. This is the kind of hero I want my kids looking up to. I forwarded this to Ocky staff the other day and thought it was worth sharing with the rest of the Camp Family as well. Make sure to watch the video! Enjoy! Brent Birchler Boys Camp Director

The Lockout is Over

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-15T13:37:28-05:00January 15th, 2013|

For those of you who may not have known, there was a lockout in the NHL this past year that resulted in over half of the games in the 2012-2013 season being cancelled. Anyone who spends time with me has learned from me either proudly (pre lockout) or begrudgingly (during the lockout) that for the first time in my life this past year I became a season ticketholder for the Philadelphia Flyers. Needless to say the recent news that the lockout had ended made me very happy. Strangely enough as I reflect back on it, my relationship with the sport [...]

Vital Engagement

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-08T10:00:46-05:00January 8th, 2013|

In a world of virtual engagement parent’s can find summer camp as one of the few places left where vital engagement is so rich and positive in a “safe place for their children to thrive and develop a deeper sense of self."

Camp Family

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-01-05T05:15:02-05:00January 5th, 2013|

It is always great to have former counselors pay a visit to Camp. Unfortunately, we will all reach a point when we can no longer return to Summer Camp, whether it is because of a big move or college graduation or a new job opportunity. One generation heads out into the world as another one starts their own Camp memories. Fortunately, you can always come back. We had a quite a few visitors at Winter Camp. Not only did we have over 40 Ocky, Matolly, and Stockwell staff members volunteer to come and work at Winter Camp, we also had [...]