Hey, Camp Fans!

Thrilled to have received such a great response of about 30 entries for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest that we held here at Everything Summer Camp, we’re eager to share each entry right here on the Blog now! After t;en lucky winners of bigger prizes, all other submissions got a $15 gift certificate to our online store! And today’s post is from Nola H., who wrote in to tell us about her return to Camp Chimney Corners YMCA. Check it out:

“Hi my name is Nola and I went to Camp Chimney Corners for 4 weeks this summer. I loved camp so much but there is one part everyone dreads about summer camp, packing up and having to leave! The thing is, I have never been great at packing everything back up, I've only been good at packing it in the first place. But since my mom bought me a pop up soft trunk, it made the process of packing so much easier! Not only were there many pockets and compartments to organize my stuff in, but the best part was that the trunk could pretty much turn into a rolling suitcase and could easily be rolled around instead of having two people carry around a heavy hard trunk. What's more is your able to customize the trunk which I had so much fun doing (I made mine light blue and purple and got a volleyball under my name because I love volleyball). The funny thing was my bunkmate, Zoe, had the same trunk and we both agreed it was the best. All of my cabinmates loved my trunk and are planning to get it for next year.”

Way to be a trend setter, Nola! The Pop Up Soft Trunk certainly is perfect for packing and travel at summer camp! I’m glad you and your bunkmate both loved yours so much! I hope you enjoy your stay come next camp season! Thanks for sharing this submission with us, Nola. Click right here to check out Camp Chimney Corners YMCA to see what Nola’s talking about and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We were delighted to have received such a great response for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest that we held here at Everything Summer Camp. In fact, we got such a great response that we’re still publishing each of your entries right here on the Blog! Following our ten lucky winners of bigger prizes, all other submissions got a $15 gift certificate to our online store! Today’s post is from Sachin S., who wrote in to tell us about his time at Pocono Springs summer camp! Check out what he wrote:

“My name is Sachin and I’m 8 years old. I went to a sleepaway camp for the first time for 5 weeks, at Poconos Springs. When I left my parents, I felt nervous but then a counselor there pumped me up and got me very excited to see all the amazing things they had at camp. The camp sits on a humongous piece of land, with a big lake, a golf course, a pier, and a ton of great big pine trees. The pine trees were like a forest and lots of creatures came to visit like deer, bears, snakes, lizards, eels, fish, butterflies, ladybugs, spiders, and many more. The pine tree forest surrounded our big cabins. In my cabin there were amazing people and I didn’t get along with a couple of them, but I got along with others. Before I knew it, we became friends. Our counselors in our cabin were extra funny. They would always comfort us when we felt homesick and it was really fun to be in our cabin and I really liked being there. Besides hanging out with my friends, some of my favorite activities were Tribals (some people call it Color Wars), water skiing, and the Aqua Playground in the middle of the lake. There was also the adventure course in the forest, cabin time, football, soccer, and lacrosse. My most memorable meals were Gyro Night because we could pick out our own drinks. I had a Coke, which my mom never lets me drink. I also loved Breakfast for Dinner Night where we got to make our own breakfast sandwiches. Now that camp is over, and so is summer, I really miss seeing my friends and counselors and I really miss all the people at camp. It was so fun to just be there and I loved it. I can’t wait to go back next summer.”

Awesome, Sachin! Five weeks is a long time to be away for your first stay at overnight camp. You must have had a blast. I’m glad your counselors were able to curb your homesickness right out of the gate! Sounds like you had a summer chockfull of nature, friends, fun, and food! I hope your stay next season is even better.

If want to have a great summer like Sachin and you want to check out Pocono Springs summer camp for yourself, you can do so by clicking right here. As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

As we move the excellent stories of summer camp from this year's 'Share Your Camp Story' Contest here at Everything Summer Camp, each submission ends up taking center stage right here on our Blog. Today, we're excited to reintroduce you to one of our many returning writers, Carol H. Her grandchildren are experienced campers at Camp Seneca Lake and this cool grandma took the time to write in this year’s experience for her grandkids from her perspective. Check out her entry right now...

“Hi! I'm Carol H., grandmother of Sam P. (age 14) and Abby P. (age 12). Sam and Abby are veteran campers at Camp Seneca Lake. Summer of 2023 was awesome, I am told. Both campers were in older villages (groups). The later bedtimes, increased independence, and exciting activities appealed to them.

Photos, photos, photos! That's what made my summer. Each day dozens, sometimes hundreds, of photos were posted on the camp website. There was facial recognition but I was able to spot my grandchildren even if they weren't directly facing the camera. I recognized their clothing, their sneakers, even their arms and legs sometimes. What fun to follow their daily adventures!

Sam celebrates his July birthday at camp each summer. I love photos of him skipping around the dining hall, high-fiving his friends and eating the birthday cake with his bunkmates. He played first base in the sports league and all those photos were very exciting. Abby is often pictured in the pool, on the waterfront, doing arts and crafts, or simply hugging her friends. The Shabbat pictures of both campers dressed up are priceless.

How I wish my family could have seen pictures of me every day at Camp Starlight in the 1960's.

I love the Everything Summer Camp website. All the items are such good quality. I bet Sam and Abby will order college stuff in a few years.”

It's always heartwarming to hear about Sam and Abby, Carol! It's wonderful that you had the opportunity to glimpse their joy at camp through all the photos you had to look through—and with such a keen eye too! It must be a grandmother thing to recognize your grandkids just by their limbs! We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support in exploring our camp gear collection and engaging with our 'Share Your Camp Story' Contest.

If Camp Seneca Lake sounds like the right camp experience for you, give it a closer look by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading. 

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

As we make our way through the captivating stories of summer camp from this year’s 'Share Your Camp Story' Contest right here at Everything Summer Camp, each submission is getting its own spotlight right here on our Blog. Today, we're thrilled to introduce you to Lauren D. who wrote in to share her relationship with camp for the past quarter century at Camp Fatima EC Week. Check it out:

“You probably don't get a lot of camp stories from adults that go to camp, but I get an experience like no other! I have been volunteering at Camp Fatima Exceptional Citizens Week in New Hampshire since I was 18yo and I'm 43 now. It is the one week a year, I look forward to the most. Camp Fatima is normally a boy's summer camp, but one week each summer it is reserved for EC week. The campers range from ages 9-100 and all have special needs. This camp is run completely by volunteers and is 100% free to campers. Each camper is paired 1:1 with a counselor for 24 hours/day for the entirety of the week.

Some of the campers’ parents or caregivers have never had a week off, so this week is as much a gift for them as it is for the campers. Caring for someone with special needs is a 24/7 responsibility and we only have them for a week. Some campers have never been away from their caregivers, even well into adulthood, so each year I try my hardest to give my camper the best possible experience. It doesn't matter if they are in a wheelchair, have Downs syndrome, autism etc. This week none of that matters.

They are treated like royalty. They get to ride horses, go on speed boats, shoot a bow and arrow, sing in a talent show... The list goes on and on. They don't have those limitations for that week. They can't always verbalize their feelings, but the smile tells all. EC week really is heaven on Earth and I consider myself lucky that I not only get to experience it every year, but I leave there with a new, very exceptional friend!”

What a touching camp story, Lauren! You’re right! We rarely get stories from adults who have actually gone to camp and certainly none quite like yours. That’s awesome that Camp Fatima provides an annual week-long getaway for campers with special needs and how awesome of you that you volunteer to spend a week every year to spend some one-on-one time with an exceptional camper! Thanks for all the care and fun you’ve shown these Exceptional Citizen campers for the past 25 years, Lauren! And thanks for sharing your experience with us! 

For anybody interested in attending or volunteering for Exceptional Citizens Week, get a closer look at the experience by clicking right here. Thanks for reading, everybody. And, as always, Happy Camping!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

As we make our way through the captivating stories of summer camp from this year’s 'Share Your Camp Story' Contest right here at Everything Summer Camp, each submission is getting its own spotlight right here on our Blog. Today, we're thrilled to introduce you to Renee P. who wrote in to share her relationship with summer camp this past summer. She attended Camp Huawni when she was a child and had a blast! Check out her entry about her time there—the adventure begins now...

Camp for the Ages

“I’m 43 now but my camp story began before I was born. My dad was a founding camper at Camp Huawni so he paved the way for my experience at Summer Camp. He had large tales of wild animals in the woods or funny counselors that impacted him. At seven, he and my mom dropped me off at Camp Huawni to experience my own growth for two weeks. Life lessons and friendships that I treasure 36 years later all because my grandparents took a chance on a new camp in the Pineywoods of East Texas. I gained independence, learned about others from all over the world, and got to focus on my interest in a loving and fun environment. So imagine my delight getting to drop all my kids off this summer to share in the LOVE I have for camp. Each child came home with their own tales and love for Camp Huawni and I couldn’t be more excited! Getting to share the camp connection with my kids is special and singing the camp song on closing day can make a momma cry. Summer Camp can be life changing! It’s one of the best gifts my parents gave me and I’m hopeful my children will look back one day and say that too.”

Fantastic, Renee! Thanks for submitting this great entry in to our contest. That’s awesome that Camp Huawni has been a shared experience through the generations in your family and that you can return to the campgrounds with your children and you can all relate so well to each other’s camp stories of summers past. Camp Huawni must be one special place!

For anybody else interested in spending a summer stay at Camp Huawni, you can give it a closer look when you click right here. Thanks for reading and, as always, Happy Camping!

- John