Hey, Camp Fans!

I’m thrilled to say that we had our best turnout yet for our annual Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! Your camp stories were great! I had such a fun time reading through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our readers online! We’re posting each submission right here on the Blog!

Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Kelly M. who wrote in to tell us about her perspective during her daughter’s summer stay at Camp Longhorn. Check it out:

“My 8-year-old daughter went to camp for her first time this year. She went to the same camp I spent more than 15 summers at. She and I were both so full of emotions leading up to the day I put her on that bus! We talked about how sometimes we feel more than one feeling at a time. Excited and nervous. Anxious and thrilled. Here were my thoughts the day after we loaded her (Everything Summer Camp) trunk in the bottom of that bus and waved goodbye until my husband and I couldn’t see the bus anymore: I'm trying not to let all my wonderings drive me crazy. Wondering what her bunk area looks like, did she get things hung and organized just the way she likes it, where in the cabin is she, did she finally decide top or bottom, did she get her bed made ok, what was the 1st activity that her cabin got to do, how cute is she reporting in at Swim Bay, what does she think of brushing her teeth outside, which pjs is she wearing, is she being shy or silly, is she loving it and not thinking of home or loving it and kinda homesick, what's her merit pin #, what kind of environment are her counselors creating, what is her reaction to Campfire, does she recognize ‘Taps’ and the other songs that I’ve sung to her since she was a baby, is that comforting or does it make her homesick, will she lay in bed unable to fall asleep, does she love sleeping to the sound of the lake and cicadas????? In my head, I can hear all the response of all the camp directors I’ve ever known: ‘Kel. Just trust. It’s allll good. You know better than anyone what great hands she’s in. Trust camp. Trust these amazing college girls that chose to spend their summer at camp. Trust your daughter. Now go have fun with your other two kiddos still at home waiting for their turn to come, when they’ll be 8-years-old and get to board that bus with their big sister.’”

Oh man…those are a LOT of wonderings! Sounds like your head did a bit of swimming this summer too. It makes sense that having had your own experience in the same setting likely aided your mind in running wild about your daughter’s time away! I’m glad you were eventually able to cool yourself down. I don’t have to tell you, but at summer camp, it truly is allll good! It’s great to get the parents’ side of a camp stay. If anybody else is interested in Camp Longhorn, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

The camp stories we received for our ‘Share your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp were so great! It was a wonderful time reading through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our followers on the Blog and post each submission right here on its own day!

After our ten lucky prize winners, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Gavin B. who wrote in to tell us about his camp experience. Here’s his submission:

“I have been going to Sky Ranch for 4 years now. But one thing I am known for is what is called ‘The Escape.’ It was the first day of my first year at camp and I was enjoying it! Making new friends and running around like a normal 2nd grader. But back then I was sugar crazy. At Sky Ranch, we have different stations that we go to throughout the day and one of those stations is called the Cracker Barrel. This station involves little 8 year olds and MONEY! Not a good combo. So… I spent $13 on pure sugar and ate it ALL! I felt fine for the next 3 hours, but when we went to our Night Event, I started to feel sick. So I asked if a counselor and I could go to the restroom. When we got there, I just started throwing up all over the place. When I finished, they took me to the health center and told me I would be spending the night there and not at my cabin. I went to bed there and woke up around midnight. I left my quarters and went to ask someone what time it was. Once I got out, I discovered that no one is with me (or at least that I could see). At this age, I was not comfortable sleeping alone in the dark. So I unlocked the door, and ran all the way back to my cabin! In socks! In pitch black! I quietly entered and knocked on my counselor’s door… No one answered! Knocked again - NO ONE! But on the 3rd knock, one big, sleepy man answered the door. I said ‘Hey, I hope you are not mad at me, but this is Gavin. No one was in the health center, so I came here.’ The counselor reacted to this quite nicely, all he said was ‘It’s all right Gavin, just give me a sec.’ He grabs his radio and tells the health center I am not there anymore, and tells the NIGHT PATROL that they missed me! I think to myself ‘There is a NIGHT PATROL! I had no idea I moved that fast!’ But then I realized that I am perfectly safe and have nothing to worry about. From then on, the event that happened that night was called ‘The Escape.’ Because of me, they have had to upgrade their locks and put alarms on every door so they know if anyone enters or exits ANYWHERE!”

Hahaha! What a stealthy, ninja you are! Night Patrol’s got nothing on you! It’s too bad sugar made you physically ill, but at least it gave you a good story and created a reputation for yourself as a skilled escape artist! Hopefully Sky Ranch offers you plenty more fun and great stories for years to come! Thanks for sharing your story with us, Gavin! If anybody else is interested in Sky Ranch, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

All your camp stories were so good; I had lots of fun reading through them all! Now I’m eager to share them with our online community and post each submission right here on the Blog, one at a time. I’ve announced our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes and now I’m sharing the rest of our entries.

The following post is from Ava C. who wrote in to tell us about her daughter Katherine and her camp experience at Camp Green Cove. Here’s her submission:

“When my daughter Katherine was 11 years old, I casually remarked to her ‘ Sometime before you go away to college, I would like you to go to sleep away camp. We found an advertisement in one of her horse magazines, went online, and watched Camp Green Cove’s online video. Katherine was sold! She said, ‘I want to go here, to this 3 week sleep away session’ And I said, ‘Wait, you mean this summer?’ & she nodded her head yes. Since we didn’t know anyone who had gone to this camp, I asked for references. Through phone calls and emails I spoke with mothers who were sending their daughters because they themselves had gone to Camp GC. Katherine went to Camp GC for 6 summers; at first to the 3 week sessions, then soon onto the 5 week sessions. She has just returned home from her 2nd year as a counselor. She never wants to leave; Camp GC is her ‘happy place’. She has told me many times, that her camp experiences and the dear friends she has made there have been the most formative and important experiences of her life (and she has lived in South America & traveled to China). From a mother’s perspective, it has been so terrific to watch her growth after each summer. She has learned to try activities outside her comfort zone, she has mastered many new skills, and has made lifelong friends. And the frosting on the cake was when she said ‘Thanks so much for sending me to camp, Mom!!’”

Awesome! Sounds like you put in some excellent initial research on Camp Green Cove before sending Katherine off for her first summer camp stay! How cool that that was only the beginning of such a big part of her life! Thank you so much for this great entry, Ava! I love that you’ve enjoyed watching the influence that summer camp has had at work in your daughter’s life! If anybody else is interested in Camp Green Cove, you can give it a closer look by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories for the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest were all so great! I had such a fun time reading through them all and now I’m excited to be sharing them with all our readers here on the Blog! Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions and we’re posting each submission one by one!

The following post is from Renee M. who wrote in to tell us about her son’s summer stay at Camp Manitou. Here it is:

“My oldest son, Xander age 8, has special needs and went to Camp Manitou this summer. It was a six-night, seven-day camp. The first time he went away without any family to help him through anything. I was so nervous and his excitement was just not containable. I feared the counselors would not understand him, the other kids would make fun of him, and he would be cast out from being involved. I figured he would last a day and a night. I was so wrong. I waited for phone calls and sent letters. Eventually, I called just to check up on him at day three. He was having an amazing time. The counselors listened to everything I told them about helping him process his emotions and his environment. He swam every chance he could get and bonded with his counselors and made friends. I cried. It was amazing that so many people told me not to send him. That he was not ready and did not think he could handle the environment. He loved it so much he is going back to fall camp this October. My other children will be going when they reach the right ages. Camp Manitou is a part of our family because they made my son a part of theirs. Summer camp changed my son to be a better young man. He got to prove his school teachers and my father and his wife wrong. I am so proud of him and even though he saw the lake and said ‘Mom, look at the ocean. I hope the sharks don't get me.’ He overcame his fear and learned that it was just a lake. I truly believe every child should get to experience summer camp at least once in their life time. He will remember his first time at camp for the rest of his life. Even though I try, I could never give him what summer camp gave him this summer.”

Wow! What a powerful submission, Renee! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and praise of summer camp! It too is something powerful as this summer has shown you! I’m so glad that it had such a positive impact on Xander and that the sharks didn’t get him! How great that Camp Manitou was such a great fit for your son! If anybody else is interested in Camp Manitou, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories were great this year! It was lots of fun to read through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our readers online! We’re posting each submission right here on the Blog! Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Bee B. who wrote in to tell us about her summer days at Camp Mohawk. Here it is:

“I love living in New York City, however, every summer I look forward to going to summer camp! Getting there is always a challenge, but not this year because I got a soft trunk from Everything Summer Camp! It fit everything I needed for two weeks of camp and it even helped me stay organized! The best part about it was how easy it was to travel with! I had to get on and off two trains and get a car service and, this year, it was a breeze! Once I got to camp, I easily unpacked and got ready to enjoy two weeks of the outdoors! After I unpacked, the first thing I had to do was to take the swim test. I was so nervous about not getting blue swimmer, and hopeful I would even maybe get green. I had so many butterflies in my stomach, I lost count. I really wanted to be a blue swimmer so I could be in the same swim class as my best friend. After I tested, they told me that I had gotten blue, I was thrilled! And the next day, I was even able to re-test, and get green, which is the highest level of swimmer! Another great memory I have of my camp, is the first time I learned how to canter, and jump on a horse! The first time I jumped, it was an amazing feeling of pride and accomplishment! Those memories were bold because of the amazing surrounding I have at camp! From best friends to counselors, I am always in an amazing, friendly, and safe environment!”

Sounds like your summer at Camp Mohawk went swimmingly *wink*! It’s great to hear that you had such a productive summer stay this year. Way to go in your swim class, Bee! And thanks for your submission! If anybody else is interested in YMCA Camp Mohawk, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John