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

Hey, Camp Fans!

We were delighted to see such a great response to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp and now we’re eager to publish each one right here on the Blog! After our seven lucky winners, everyone else who submitted received a $15 gift certificate to our online store!

Today’s post is from Harli R., who made this summer a great installment to her time at Camp Pontiac. Check out her story and see what makes Pontiac a great place! “My camp experience was amazing this summer! It was my 5th year at Camp Pontiac, and this was my favorite summer so far! What makes my camp so special is the camp traditions. They make everyone feel this special feeling. Since we do these traditions every single year everyone gets closer with everyone. Some of these traditions are Hits, Sing, the Camp Pontiac Alma Mater, Color War Sing, and so much more. My favorite tradition is probably the Camp Pontiac Alma Mater, because we have this song forever throughout our lives. It’s also really catchy! Once you keep coming back and coming back these traditions are so meaningful to you. For example—the Alma Mater. It talks about how you want to keep coming back to this special place. The Alma also talks about the friendships that you make, and that you think about this place as your second home. All of these traditions that they have at camp make the summers feel real. If I didn’t have them at my camp the summer wouldn’t be as great as it would be. All of them are way too much meaningful to me for that to happen. They all teach lessons, which I love. At Hits you make up a skit, which uses teamwork. In Sing you talk about friendship. Especially in the Sing Alma Mater. (Not the Camp Pontiac Alma Mater.) In the Camp Pontiac Alma Mater you get special feeling for the camp, and for Color War Sing, there is sadness because everyone is going to leave in 4 days. All of these special traditions do a bunch of things for Camp Pontiac.”

It’s wonderful to hear how much you enjoy your time at Camp Pontiac, Harli! I’m glad you find the camp and their traditions so charming! So wonderful that you have a place like Camp Pontiac that you love to return to year after year! Everyone else can have a great time like Harli at Camp Pontiac—check it out for yourself by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We were delighted to see such a great response to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp and now we’re eager to publish each one right here on the Blog! After our seven lucky winners, everyone else who submitted received a $15 gift certificate to our online store!

Today’s post is from Violette W., who had her first year at Camp Eagle Hill. Check out her story and why it was a different experience for her!

“I was so nervous about camp this year. This was my first year attending a camp that wasn't just for kids with autism. This year I would be with neurotypical kids who might not understand what autism is. I worried that the campers would think some of my quirkiness was just weird and avoid being around me. When I arrived at camp the counselors were friendly and welcoming. The other kids also seemed nervous. It was a relief to realize that I wasn't the only kid who was feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

We moved our things into the cabin and right away I noticed some kids staring at me. I thought my autism was what was making them stare. I began worrying that I looked weird. Some of the kids came right over. It turned out that they hadn't noticed anything different about me but had been admiring my neon trunk. The kids all loved my custom made hot pink, green and purple trunk that I had ordered from Everything Summer Camp a few months before. The trunk was like a magnet to the other kids and it was my icebreaker for conversations. Usually conversations with kids are hard for me but I found talking about the colorful trunk was an easy way to form friendships.

The weeks flew by and instead of going off by myself and reading (which is what I usually do when socializing gets too overwhelming) I took part in all the activities. I learned to swim and for the first time in my life I played ball games with my friends and teammates. No one cared that I wasn't very athletic. We just enjoyed playing as a team.

I am so thankful that I had such a terrific experience. The campers and staff were so supportive and I'm also so pleased that I was able to form friendships with the other kids. That neon trunk helped give me a way to start to feel comfortable talking and feeling less awkward around my bunkmates. It was like a neon light in a dark tunnel for me. While I always struggle a bit with social skills, the camp experience gave me confidence and I no longer feel so anxious about being in new situations. I am looking forward to beginning a new school year and meeting even more new people.”

It’s awesome to hear what a smooth transition you made from a your previous camp to Camp Eagle Hill, Violette! Sounds like you did a great job socializing with all those neuro-normies this summer! That’s excellent. Obviously, no one knows how things are in someone else’s head, but I can assure you that social anxiety runs rampant among folks who land all over the spectrum! I’m glad you didn’t let it affect your time at camp. And we’re all so happy to hear that your custom-made colorful trunk gave you such an easy conversation piece! Nice work this summer, Violette!

Everyone else can have a great time like Violette did at Camp Eagle Hill and check it out for yourself by clicking here. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories were great! I had a great time reading through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our readers online and post each submission right here on the Blog! I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes and moved on now to the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Kate C. who wrote in to tell us about her camp experience. This is her submission:

“This year I spent my favorite two weeks of summer at Camp Thunderbird. It was the first time I’ve been to a two week overnight camp, and I loved it! I made dozens of new friends, tried many new things, and even earned my red bandana. Keep reading and you’ll learn more about my experience.

When I first got into my cabin I was nervous because I didn’t know anybody and the other girls looked like they knew each other and were already close friends. I met one girl, Makayla, who also didn’t know the other girls very well and we became closer that night. By the end of the first day I spent time with the other girls and we became close. We were all sad to go home, but promised to keep in touch.

Camp Thunderbird has many activities on land and on water. Ski tower was definitely one of my favorite activities at camp. Ski tower was a lot of fun because there are so many things you can do. For example you can tube, water ski, wake board, and knee board. All I did was tube, but next year I might try kneeboarding. My other favorite activity was challenge course. Challenge Course has all kinds of things to try including rock walls, a zip line, an alpine tower, and a high ropes course. I tried the rock wall several times but didn’t make it to the top. I did the zip line a lot which was super fun, and also did the high ropes course which was hard but super cool.

Overall the activities were my favorite part of camp. While doing all of these activities everyday I was earning points to get my red bandana. In each activity you can earn cards: red card, blue card, silver card, and gold card. Each card represents earning a certain amount of points. Those points help you get your bandanas. This year I got my red bandana, which is twelve points, but overall I earned a total of 24 points. Next summer I’ll definitely get my blue bandana because I’m only 12 points away!

In conclusion, Camp Thunderbird was one the best experiences I had this summer! All the friends I made were really kind, inclusive, and fun to be around. The activities were so much fun and I always looked forward to trying new things and earning points toward my bandana. I will definitely be going back next summer!”

It certainly is difficult to say goodbye to the friends you make at camp, Kate. Camp Thunderbird sounds like a really wonderful place with wonderful people and some of the best ways to have some fun! Glad you had such a great experience from all your time there and that you do stay ‘close’ with the friends you made! For anybody else interested in Camp Thunderbird, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John