Hey, Storytellers!

We love our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp and with the turnout we saw from your experiences last summer, this has been the best year yet! Your stories were fantastic and it’s been great fun reading through them. Get a look at each submission as I post them one-by-one right here on the Blog!

Today’s post is from Rachel N. who wrote in to tell us about her returning year at YMCA Camp Tecumseh. Read over her summer camp story right now:

“This summer I spent my second summer on staff at YMCA Camp Tecumseh, aka the best camp out there. This was my 11th summer at Tecumseh, and I am actually going to school so that I can work at a camp fulltime, so my dream is to do camp forever! This summer at Tecumseh I learned a lot about having great relationships with others. I created some of my new favorite friendships and relationships with campers. I had campers between the ages of 8 and 12 and loved getting to do life with them a week at a time. I also became friends with some incredible people who I love dearly and really believe that camp friends are the best friends. These people have become my home team and I am so excited to be able to do life with them in the future. Camp Tecumseh’s motto is to Live Third, and I think this idea is so important to live by. It states that you should be putting God first, others second, and yourself third. This is so relevant at camp because we try really hard to instill these basic Christian principles into our campers, and in return we are able to learn a lot from our campers about God’s unconditional love for us as well. I cannot express enough the love I have for Camp Tecumseh and all of the experiences that I had this summer. I will forever be in love with my time spent at Tecumseh!”

Glad you had a fun return for your summer experience at Tecumseh, Rachel! I love that you continue to get so much from your time at camp—even into your eleventh year! How awesome for you to have such a constant positive influence for so many years! For anybody else interested in Camp Tecumseh, give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Kids!

We love our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp and with the turnout we saw, this has been the best year yet! Your stories were great and it was such a fun time reading through them. Get a look at each submission as I post them one-by-one right here on the Blog!

Today’s post is from Zoe N. T. who wrote in to tell us about her returning year at Philadelphia International Music Festival. Take in her summer camp story right now:

“It was tough keeping out the anxious, highly anticipated thoughts that would pop into my head about the new and unknown experience I was about to have at P.I.M.F. Sometimes, it would keep me up at night, wondering what I was going to learn there and if I could really do all that I had planned to do. Once I got there, I didn’t want to leave.

People come from all over the world for the education that’s in this camp.

When I went for the first time, I was surprised to see people from different cultures and ethnicities. Music is universal, it’s unifying, and inspiring. It’s what makes this camp the best.

The Bryn Mawr campus is where P.I.M.F is held. It’s beautiful and easy to navigate.

The buildings look like castles and have acoustics like them, too. They look identical to the one pictured in the Harry Potter films. The food is satisfactory; it can withstand any picky-eater with a variety of selections. The coaches on staff are brilliant. But talking about the camp doesn’t do it justice. You have to be there to experience just how exceptional it truly is.

It’s an international camp, and the people that come from all over the world are intelligent, kind, and talented. You will make lifelong friendships there, I should know.

You only need to go there once to meet great people.

You will endure intense but constructive practice sessions. It’s tailored to your playing ability and it will help you improve. The more I practiced, the more I benefited from the sessions.

The dorm rooms are located in two buildings. You can choose which building you want to stay in and you’re able to request a roommate. I bunked with one of my friends I made at camp the following year, and that made it easier to talk about what we’ve learned.

Every night, you go to see a performance. Most of the time it’s several shows in one.

It can either be a masterclass or a concert. The masterclasses are taught by a player of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Any kind of performance they put on is a great one.

Everyone travels to Ocean City, NJ for a day with their new friends. You hang out on the boardwalk with them, go back to the campus, have a pizza dinner, and relax for the rest of the night. It’s a marker for the end of our time there and how hard we’ve been working before the Grand Finale concert.

The staff is more than willing to accommodate you if you want extra lessons or if you need help with your schedule. They also offer secondary lessons, so if you play another instrument and you want to take lessons there, they will help you schedule it.

You will become a better person from the learning experiences you gain at this camp. Whether it’s from a person you’ve met, from the lessons, or from one of the performances that left a mark on you, you will strive to do better. You will want to learn more.

Your new friends will encourage you on this journey, and you’ll do the same for them because you’re all in this together.

When I came home from P.I.M.F, I couldn’t remember what life was like before. I am becoming a better musician from the challenging and intense music training and I have great friends from across the globe. I can’t wait to go back next year!” 

Glad you had yet another fantastic summer stay at Philadelphia International Music Festival, Zoe! I love how cool you make it sound at camp—like a castle and it’s great to hear your passion and musical drive! For anybody else interested in Philadelphia International Music Festival, give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Kids!

We love our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp and with the turnout we saw, this has been the best year yet! Your stories were great and it was such a fun time reading through them. Get a look at each submission as I post them one-by-one right here on the Blog!

Today’s post is from Livi T. who wrote in to tell us about another year at Camp Wise. Set your eyes on her summer camp submission right now:

“My summer camp experience at Camp Wise was fabulous! Each year I look forward to attending Camp Wise during the 1st session. I absolutely love Camp Wise because I made so many real and true friends, have loads of fun during every moment of the day and evening and there are so many fabulous activities to do. I especially love to horseback ride and take part in aquatic activities down by the lake. This year, I was sad to miss tubing which was my cabin activity because it is such a ‘wild ride’ and loads of fun! One thing that is especially awesome is the caliber of camp staff; my counselors were so supportive, fun, and engaging. They helped us not only have fun, but also developed mentor-type relationships with us and offered excellent advice, as well as enjoying the activities at camp with our cabin and village. One of the best parts of camp this year was that my team, ‘red’, won the camp competition called the Maccabiah Games. Everyone is so excited for the fun and competition – all campers and staff have amazing team spirit! I participated each year at camp, save one, and this was the first year that my team won! Last, I love to celebrate Shabbat at camp. It is a magical time that the entire camp comes together, as a family and a community to welcome Shabbat. It starts with a walk where all the campers are picked up, each camper is clean and dressed up in their special clothes. Then, everyone gathers together and sings songs and celebrates the peace of Shabbat, the day of rest.” 

Glad you had yet another fantastic summer stay at Camp Wise, Livi! It’s great that you get to have so much fun at camp! Whether you’re making a splash in the lake or speeding along on horseback, I’m glad you’ve found a camp that can provide what you find most fun! Thanks for sharing, Livi. And for anybody else interested in Camp Wise, give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Kids!

We were thrilled with your response to our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp! Your stories were great and it was such a fun time reading through them. Get a look at each submission as I post them one-by-one right here on the Blog!

Today’s post is from Alijah J. who wrote in to tell us about a first year at Camp Longhorn. Put it in front of your eyes and read his summer camp submission right now:

“Hi my name is Alijah J. This year was my first year at Camp Longhorn. I had the greatest experience. I learned how to properly shoot a gun and bow and arrow. There were lots of dances/carnivals which also made my camp experience great. Being away from my phone and not to have to worry about the things at home was the greatest feeling. I got to spend good quality time with my friends and also met new friends who I hope I can keep for a life time. Whenever I’m too old to attend Camp Longhorn I will hope to return as a counselor. I love everything about Camp Longhorn. There are no dislikes about it. I can’t wait to return to Camp Longhorn next year!”

Glad you got such an immersive summer camp experience away from your home and away from your phone. It’s great to hear that being away from these everyday items was a positive experience for you. Sounds like you truly embraced being surrounded by fun and friends in the great outdoors!

I’m confident that Camp Longhorn will only get better each year straight through your days of being a camp counselor, Alijah! To anybody else interested in Camp Longhorn, give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Kids!

We asked you how camp went this last summer and we were thrilled with the response you gave back. We had our best turnout yet this year for our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp! Your camp stories were great! It’s such fun reading through them all and it’s been great sharing them here on the Blog!

After announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest our participants. The following post is from Trinity F. who wrote in to tell us about her four weeks at Incarnation Camp. Read all about right here:

“My name is Trinity F. This year, I went to Incarnation Camp in Ivoryton, CT for 4 weeks between July 22nd and August 18. This year was my first year in Winds and 4th year attending this camp. My father and brother went to this camp when they were my age. "Winds", which is the unit for 12 & 13 year old girls was the unit I was in. When I got there, unpacking everything was a breeze because of my new trunk, with the Glide N' Go tray. I really needed that extra storage for the items I made at camp. Anyway this summer I got to walk in the dam twice. There was algae at the bottom and it was really fun to walk (and maybe fall) on! I also got to do the water trampoline, go fishing, the Iceberg, and the water mat. That's not even all the water activities! I also got to canoe and row. We also got to do archery, soccer, capture the flag, gardening, roller skating, hockey, and lacrosse. We also did a hockey/lacrosse mixed match (some people used hockey sticks and some people used hockey sticks), it was a lot of fun. We got to pick some tomatoes, onions and parsley. When we went fishing we tried to find worms but we couldn't find any so we used fake bait. I kept looking for worms and found one, but when I went fishing a fish bit it off and I didn't catch it. One girl actually caught a fish though! This summer I only got to do the Iceberg once, but it was a lot of fun. I'm hoping to do it next year.

I'm also hoping my two friends that I invited to camp come next year. They said they loved it and it was a lot of fun watching someone experience camp for the first time. In ceramics I made 2 small little islands, one had a palm tree but it broke off. One of my favorite things was playing tug-o-war on Pequot Field. We did boys versus girls with our same age unit just the opposite gender. We won 3 times in a row! Sometimes I went to play during my free time, but I mostly spent my free time in the art barn because I like to draw, and do arts n' crafts. I made a bunch of cool lanyards. It’s my favorite thing to do there. I didn't have time to draw, because our days were always jam packed and it was so much fun. Even at night, I had 5 other girls in my tent and 2 counselors and it was a huge sleepover every night. I would like to tell my ENTIRE summer, but I would have you sitting here for decades! There's sooooo many things to do at camp!”

Haha! Well, if it’s going to be decades, I guess it’s good to call it there, but thank you so much for sharing all that you did, Trinity! Sounds like a very well-rounded time you had this summer. Glad to hear how nice your Glide n’ Go worked out for you! And how cool that you got a couple friends to join in your camp fun this year! Spreading the joy of summer camp is always a good move! Also—high-five! I like to draw too! Keep at it, Trinity and enjoy your camp stays in years to come!

To anybody else interested in Incarnation Camp, you can give it a closer look for yourself some time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John