Author: Elissa

What a  Day!

The sun was shining bright over Camp Chen-A-Wanda today, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect start to our summer together. The first official day of camp was filled with tradition, energy, and pure Chenny magic.

Our campers woke up to the sound of the bugle playing reveille and the familiar, joyful voice of Brian Leahy greeting everyone with a booming, “Gooooooood morning Camp CHEN-A-WANDA!” That call will be their wake-up each morning for the next 47 days, and it’s already becoming part of their daily rhythm. Each morning starts with a trivia question from Brian, and the campers rush to Headquarters with excitement, hoping to win a coveted canteen ticket. It’s a beloved Chenny tradition that sparks fun, connection, and a little friendly competition to kick off the day. A huge congratulations to Middy camper Linus who for the past 2 days has been our trivia winner. His knowledge of fun random facts is so impressive. Go LINUS!

With our swim tests that behind us, it was time to PLAY. And play we did! Every field, court, and corner of camp was buzzing with action, laughter, and joy. There were tryouts galore and so many happy campers giving it their all. Whether it was sports, games, or just hanging out, today was all about jumping in, making memories, and feeling the joy of camp life. It was beautiful to see new friendships already blossoming and returning campers embracing new faces with so much kindness and lots of excitement.This is what makes Chenny so special—watching kids open their hearts to new friendships and make space for one another.  Today at cooking, our Inter girls were having a dance party while they waited for their pizzas to bake.  Jon and I sat with a few of the new Inter girls and some returners at the Chenny Shack and the conversation was exactly what we want for our girls when a returning camper turned to a new friend that she just met 3 days ago and said, ” I’m so glad you decided to come to Chenny, you make our bunk awesome.” We’re building something meaningful together, and it’s only just begun.

Tonight’s evening activity was off the chart fun—literally! We danced and danced and danced some more. A camp favorite of ours, Rak Dan lead us through so many fun dances and everyone in Shield’s Hall jumped in with both feet, let loose and had the absolute best night. Lower camp was rocking out and then it was the big kids turn and they all bought in and had the time of their life. It’s a sight to see every camper letting loose and leaning in!!!

All the kids are in their bunks, exhausted from a day spent well. And the best part is we get to do it all again tomorrow.

We are so happy to share that our first full day of camp—Flash & Splash Day—was an absolute home run! From the moment the sun rose, the energy, excitement, and joy were felt in every corner of Chenny. It was one of those magical days where everything just clicked—and we couldn’t wait to tell you all about it.

Our day kicked off with picture day, where your children showed off their brightest smiles. It was a beautiful sight to see campers standing side by side, new friends and old, already looking like one big summer family. After all the campers took their bunk photos, campers headed to the pool for swim tests, and we were blown away by their enthusiasm as they jumped in the pool and sang together to pass the time as they treaded water. The encouragement was contagious. It’s always so inspiring to see our community come together to lift each other up and encourage each other to be great!!

The afternoon brought our first full round of regular activities, and wow—did camp come alive! From the fields and courts to arts & crafts and adventure courses, to our incredibly awesome double slip’n’slide our first full day was magical. Our new campers are settling into camp life beautifully. They’re learning the schedule, finding their way around, and most importantly, beginning to feel that Chenny magic. It’s incredible to watch their comfort and confidence grow in just a short amount of time. And for our returning campers, you can just see it on their faces—being back at their favorite place on earth means everything. They’re reconnecting with friends, diving into their traditions, and already creating brand-new memories that add to their Chenny story.

The weather was perfect, the smiles were endless, and the spirit of camp was shining in every direction. Most importantly, we saw your children thriving, laughing, and embracing the magic of being exactly where they’re meant to be. From all of us here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda, thank you for sharing your incredible kids with us. We are honored to be part of their journey, and we can’t wait to watch them be incredible this summer!

Here’s to the best summer yet and we’re just getting started.

Dear Chenny Families,

What an unforgettable day—it truly couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun was shining, the energy was electric, and Camp Chen-A-Wanda came alive the moment your kids stepped off those buses. With music playing, welcome signs waving, chants echoing, and hugs all around, the spirit of camp was everywhere. It was nothing short of magical.

Right away, you could feel the connections forming. New friendships blossomed, and the joy on every camper’s face said it all. The reasons you chose to send your children to Chenny were on full display—kindness, community, and the chance to be part of something truly special. From our tiniest Freshmen to our CITs on the Hill, the excitement was contagious. We’re all here with one shared mission: to make this the most incredible summer ever.

In classic Chenny tradition, we kicked things off with a spaghetti and meatballs dinner, followed by a dance party in The Lodge. Kids stood on the benches, singing at the top of their lungs and dancing their hearts out. The room was filled with laughter, music, and the joy of being together again.

After dinner, campers gathered with their divisions for cozy campfires and s’mores under the stars—one of those simple, perfect camp moments. Then it was off to Shields Hall for Opening Night and it was perfect. Shields Hall was buzzing with happy and excited campers, all ready to jump in and get this summer going. Your children deserve a summer full of laughter, growth, adventure, and unforgettable memories—and that’s exactly what we’re ready to give them. Our team is here, fully prepared and deeply excited to make this summer the best one yet. Honestly, we’re not sure who’s more excited—the campers or the staff!  All campers are in their bunks, tired from a long and great day

So take a deep breath, enjoy your summer, and know your children are in the best hands. Thank you for trusting us and being a part of this incredible community.

Here we go—Summer 2025 is officially underway!

Dear Chen-A-Wanda Families, 

It has been a true privilege to spend this summer with your children. Tonight, as part of our Memory Night tradition, Jon and I spoke to everyone in Shields Hall to wrap up our summer. Over the past seven weeks, we’ve been updating you on the daily joys and moments here at camp. We sincerely hope our blogs have captured the joy and magic we’ve all shared together and that you at home were able to feel what was happening here at camp. Tonight, our letter was written to your kids and as everyone was together for one last time in Shields Hall, we read it to them.

Thank you for entrusting us and our team with your children this summer. It truly takes a village, and we are immensely proud of ours. Our goal was to give your kids an incredible summer that would inspire them and help them grow. We hope they return home feeling taller, tanner, more confident, and proud of their accomplishments, with new friends and cherished memories. Even the bumps in the road are there to help your children grow. Everything we did was designed to provide teachable moments and enriching experiences. Soon, you’ll be holding them close, eager to hear about their amazing time at Chenny. After a good home-cooked meal, a long shower (they might need a bit of help removing the color war spray), and some good restful sleep, we hope they tell you it was the best summer of their entire lives. We apologize in advance if your kids end up dancing on the kitchen table! And a heads-up: avoid playing Jai Ho, Fireball, or Crazy Frog at home unless you’re prepared for an impromptu dance party in your kitchen.

Thank you once again for sharing your wonderful, kind, funny, and smart kids with us all summer. Our hearts are full, and after some much-needed rest, we’ll start planning for Summer 2025. Enjoy your kids tomorrow and know that their summer family will miss them dearly. 

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It was exactly 49 days ago, Jon and I stood in this very spot and welcomed you to Summer 2024. We looked out at all of you and saw so much excitement, some nerves, a lot of joy and wonder for what this summer would bring. Our hope was that this summer would enrich your lives, allow for new friendships to be made, strengthen relationships you already have and provide you all with the most amazing summer ever imagined. And here we are at the end and from our vantage point seeing you all arm in arm, holding onto one another not wanting to let go, it looks as if we accomplished our goals. We truly believe that relationships made here are so meaningful because they are built out time invested in each other without the complications of phones or social media getting in the way. We worked through conflicts together, we empathized with one another, we apologized when we were wrong and we built a community based on trust, love and a willingness to share our hearts. We are a beautiful mosaic work of art and each one of you in this hall is perfect just the way you are.  Don’t ever try to fit in, just be yourself and standout.

To be able to make this summer happen, we brought together the most inspiring, engaging, uplifting staff that are sitting in and amongst you all. We brought them in from all over the globe, and we owe a huge thank you to this incredibly talented group of people, who gave their everything to you and to this place.  To all our Staff: Jon and I agree that without a doubt and no question at all that there is no harder job on this planet than the one you all just completed. Our hope is that when you go back to school, head back to work or look for a job that you can reflect on the summer you just experienced and feel a deep sense of confidence in who you are and what you offer the world. We believe in you; we are inspired by you and we hope this summer gave you exactly what you need to create the life you want and deserve.

To our campers:

To our CIT’s in the back of the hall – MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! We need you to know that this camp loves you just as much as you love it.  It has been joyful being a huge part of your childhood and we thank you for bringing the spirit and positivity this summer. Your time here as a camper has officially come to a beautiful end and we thank you for honoring the Hill and leaving your mark. To our GC’s who traveled the country together and truly became a united division, it is our pleasure to say, The Hill is Now Yours! We can’t wait to see you shine as CIT’s next summer.

And to all our campers, you are the heart and soul of this camp, and we are here because of you and hope you had the most incredible summer.  On those cold winter nights, we hope you remember the amazing things you did and accomplished during summer 2024. We can’t wait to see you back here in 10 months and do it all over again.

Some of you may know that just before the campers arrived this summer, we lost our dog Dude. He was lucky enough to spend his summers with amazing people and he gave a lot of love and licks to so many of you. Our sadness quickly turned to joy as we heard from hundreds of staff and campers who shared stories of the impact Dude had on their lives so even a dog can make a huge difference here, and his life definitely had purpose. We honored Dude with hanging his jersey in the back of the hall and even though he is not here with us we know that his legacy lives on and on and on – so like Dude, live with purpose and share your love and it will certainly make a difference to everyone around you.

As our last night is upon us, we hope you all leave here tomorrow and bring a little Chenny with you everywhere you go. We hope when you hear Jai Ho or Crazy Frog you start dancing no matter where you are. We hope you spread kindness and see the value of making those around you feel good and we hope we inspired you as much as you all have inspired us. Thank you, Camp Chen-A-Wanda, for bringing us all together and proving that opening our hearts to one another makes the world a better place. Our incredible media team put together a video starring YOU and reminding us how Life is truly Great at Camp Chen-A-Wanda. We love you and we will miss you and we can’t wait to see you right back here for summer 2025!

Jon & Elissa

 

 

 

 

 

Today marked cleaning day at camp, a clear sign that the end of our summer is approaching. With packing day scheduled for tomorrow, we spent the morning organizing and tidying up our bunks. We eagerly anticipated our banquet, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect—neither too hot nor too cold, just right for a beautiful end to our summer at Chenny.

As the sun set over Fiddle Lake, we dressed in our finest and headed to the beach for photos with friends and counselors. Everyone looked stunning, and the atmosphere was filled with joy. Kids gathered on the dock, arms around each other, smiling for a group picture that will surely be cherished long after they return home. It was a night full of happiness and radiance, with each person at camp reflecting the beauty and excitement of the evening.

The night continued with our banquet dinner in the Lodge, where we enjoyed delicious food, sang loudly, and danced together. The energy was so vibrant, it felt like we could have moved mountains. Our camp family was in full celebration mode, basking in the love and joy of the evening ahead of us.

After the banquet, we moved to Shields Hall for our End of The Year Awards. For those who are new, this is a big deal—actually, a huge deal. Every summer, we find many ways to highlight and honor our campers, and being recognized at camp is a source of great pride. Tonight, we celebrated our Campers of the Year, an accolade that truly signifies their exceptional contributions, achievements and great character. We are immensely proud of these remarkable kids—they’ve earned and truly deserve these awards. Congratulations to our standout campers!!!

CAMPERS OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024 – GIRLS
	HONOR		ATHLETE		ALL AROUND
FRESHMEN	Dylan Lieberman		Alexa Hammer		Sienna Fass
JUNIORS	Skylar Rosenberg | Ryan Schweiger		Emerson Bodner | Savi Yecies		Avery Worth | Amalya Bernstein
MIDDIES	Annabelle Zigler		Hallie Sambursky		Samara Klein
INTERS	Kelsey Karmitz | Sammy Capon		Miranda Siegel | Brooke Konner		Lilah Sarrell | Allie Poplock
COLLEGIATE	Brier Schwebel		Blake Schissler		Dani Donoghue
SENIORS	Abby Sugarman		Brooke Kaplan		Kylie Park
SUPERS	Ava Mallin		Roxie Bishop		Noa Dagan
GC’s	Lexi Greenblatt		Alexa Dombe		Marissa Holtzman
CIT’s of the Year	Ashley Schwartz & Sammy Simson

 

CAMPERS OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024 – BOYS
	HONOR		ATHLETE		ALL AROUND
FRESHMEN	Ari Locker		Matthew Strauss		Spencer Cabat
JUNIORS	Bennett Galante | Archer Parkes		Aiden Spitz | Jacob Cohen		Jake Kornblau | Jake Hochstadt
MIDDIES	Jax Schrager		Dylan Bahiri		Harrison Zender
INTERS	Sid Havens | Nathaniel Menkin		Ryder Picinich | Aiden Wexler		Mason Kohen | Ryder Diamond
COLLEGIATE	Harrison Pilkington		Hunter Housenbold		Cade Modica
SENIORS	Trevor Weinstein		Tucker Friedman		Brody Adler
SUPERS	Alex Michaels		Jack Zaben		Jordan Morris
GC’s	Jake Marin		Gavin Ryback		Brady Bornstein
CIT’s of the Year	Jacob Santiago & Max Roth