Author: Elissa

So today is exactly the halfway mark to our incredible summer here at Chenny. We have traveled exactly halfway though this journey and the best is yet to come. The first half was incredible but we are just getting started. Our engines are full throttle now and we are full speed ahead. I have received so many emails from you since Visiting Day and I literally wish you could read what we read.. You all say the same thing, that you can’t believe how happy your kids are here and for the new campers, you all have relayed your astonishment how quickly your camper took to this place and how at home they feel here. With every email, I sit here at my desk with chills because you all see, feel and say the same thing..That you know your children have made a home here and they feel safe here. With each email we read, our heart gets bigger because you see what we see every single day. Even when the lessons they learn are hard ones, the ones that make our heart ache because we want everything to be easy for them. Each one of us are as happy as our unhappiest child but the growth from learning tough lessons and getting through hard moments is exactly how they develop their character. Roots and wings. They all know where they come from and by sending them here, you have given them their wings. I know that sometimes getting that sad letter is a killer or hearing them cry on the call is a pain in your heart that you want to take away but you can’t. Trust us when we say they get through it. They really do. It may take a moment or two but they figure out how to navigate their feelings and get to a better place.  They always do. Our children are constantly evolving and are much stronger than we may give them credit for. So if you get that letter with a tear mark she drew or that call that breaks your heart, believe they are strong, capable, and can get through those sad moments. They always do.

Fields were rocking today:

Freshman/Junior Girls Soccer – CAW 3 vs. Westmont 4

Middy Girls Soccer – CAW 0 @ Starlight 2

Senior/ Super Girls Soccer – CAW 7 vs. Island Lake 8

Inter Boys Baseball – CAW 16 @ Nesher 7

Epic night tonight with our very first but will be annual Miss Chen-A-Wanda, evening activity. It was hilarious and the kids LOVED it.. Each division had a male staff member chosen to represent their division in this true pageant like no other pageant we have ever seen. There were tiaras and evening wear. There was talent and of course the question/interview portion of the show and it was over the top hilarity. Our bellies hurt we laughed so hard. Maybe because our favorite male counselors were dressed up with full makeup and lashes, painted nails and gorgeous gowns. They were incredible and this new evening activity will forever be a part of our Chen-A-Wanda experience. Ask your kids about it and they will confirm that we have some really pretty guys here who look fab is pink chiffon!

Life is so Great at Camp Chen-A-Wanda

Chenny out.

 

There is something quite special about heading out of camp on trips with your campies. Everyone is wearing their camp shirts and we all load the buses to some amazing fun places. It unifies us as a group as we exit our gates for some fantastic adventures. Each group had a ball today as they enjoyed themselves beyond imagination.

Our Cherokee campers had a great day at the State park as they played in the lake, tossed the ball around, relaxed on their towels, listened to music and spent a perfect afternoon soaking in the sun. Then it was back to camp for a giant pizza party and movie night for the Freshman and Juniors. They got cozy in their jammies and relaxed with a summer night Flick. Middies played the Quest in Shields Hall and it was so hilarious.

Inters and Collegiates spent their trip day at Dorney Park. It was a full day of coasters and rides that the kids got to ride over and over again as the park was almost empty so our kids loved their day at the park. Our campers just had the absolute best day at Dorney. As the kids rolled back into camp and off the buses, they were exhausted but so beyond happy as they walked by and said, “this was the best trip ever.” Just an awesome day for our Mohican campers.

Navajo campers got wet wild and wacky at Camel beach. The temperature was hot and it couldn’t have been a more perfect day to spend at a water park. After they got swooshed around the giant toilet bowl and played in the wave pool, it was off to the outlets for some retail therapy and our campers shopped till they dropped. An incredible afternoon for our Navajo campers today.

The GC’s are still wandering and spent their day at Sony Studios touring Hollywood highlights and loved it. They spent the day in Seinfeld’s apartment then to the set of Wheel of Fortune followed by checking out The RV in Breaking Bad. After their tour it was off to Magic Mountain for a great day at the park of crazy roller coasters and insane fun. They are having an absolute blast in Cali.

The boy CIT’s had an incredible day playing paintball and told us to was their best trip yet. It was just an awesome course and they played all afternoon. Couldn’t have been a better day for our CIT guys. The girls went to Dickson City and spent their day  lunching and shopping. They were relaxed and stress free on their day off.

All our kids are back home at camp safe and sound. It’s just about 1:00am and at this time of  night, camp is quiet, peaceful, awkwardly silent and still. It’s a far cry from when everyone is up and running around camp full of life, full of love, full of spirit and energy. So at least for the next handful of hours, your children are soundly sleeping, exhausted from their adventures day. You know that feeling when it’s so much fun to go on a trip but there is nothing quite like coming home!!!  Life is Great at Camp Chen-A-Wanda.

Chenny out

Without a doubt, today was amazing. It was a regular day of activities for our campers and they enjoyed every minute of it. As the day went on, the temperature got hotter and everyone wanted to cool down. Our Lake, Pool and the Zone were full of campers beating the heat. It was picturesque watching it all happen.

 

It was fun day for our athletes playing the games they love. Our kids are fierce and having an absolute ball on the fields and courts.

Girls Swim Meet @ Starlight – Chenny Did AMAZING!!!

Inter Girls Tennis – CAW 5 @ Poyntelle 0

Senior Girls Soccer  – CAW 7 @ Poyntelle 1

Freshman/Junior Boys LAX – CAW 0 @ Westmont 5

Middy Boys Hockey – CAW 4 vs. Lavi 11

Inter Boys Basketball – CAW 24 vs. Lavi 45

Collegiate Boys Baseball – CAW 11 vs. Westmont 0

Inter/Collegiate Boys Tennis Tourney @ Tyler Hill  (Alex Brandoff reached Semi’s)

Senior Boys Baseball – CAW 13 vs. Westmont 0

 

Tonight we had a great night in Shields Hall watching our incredible talented campers perform at this years Talent Show. There were so many kids that signed up we had to split it into 2 nights. So on this first night of our Talent extravaganza, our kids took center stage and rocked the house. There is something amazing that happens here that our campers cant wait to show off their talents. You see when they walk on that stage and look out into the audience who is cheering for them, encouraging them and so eager to watch them perform it gives each performer that moment when they are a star. Imagine if you can, a room full of friends who get behind you and love hearing you sing, watching  you dance and give you a standing ovation after you’re done. That happens here and it happened tonight. No matter who you are, its scary to walk out there, sometimes alone and bear your talent to everyone at camp but when they smother you with adoration and support, it builds you up and makes you smile from the inside out. You can actually see the transformation that takes place here because we got each others back here and that is how confidence is built. It was incredibly special to watch your kids on stage tonight but there is a deep pride and respect for those in the audience who allowed them a room to shine in full of love and support. So what if you sang off key or missed that one dance step, you got up there and did your thing. So proud of every single kid on camp who made tonight pretty magical.

It was the first day of our GC trip out West as they Wandered to California. Their first day was spent touring UCLA and I must say as I am and will always be a faithful Bruin, that campus is so beautiful and the kids had a ball. They toured the grounds, spent hours in the student store and loved every minute of it. The weather was perfect, of course it’s LA and the smiles were huge. Then it was back to the hotel to get settled in, shower and head out to Universal City Walk for dinner. This group is off and running and it is just the beginning. What a great group of kids experiencing an absolute trip of a life time. It’s good to be a GC.

Days like today fill our hearts with pure camp joy. How lucky we all are to have moments like this in our lives. As we remind ourselves that for ten months our kids work hard, study harder and navigate through all of life’s daily stresses. But here at camp, we connect, we engage and just play!

Chenny out

 

It was right back to the fun after one amazing Visiting Day. There is a sense of calmness or maybe the word I’m looking for is better defined as comfort but the feeling here we are all experiencing is just the feeling of being home. After a very emotional and awesome day it was as if every camper didn’t skip a beat. The campers got right back in the swing of it with a full day of activities and play. The mood was electric and our kids are just so happy to be outside playing with their friends. I was touring a new prospective family today and the parents were in awe as the mom in my golf cart said to me, “You have amazing facilities and activities here but I cant get over how happy the kids are.” She had tears in her eyes as we ended the tour, she leaned over to her husband and whispered, “This is what we want for him, a place that makes him this happy.” I was so happy to have heard her words. They spent an hour and a half at our home and they got the feeling of why Chenny is so magical.

I witnessed something pretty special today as a Middy boy tried the trapeze for the first time today, you could see his hesitation and nerves but he mustered up all his strength and headed up that ladder. He reached out and trusted the circus counselor who had a hold of his harness as he reached out to grab the bar. With one deep breath, he stepped off the ledge and flew. Like this experience of camp, he trusted someone else to hold him when he was frightened and then after soaring back and forth on that giant trapeze, he let go and that huge net below provided safety as he dropped. That net is all of us here. We are each a piece of the net that catches each other. It so easy to see how in the past 3 weeks we have all unplugged, connected to each other and have provided that human connection that makes us better people. I was so glad to watch this camper soar.

Our athletes were back on the fields and courts and ready to play.

Middy Girls Tennis – CAW 0 @ Starlight 5

Middy Girls Softball – CAW 2 vs. Starlight 8

Senior Girls Soccer – CAW 4 vs. Towanda 3

Inter Boys Tennis – CAW 0 @ Starlight 5

Collegiate Boys Baseball – CAW 8 vs. Towanda 10

Senior Boys Basketball – CAW 42 @ Starlight 57

Senior/Super Boys Hockey – CAW 9 vs. Equinunk 2

Super Boys Baseball – CAW 8 @ Starlight 1

What a fun night we had as the Chicago Boyz dazzled us with their amazing acrobatic stunts. This troupe was on Americas Got Talent and the kids went wild as they  took center stage. The blew our minds with their talent and had us all oooohhhing and aaahhhhing. The jumped and twisted and flipped and turned and we were amazed at what we were watching. Everyone was into it and it was a great show. Just an awesome way to end this awesome day!!!

Chenny out.

 

There is nothing in this world better than that first hug you get on Visiting Day from your kids after not seeing or holding them for 3 weeks. We all know logically that sending our kids away to camp all summer long will enrich their lives and benefit their growth as human beings but not being able to hold, hug and talk to our children for 3 weeks is hard. That space makes today so intense. You can feel the anticipation and excitement as our all families line up at the gate, bags overloaded, siblings in tow and a smiles so large you can actually feel the intensity of that moment when you are reunited with your kids. That first embrace when you have your babies back in your arms is like no other feeling that can be easily described but is so full of emotion and it makes everything right in the world.  We have the privilege of watching you and your families experience pure bliss right in front of our eyes. All is right in the world when your kids are back in your arms. It takes a leap of faith and a tremendous amount of trust  when you send them off and out in the world and from the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate you trusting us to take care of your precious babies.

We hope you all had an amazing day at this amazing place. We hope you felt the love that your kids feel here everyday. It is a place like no other and today was remarkable. The ideal weather was set for a perfect day here at Chenny. We hope you enjoyed all the fun things your kids do on a daily here but more important than the waterfront and climbing tower, we hope you felt a sense of kindness and love from the staff who take care of your kids when you aren’t with them. We hope you felt what they feel everyday. I always tell the kids that the magic of this place isn’t the stuff but its every single person inside our gates that makes this place a home. So for this day, visiting day we hope your heart was full and you saw how your children have thrived for the past 3 weeks surrounded by beautiful kind and caring people who love them so.

When the last car rolled out, it was back to business and though there were some tears and heavy hearts, we were there to pick them up and stand by their side. Every single one of them got through their moments of sadness and even fought through their doubts they could do this, they did it. These moments allow them to grow with confidence that they can get through it, navigate murky waters and get across that river to the other side. We, as parents can coach them but it’s here where they truly learn these empowering life lessons that they strong, powerful and capable to get through anything.

After dinner, it was all about Chenny Jam. Girls were head-to-toe in pink and boys side were all sporting everything black. This was such an intense game with prizes, dance parties and sing-a-longs. There was no better way to get the kids right back into the camp spirit. It was neck and neck to the very last second but boys side won with a  51-50 victory over girls side. The excitement was off the charts and there was not a camper who didn’t have the time of their life tonight. It was just that much fun.

We had the best day watching you and your families enjoy your day. Thank you for being a part of our family. Our hearts are full today and we hope yours are too.

Chenny out.