Author: Elissa

There is nothing like being at camp on the 4th of July, truly nothing.  It is a full day of celebrations. Everyone is dressed in Red, White & Blue, faces painted, tutus on and camp is decorated proudly displaying our American pride. Everyone felt the spirit of today. You couldn’t help but part of it, we all were. Seeing our youngest Freshman to our oldest CIT’s all dressed up and proudly showing their American pride is just plain awesome. It was a day of honor and pride here at Chenny and spending the 4th like we did was just about as perfect as you can get. Days like today day stand out and make us love summer.

That’s right that we played games with our faces painted red white and blue..It’s July 4th! Our athletes had a ball today playing their games.

Middy Girls Softball – CAW 11 @ Pearlman 5

Collegiate Girls Soccer – CAW 10 vs. Morasha 0

Senior Girls Basketball – CAW 36 vs. Morasha 45

Senior/Super Girls Softball – CAW 18 @ Nesher 2

Freshman/Junior Boys Baseball – CAW 0 vs. Starlight 5

Inter Boys LAX – CAW 0 @ Starlight 8

Collegiate Boys Soccer – CAW 0 @ Starlight 2

Super Boys Tennis – CAW 5 vs. Island Lake 0

As dusk turned into night, we all headed up to the outdoor amphitheater and had an insane Dance-Off.  It was girls side vs boys side and the kids were rocking and rolling. The energy was insane tonight and just so much fun. Everyone was head to toe in red, white and blue glow necklaces, flashing flags and everything American. The countdown began and the first firework shot up in the air and it was breathtaking. I truly don’t know what is more impressive to watch; the sky light up with a rainbow of colorful fireworks or the look of amazement on your children’s faces as they watch with such anticipation for each firework to unveil above them. They were just in amazement of what they were seeing and watching them enjoy it so, was a gift they gave to us. No matter if you are 8 or 88, the 4^th of July fireworks amaze always seem to take our breath away. It defines summer and reminds us how lucky we are to live in a country where we are free and able to enjoy a night like this. As the show ended and the kids were heading down to their bunks for bed, there wasn’t a camper that didn’t thank us for the most amazing firework show they had just watched. This night is one of my personal favorites and I know it was theirs too.

Hope you all had a great 4^th because we sure did.

Chenny out

 

It was another incredible day spent at our summer home. The weather was perfect and campers were happy, active and engaged. You can’t ask for more than that for our kids. It is why we do what we do. Seeing the tremendous growth that happens with each and every camper daily is what drives us all.  It takes a village and boy do we have an awesome one. You don’t see counselors without a camper holding their hand, sitting on their lap or catching a piggy back ride. It is such a beautiful sight to see as these bonds that happen and happen so quickly. Regardless if it’s wiping tears away and providing comfort to your children or just having a catch on a beautiful sunny day. These connections are so special and as a parent who sees this relationship with my own kids, I know that their presence in our kids lives makes them better people. Here, a twenty-something counselor has the ability to provide something us parents can’t. It’s a bond that is set apart and will forever hold an important place in the lives of our children. They learn differently from these relationship and there is a level of trust that is developed and doesn’t go away. We all give our children roots and sending them to sleep away camp is giving them their wings. It’s hard to imagine someone other than you understanding their fears, being there when they cry, tucking them in at night, laughing at their jokes, eating every meal with them and guiding them through their journey and that is exactly what our staff is doing with your children right now.

It was a busy and great day for our Chenny athletes. Enjoy the scoreboard:

Freshman/Junior Girls Soccer – CAW 9 @ Tioga 6

Senior/Super Girls LAX – Won by Tioga Forfeit

GC/CIT Girls Soccer – CAW 2 @ Wayne for Girls 5

Middy Boys Basketball – CAW 27 @ Westmont 29

Inter Boys Hockey – CAW 3 @ Westmont 14

Senior/Super Tennis Tournament @Starlight – Sam Tell Got to the Quarter Finals (Singles) – Jared Shiffman & Noah Shiffman Got to the Quarter Finals (Doubles)

GC/CIT Boys Tennis Wayne County Tournament @ Starlight – Noah Simpson Got the Semi-Finals (Singles) – Matthew Hellerman & Matthew Sussman – Semi Finals (Doubles)

The night belonged to Boys side as the put on quite a show with Boys Lip Sync 2017.  We often hear from parents that they just can’t imagine their boys getting up on stage performing a dance in front of the entire camp. Every single boy on camp came together with their division and performed an absolutely incredible performance tonight.  From the cutest and most adorable Freshman through the hilariously talented CIT’s, these boys put on a show that blew our minds. The entire Shields Hall was mesmerized as they watched, clapped and sang along with the boys on stage. I looked out at the crowd who all had smiles from ear-to-ear as they supported each other. Girls side was loving it as they cheered on boys side. It is the absolute best part of camp watching the support we give each other. We call it Chenny Pride but call it whatever you want, it is how we become family to one another. To see boys let loose, dance in front a packed house with such confidence and joy is awe inspiring. They let go and felt free – this type of outlet for our boys is just plain beautiful and it is what camp is all about. As hard as it was to pick a winner tonight, the Inters won for lower camp and for upper camp it was a unanimous decision as the CIT’s brought down the house and earned the Win!!  What a night we all had.

Life is sooooo GREAT at Camp Chen-A-Wanda!!

Chenny Out

 

We all live pretty fast paced lives that seem to go by so quickly and at times our schedules seem to overtake us . Even our kids schedules have them on hyper speed as they go from school to activities to practices to games to tutors to hebrew school back home for homework then they do it all over again the next day. Rarely do they have time to slow it down and smell the roses, until they come here. Today Jon and I took their lead and we stopped what we were doing in our office and we just sat at the waterfront and watched your kids who encouraged us to slow it down, be in the moment and enjoy life. There were a group of freshman boys making sand castles next to a group of Inter girls searching for four leaf clovers in the grass while a group of Collegiate girls were gazing up to the sky staring at the clouds above us, all without a stress in the world. We sat back in beach chairs fully relaxed with the biggest smiles on our faces and we had an hour of smelling the roses.

Straight from our Sports Center, Todays scores:

Freshman/Junior Girls Basketball – CAW 8 @ Wayne for Girls 10

Middy Girls Basketball – CAW 28 @ Wayne for Girls 4

Collegiate Girls Softball – CAW 5 @ Poyntelle 6

Freshman/Junior Boys Hockey – CAW 4 @ Starlight 5 (overtime)

Collegiate Boys Softball – CAW 0 @ Westmont 5

Senior Boys Tennis – CAW 2 @ Weequahic 3

Senior/Super Boys Softball – CAW 9 vs. Nesher 1

Are you ready some football? We are. Tonight’s Powder Puff game was epic. It was a fierce battle between our GC’s and CIT’s girls. GC’s were dressed head-to-toe in white and the CIT’s sported all black. They were playing for bragging rights and the stakes were high. Our girls were serious with faces painted and a determination to bring it tonight and of course the guys provided the spirit. They cheered on the girls and the watching crowd. This was our Super Bowl and the kids loved it. There were t-shirts, hats, tons of Chenny swag tossed out throughout the game. After each quarter, there was an impromptu dance party and of course everyone was getting in the groove. The entertainment was not just on the field, it was in the stands and every camper was part of the fun. Nights like these makes you smile from the inside out. You know it was an insane night as the entire camp was dancing down the hill back to their bunks after the game. Our CIT’s pulled out the “W” with a  14-0 victory but we were all the winners with an epic summer night!

Chenny out.

Our first week of Summer ’17 is in the books and it was incredible start. Campers are in their groove and have acclimated to their sumer home and what better way to end the week than with honoring our Campers of the Week. We love highlighting these outstanding campers who have gone above and beyond and achieved this incredible honor. We wish you could see the look on their faces as their Group Leader stands up and shares with everyone why this camper is so deserving of this recognition. It is pure joy and a pride that you can actaully feel. Congratulations to our first Campers of the Week for Summer ’17. You earned it!!

Freshman – Livia Sherman & Max Coffman

Juniors – Emma Erlich & Ian Cotler

Middies – Audrey Winter & Jacob Coffman

Inters – Dylan Yonover,Brooke Bortnick & Ben Selter

Collegiates – Emily Weprin & Jake Gold, Ethan Schwartz

Seniors – Rachel Farhi & Alex Levine

Supers -Natalie Blee & Andrew Grisack

GC’s – Ava Kreshover & Benji Herzog

CIT’s – Sara Kay & Matt Rosen

Our kids are having a ball playing ball. Here are the sports scores from the day:

                   Inter Girls Basketball – CAW 40 vs. Poyntelle 19

Collegiate Girls Tennis – CAW 3 @ Lohikan 2

Senior Girls Tennis – CAW 3 @ Wayne for Girls 2

GC/GIT Basketball – CAW 12 @ Tioga 23

Freshman/Junior Boys Soccer – CAW 10 @ Lohikan 2

Freshman/Junior Boys Basketball – CAW 33 vs. Poyntelle 8

GC/CIT Boys Soccer – CAW 10 @ Poyntelle 0

The night ended with a bit of rain and at the very last minute we had to reschedule our GC/CIT Powder Puff Game. Kids were dressed head-to-toe, psyched up, faces painted and ready to go but with very little warning, the rain moved in. Rather than being upset with this last minute change in plans, your kids rolled with it. The campers who know me, know my motto and it is ingrained in every camper here at Chenny. I ask them to be the River, not the Rock. As choosing to be the River allows us to go with the flow no matter what we face and how disappointed we may be. The River is always moving forward allowing us to see things we may not ever see if we lived life as the Rock. Living as the River is a choice and tonight no matter how disappointed the kids were that were so excited for Powder Puff, they chose to be the River. The lessons they learn here, the things they face here make them better, more tolerant and more patient human beings.

Chenny out.

 

What an incredible day we had today. We have been here for only one week but it feels like home to everyone inside these gates. Year after year, I still get that feeling of total joy being completely surrounded by a community that breathes positivity day in and day out. You just can’t walk 5 feet without seeing kids and staff arm in arm or holding hands. We all crave closeness and human connection and it thrives here. That feeling of being completely safe and trusting people who just entered our lives transforms who we are. It changes us for the better. We have become more open, more trusting, happier and it happens this quickly. It’s so hard to describe and my words can hardly give justice to what is happening here. I only hope that you at home can feel what we feel. Your children, many who are experiencing this for the very first time, have entered a world where they can just be themselves and are celebrated for it. Only a week in and this summer has a feeling that is truly indescribable.

We just finished our calls to the new campers families to go over their first week and I had a conversation with a mom and shared how her daughters favorite activity was climbing the rock tower to which she said that there is just no way her daughter climbed that tower. She couldn’t believe what I was saying. Her daughter was a bit timid and fearful of heights and would never in a million years try something that challenging. She asked me to make sure I had the right camper. I was second guessing the information I had so I went to that camper and asked her myself about her climbing adventure to which she replied, “I did it. I climbed the tower.” She told me how her heart was beating so hard but she did it and the look on her face was filled with so much pride. She did something that she thought she couldn’t and that is how change happens. One step up that rock tower became two steps which then became overcoming a fear and finding a strength you just didn’t know you had. Needless to say, the mom was in tears and her daughter looked fear in the face and climbed that tower.

It was a busy day for our Chenny athletes with games at home and away. We  couldn’t be more proud of their effort and sportsmanship. Win or loose they brought their  “A” game and had a ball.

Middy/Inter Girls LAX – CAW 6 @ Starlight 11

Super Girls Soccer – CAW 6 @ Camp Wayne 4

Collegiate Boys Basketball – CAW 48 @ Tioga 9

Super Boys Basketball – CAW 78 vs. Nesher 54

We discovered that our kids aren’t the only ones with some incredible talent as our staff shined bright at tonights’s Staff Talent Show. Our kids were blown away as they saw their counselors on stage showing off their talent. They sang and danced, they told jokes, they jammed on the guitar, the performed on the lyra and silks and they dazzled us all. Kids were screaming and cheering on their counselors with so much pride it so sweet to see. The kids loved it, the staff loved it and it’s nights like these that brings this family closer. After the show ended and it was dismissal, I overheard a Middy camper say to her counselor who performed tonight, “I know how nervous you were to sing on stage tonight, but you were just so brave and I’m so proud of you.” The counselor wrapped her arms around her camper as they walked back to the bunk and I stared in awe. These two people met just 6 days ago but the bond they created is so strong and is so real. Clearly her counselor shared how she was nervous to sing on stage tonight and her camper was right there to tell her how proud she was of her. This is the magic of this place. You don’t have to look to far. You just have to open your eyes and its right there in front of you.

Chenny out.