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Our first full day was full of wonder, sunshine and smiles. New campers were learning the Chenny ropes and it didn’t take long for them to know where everything is. Only one day and our new kids looked as if they have been here forever.  The sun was shining bright today and camp was a playground full of happy campers. After the morning of swim tests, it was right to activities and our Chenny kids were so incredibly happy. Your kids jumped right in and didn’t waste a moment. They left those devices and remotes at home and played outside…ALL DAY LONG. Our fields were packed with kids playing and more importantly, kids smiling and laughing. I watched a group of Super boys have a catch in center camp. No words were spoken but so much was communicated. Maybe it was the peaceful look on their faces or the fact that these connections are so easily recaptured even after being away from one another for months. They tossed a ball and just enjoyed being with each other. It is the best part of watching your kids – Seeing them connect in the most real and authentic way. It takes my breath away every time I see it and it fills my heart with gratitude that they can find that connection here. It’s effortless and easy and exactly what they need. The stress from school, tests, crazy schedules, home friend drama and of course the pressures from social media all faded away. This place makes you feel great from the inside out.

It didn’t take long for our new kids to feel the love too. They may have just rolled into camp but the feeling is contagious and our newest Chenny kids embraced the day to its fullest. To witness how quick our newest kids took to this place was pure magic. The bonds are being created and new friendships are blossoming. It was just an absolute incredible day at Chenny. When our world gets bigger, our world gets better and for our new kids their world just got whole a lot bigger. Everyone here is just so excited to meet the newest Chenny kids and they are most definitely feeling the LOVE. This is how we become one camp family.

It was Round Robin for evening activity which means each division had their own special activity and the kids had a ball. From dogeball to slip and slide to cake wars to homerun derby to just name a few, tonight was out of this world fun. Tonights divisional activities allowed each group to bond, to connect, to get to know one another better and of course to have an incredible time. Mission accomplished!

Our first official full day of summer 2023 is in the books and if today was any indication of what is to come in these next seven weeks, we are in for one incredible summer.

 

What an incredible day it was. Perfect in every way. Though rain was in our forecast, as soon as the buses rolled into camp those grey clouds literally parted and out came the sun. It was miraculous and of course the sun was shining bright at Chenny today because your kids arrived!! They jumped off those buses and summer began. The music, the welcome posters, the chants, the cheers, the hugs, and the energy, made today magical. Everyone felt the excitement and it was incredible.

It didn’t take long for new friendships to be made. Everywhere you look, the reasons why you send your children to camp were in full display. A whole bunch of new people have just entered you child’s world and their arms are wide open. Everyone looked so happy to be here, from our CIT’s on the Hill to the cutest, tiniest freshman. We all share the same goal – To have the most incredible summer together!

In true Chenny tradition, we all enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and of course a giant dance party was happening in The Lodge. Your kids sang at the top of their lungs. They stood on the tables as they danced and sang. Boys side and  girls side, they all were ready for the first dinner and they brought the energy. It was off the charts amazing.   After dinner, everyone headed to Shields Hall for our opening night. A packed house, full of spirit and excitement was where you kids spent their evening. The smiles on their faces said it all. It was an absolutely perfect evening that kicked off Summer. 2023. So off we go to have the summer of our lives and as I told them tonight, they all deserve what is in front of them – A summer that will leave a mark on their hearts forever and it is our absolute pleasure and honor to provide that for your children. Our team is ready and we truly don’t know who is more excited, the staff or the campers.

Enjoy your summer and we will take it from here. Thank you for your support and belief in us and we hope to send your kids back in 49 days a bit more independent, more self confident, capable to navigate through things that challenge them, with a ton more friends and memories that last throughout their lifetime.

 

To Our Chen-A-Wanda Parents at home that have read our blogs, watched our videos, sifted through thousands and thousands of pictures, loved our Instagram posts and stories and believed in us enough to send your kids to spread their wings with us at Camp Chen-A-Wanda. We can’t thank you enough for sharing your children with us this summer. I have spent the past 49 nights writing to you at home in hopes of giving you a glance and what is happening inside our gates but tonight I wrote this letter and read it to your children for our last evening activity of Summer ’22. They were arm in arm with one another, crying happy tears for the love they feel here and sad tears because summer has come to an end. It has been the most magnificent summer and it is because of your children, the heart and soul to Camp Chen-A-Wanda. Thank you again for believing in us to care for your babies and enjoy them tomorrow when they are back in your arms.

Jon and I decided to write this letter  to you all before camp even began. We wrote this as we awaited your arrival. We wanted to jot down our wishes and hopes for the summer that was ahead of us all. So this letter was written before you came.

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To Our Camp Chen-A-Wanda family:

It’s June 11th, the night before you, our staff start your journey to camp.  We can only imagine how nervous you may be right now and maybe even some of you are contemplating not coming because of all those nerves but we hope you find the strength to get in that car or on that flight and face any fears or doubts you may be feeling right now. We hope you believe in the decision you made to be a camp counselor and we hope you know what is just around the corner for you – an amazing summer and one that you each deserve to experience.  We hope you love orientation and hope you make incredible friends this summer. We can’t wait until you meet your kids and fall head over heels for them. We know that these people you don’t yet know will impact your lives in ways you just cant possibly imagine. We hope on our last night, your kids are sitting in your laps or draped all over you but most importantly that they creep into your heart.  This will be a hard job and it will require strength you may not even know you have. But we believe in you and we know if you take that leap, you will most definitely fly.

To all our campers who will be here in just a few short weeks. We know the crazy years we have all just experienced and we hope that this summer will feel normal for you.  You all deserve normal and we are working so hard to give you a safe place to play and to grow and to feel free. We hope Covid and masks and breaking news will not be a thing for any of us and we want this summer to be exactly what you all need. We hope you know that you will all be accepted and loved for exactly who you are and we hope you make friends and let people into your lives who make you feel special. We hope you love the staff that are coming from all over the globe to be here just for you and we want to give you experiences that will enrich your lives and open your hearts. We hope you try new things this summer and push yourselves outside your comfort zones. We will be there for you when things may be hard and we hope you know that we will be there to help pick you up if you fall and we will be there for you when you need us. We hope you appreciate your life away from your phones and devices and we hope you embrace talking to one another and learning the art of communication with your friends. That is a skill you will need and it’s the reason why your friendships here are so special and long-lasting. We hope you have an amazing summer you leave better and more confident than when you arrived.

Hey Collegiates, Seniors & Supers – We hope you enjoy curfew and all those extra upper camp perks this summer.   We hope your optional nights help make you feel like the bigs kids on camp. You have earned those privileges and our hope is that this summer is absolutely amazing for you. We hope there aren’t too many raids and upper camp shenanigans this summer but we sure you hope you love what is in store for you. To our GC’s – this is it, your last and final true camper summer. You have so much too look forward too and we know that the west coast trip will truly make this summer unlike any other you have experienced. & Our hope is that you and the CIT’s bond together on that trip of yours and you all realize that though you are 2 divisions, you really are one family. 

To our cool kids in the back of the Hall, our CIT’s . We hope you come to camp with an open heart and a willingness to truly be one bunk & one division. That alone will make all the difference and will set the tone for how amazing your summer can be. We hope you know how much everyone on camp will look up to you this summer and how this summer is your summer to shine. We hope you love every minute, every moment, every second of your CIT summer. The Hill will be yours and we want nothing more than to give you an incredible summer that will change your lives for the better. We hope you love and adore your campers because we know they will love you right back. It’s now your turn to be the hero of summer ’22 and we believe in each and every one of you. We are so excited for you to experience a trip of a lifetime and hope you and the GC’s of course, will love the West Coast. And we hope when Jon and I are standing up on Shields Hall stage as we read this letter aloud to you on our last night, we hope you are arm in arm, holding onto one another feeling sad it’s over but so incredibly happy that it happened. 

That is our wish for what lays ahead for us all. 

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So.. here we are at the end, it’s Friday night, August 12th, it’s our last night and as we look out at this sea of beautiful faces and see how you are holding onto one another, arm in arm, it appears our hopes for what was to be, happened for us all. Our staff made the most wonderful connections with each other and the campers and our campers were the heartbeat that made camp feel alive all summer long. You all made a difference in our lives and we truly hope we made a difference in yours. 

We ask each and every one of you sitting here in front of us to remember, on those cold winter nights how this place made you feel and how it filled your heart with so much joy. How Camp Chen-A-Wanda changed you for the better and how we all created a world of kindness and compassion that will last far beyond the 7 weeks we just spent here. So as you head back out to the “real world” share a little Chenny with everyone you meet. Be kind, put down those devices and talk to one another, hold hands with your friends, find time to stargaze, tell those you love how much they mean to you and always be the river.

Thank you Chenny for a summer we will never forget. 

We Love You!!

Elissa & Jon

Reality has set in that our last few days of summer 2022 are upon us. It is a mix of emotion here at camp as we are organizing for the end. With Color War behind us and banquet happening tonight, the end of summer 2022 is coming closer. We have only one more day and this magical summer will come to a close.

As the sun was setting over Fiddle Lake, we were all dressed up in our best outfits and headed to the beach and everyone took pictures together with friends & counselors. Everyone looked beautiful. The vibe was insane and just so full of joy. Kids stood on the dock, arm in arm smiling for that group picture that will be looked at a million times as soon they return home only to remind us of this very night.  It was a night that had a tangible feeling attached to it – we looked gorgeous, felt happy and it showed on every person here at camp.  Living free and happy is how we choose to live up here. This night was perfect and as they walked into the Lodge for banquet dinner we walked into a world under the sea.  We ate delicious food, sang at the top of our lungs and danced together and everyone felt the love. There were Congo lines all around the Lodge and the party was hopping and the energy was just incredible.

After dinner it was off to Shields Hall for our end of the year division Awards. Each Division highlighted the following campers in 3 areas; Honor Camper, Athlete of the Year and All Around Camper. They are truly standout campers and we couldn’t be more proud to highlight and honor them on this great night. To receive an award on this night is the highest honor we can give our campers. These are remarkable campers who deserve all the accolades and praise they were given. We have outstanding campers and tonight the light was bright on the campers we recognized with these extremely prestigious awards. What an honor, what a night and oh what a feeling!!!!

	CAMPERS OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2022 – Girls side
	HONOR		ATHLETE		ALL AROUND
FRESHMEN	Lily Schwartz		Charli Houlis		Blair Amster
JUNIORS	Emma Shey		Emmy Sanon		Maya Park
MIDDIES	Charlotte Cangiano		Gabby Hassenbein		Charli McClure
INTERS	Julie Gold		Victoria Portonova		Alexandra Ortiz
COLLEGIATES	Maya Kushner		Jordana Kohen		Ava Mallin
SENIORS	Mia Koenig		Sammy Keane		Hayley Plotnick
SUPERS	Abby Bussel		Emily Benisch		Paige Arenberg
GC’s	Jillian Shohet		Brooke Gordon		Natalie Portnoy
CIT Of The Year	Annie Isaacson

 

	CAMPERS OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2022 – Boys Side
	HONOR		ATHLETE		ALL AROUND
FRESHMEN	Tyler Lefkowitz		Jordan Schwebel		Ryan Zaben
JUNIORS	Brody Scharaga & Spencer Braverman		Brandon Carrasquillo & Spencer Simon		Mason Kohen & Gabe Porat
MIDDIES	Harrison Pilkington		Emmet Rosenberg		Ethan Marin
INTERS	Enzo Vicente		Jake Freeman		Brody Adler
COLLEGIATES	Nate Wellikoff		Matan Harel		Jordan Morris
SENIORS	Elan Harel		Cade McClure		Dylan Adler
SUPERS	Jason Marks		Noah Caplan		Justin Ghorchain
GC’s	Trent Hernandez		Brett Schuster		Lincoln Williams
CIT’s of the Year	Logan Saltzman

After the Awards, it was party time and we danced all night long. Shields Hall was full of campers who let loose and danced until their feet hurt. It was over the top fun having our last true dance party with our summer family. It’s so hard to believe the summer is coming to a close.  It just doesn’t seem real. As campers headed back to their bunks full of glow sticks, T-shirts, glow rings and other goodies that were given out at the party, everyone was exhausted and elated and had the times of their life tonight. It was a party like no other as we celebrated an amazing summer 2022. It was just an incredible way to celebrate with the most amazing people on the planet. Life is great.. One more day to go and we don’t want to blink because before we know it, we will boarding those buses and heading home. A truly remarkable night that reflects a truly remarkable summer.

 

Today was a brunch wake up and we were all so excited to have that extra sleep.  After our 5 day Color War, the sleep was so was well deserved.  The sun was shining and it was a relaxed dat at camp. Things are winding down and it feels like summer is getting close to the end. With only a few more day to go, reality is setting in – Summer ’22 is wrapping up.

We had free play all morning and the kids were loving the ease about today. After our 5 day Color War, a laid back morning was exactly what we all needed. After lunch, it was our last official activities of the summer. As I walked around camp, all you see are kids playing. I watched the Middy boys play a great game of fall football right next to a gaga tourney with the freshman girls. Everyone from our freshman through our CIT’s just played today. They were getting every inch of whats left of camp. When the last bugle rang today after the last official activity, everyone knew that was it and reality has set in.

The most anticipated evening activity of summer is Late Night with Leahy and tonights show was INCREDIBLE. So entertaining , there is no other way to describe it other than beyond belief funny and fabulously entertaining. Brian Leahy creates the most entertaining videos and produces a show that is funny beyond belief and wraps up our summer with the most perfect late night talk show twist.  There are incredibly funny videos, dances, TikToks and Beats Headphones giveaways.  Campers and staff absolutely went crazy for the hilarity of what they witnessed tonight. It was a perfect way to end a perfect day and the ideal warp up to summer 2022. Ask your camper how Late Night was and we know they’d say, “best show ever.”

Just two more days to go until summer ’22 is in our rear view mirror. We have had the most incredible summer to date and our Chenny spirit is flying high here. You can feel the energy, it’s undeniable and you can feel the shift of knowing we will soon be back home. Even as we are slowing down, the magic of teachable moments are happening here. Tonight two senior girls were having some troubles in their friendship and 3 CIT girls sat with these 2 girls and shared their heart. They said something that went straight my heart when I heard them say, “we wasted time with drama and holding grudges and believe us when we say, its not worth holding onto the pain and misunderstanding. Look beyond any mistakes you’ve made and move past it together. We would do anything to be Seniors again and to have the summers back with our best friends. But our time here is coming to an end. Learn from your mistakes and be the river.” This is a sentiment I have said on the daily as I encourage the kids to be the river and roll with life harder times. Watching our oldest girls help a few girls who so needed to hear that tonight was just so beautiful. It was full circle watching kids help kids with their knowledge and experience. I just sat, listened and watched as our CIT’s so beautifully helped these two girls who needed to hear this exact message tonight.

So onto our last 2 nights and we cannot wait to party like rock stars tomorrow night at Banquet. Ending with a bang Chenny style.