Chenny Blog

I received an email from a mom of a camper that absolutely made my day. In the midst of camp craziness and it is crazy with so many things happening and needing attention every hour, every minute, every second, this email gave me a moment to pause and let me truly reflect on what its all about. She had a call with her daughter who shared how happy she was, how connected she feels to her friends, how she is having the best summer ever. That mom heard a daughter that was confident, happy, connected and feeling great on the inside. What could be better than hearing ” I don’t want this to end”.  This place your kids spend their summers at, makes them feel this way – connected, and confident and feeling good about themselves and their world. This is what it is all about and for a brief a moment today, I stopped and smelled the roses and felt so much gratitude for how this place impacts your kids. Even the bumps in the road, help shape our kids to be better and do better and ultimately feel better and Chenny helps them do this. So to that mom, you know who you are, Thank you for that email and reminding me what we do really matters and you at home are seeing your kids shine so bright. Just nothing better than that.

Girls Side Sports:

Freshman/Junior Tournament Soccer – Freshman 0 vs. Juniors 4

Middy/ Inter Tournament Basketball – Middies 15 vs. Inters 27

Seniors Basketball – CAW 27 vs. Wayne 17

Seniors and under Softball  @ Tyler Hill – Game 1 CAW 13 vs.  Tyler Hill 2 / Game 2 CAW 10 vs. Tyler Hill 1

Boys Side Sports:

Freshman/Junior / Middies Tournament LAX – Fr/Jr 0 vs. Middies 3

Freshman/Junior Hockey – CAW 10 vs. Wayne 4

Middy Tennis – CAW 4 vs. Lohikan 1

We had a new evening activity and the kids loved it – BEAT SHAZAM was a huge hit. Think Name That Tune but team vs team. A popular song would play for a few seconds and your team had to quickly get the title right to win points. So many laughs, so many songs and so many hilarious moments happened tonight. Our Freshman Girls dominated tonight and won themselves and ice cream party!!! They may be the smallest and definitely the cutest but never ever underestimate the music knowledge the freshman girls have. Summer just keeps getting better!

Trip Day #2 was another home run. We all love being here at camp but the trips are a perfect addition to our summer and add to the memories we make and fun adventures we all have.

Freshmen, Juniors and Middies spent their morning jumping around at SkyZone and then it was off to the movies to watch some summer blockbusters as they munched on popcorn. Inters & Collegiates  and GC’s had their fun day climbing, playing mini golf and zip lining at Gorilla Grove TreeTop Adventures. After their morning of  climbing and challenge courses, they too enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at the movies.  Our Seniors are on their overnight at Hershey Park and loving every minute of their trip. Supers are giving their trip to Virginia Beach rave reviews and are loving it. We are so happy for our kids who are on their overnight trips and loving their experiences as everyone is making great memories together. CIT’s had a change in their itinerary as rain had them pivot from a camping trip to a day full of great food from Binghams, followed by some fun shopping at the mall and ended their day with Hibachi dinner and ice cream.

It was just an incredible day spent outside camp for all our kids who had fun and made memories today. Leaving camp is super cool but there is nothing like coming back home. Not a peep to be heard all throughout camp. Our kids are tired from a day well spent. Not taking a minute for granted and there is so much more to do.

We’ve got happy campers and are proud of it!

Life is so Great here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda.

I was in Arts & Crafts with the Inter girls today and I had the glorious privilege of watching 4 campers who were building a house together out of popsicle sticks. Each one was making their own side wall and then together they built the roof. They collaborated, they created, the giggled and they chatted the entire period long. The best part was that all 4 girls were from different bunks. They were having the absolute best time together building a house. Each side wall the girls made was different just like each of them but when it came all together, it was a masterpiece, just like them.

Another day full of sports and great sportsmanship.

Girls Side Sports

Collegiate Girls Softball – CAW 12 vs. Starlight 1

GC/CIT and under Girls Basketball Tournament at Tyler Hill – CAW played 2 games and lost both

Gymnastics Competition at Bryn Mawr – Addison Orgel (vault) , Lia Portanova (bars & floor)  and Logan Cohen (bars) all placed

Boys Side Sports

Freshman /Juniors Tournament Team  Baseball – Freshman 3 vs. Juniors 0 – Cameron Sylvin pitched a no hitter

Freshman/Junior Tournament Teams Basketball – Freshman 18 vs. Juniors 14

Inters Boys Basketball – CAW 20 vs. Poyntelle 19

GC/CIT Boys Basketball – CAW 70 vs. Island Lake 25

GC/CIT Boys LAX – CAW 4 vs. Westmont 10

Honoring or KIND CAMPERS is the highlight of my week. I love reading all the kind things we are doing for each other here and kindness is spreading at Chenny and we LOVE it!

Girl Kind Campers – Chloe Hiatt, Skylar Rosenberg, Paige Cohen, Camryn Nazem, Sky Woods, Lexi Garber, Libby Luzine, Maya Vicente, Charlotte Cangiano, Olivia Bank, Eden Levine, Charli McClure, Kylie Ho, Mattea Siegel, Lindsay Gelfman

Boy Kind Campers – Lennon Ellis, Rory Fischer, Teddy Lester, Jaxson Shillman, Charles Zuckman, Blake Zion, Caleb Gene, Chase Pillersdorf, Dylan Raiten, AJ Spitz,

Camper Awards is a time we all come together and honor more amazing campers who have contributed to the incredible vibe that is happening on camp. The spirit, the good vibes, the positivity that is happening on camp right now is infectious and having such amazing kids and staff is the reason why.

Campers of the Week

Freshman –  Iyla Paull & Noah Rubin

Juniors – Arin Gordon, Chloe Hiatt & Nate Bennett, Max Schwartz

Middys – Sydney Bell, Sadie Weis & Chase Kaplan

Inters – Chelsea Sibener, Brynn Wolper & Sid Havens, Ryder Picinich

Collegiates – Charlotte Cangiano & Austin Hans

Seniors – Gone To Hershey (will announce at next awards)

Supers – Gone To Virginia (will announce at next awards)

GC’s – Mia Koenig & Jake Marin

CIT’s – Beth Shields, Sydney Cahn & Nolan Irizarry, Noah Carrasquillo

Another beautiful day at the greatest place on earth. We are so lucky to spend our days and nights here at Chenny surrounded by so much kindness and having so much fun – LIFE IS GREAT!

Now it was in the hands of judges as the decision of who would win Olympics 2024 was about to be announced. Shields Hall was packed with our campers dressed head to toe in their team colors waiting on bated breath and all at the edge of their seats. The time had come and with a new tradition, we had a countdown and then off the stage, shot the winning colors in a burst of confetti and streamers. It was a sight to see and incredible to be at. The energy could blow the roof of the building and everyone inside Shields Hall was celebrating regardless if they were wearing red, gold or blue.

Final Scores:

• Red Peru – 2,410
• Blue France – 2,145
• Gold Zimbabwe – 2,105

What we learned from these games were that we all played hard, respected the game, supported each other and believed that in the end it wasn’t just about getting the win but being there for one another. Two and half days ago, we began as Red Peru, Gold Zimbabwe and Blue France and tonight we are back to One Camp Chen-A-Wanda family.

Everyone was decked out in the teams colors and the spirit was high at camp as morning games got underway. The energy on camp was high as our teams took to the fields and courts for some serious games and competitions. If you could have seen the freshman girls dig deep and give everything they’ve got in a game of steal the bacon, you would have been blown away. Regardless if it was the collegiate boys playing newcomb or CIT’s having their water polo match in the pool, it was all intense, competitive and so much fun. You could hear chants and cheers all throughout camp as the kids gave it everything they have and to watch them celebrate the wins and support their team when they lost, is why Olympics is so special here. There was a collegiate girl who missed a crucial free throw at the end of her game. That cost the game for her team and you could see the devastation she felt when she missed the shot. Her team ran to her with support as they saw her feeling discouraged and responsible for the loss. I overheard one of her teammates say to her, “We did everything we could, but the Gold Team just got this one. You didn’t loose it for us, we’re a team.” Then the they walked off the court together arm in arm. This is everything and this is what we do here. We cheer each other on when we win together and support one another when we loose together. This is the magic of Chen-A-Wanda Olympics

Tonight was all about Apache Relay. Each team has 70 events to complete and the first team to finish will be crowned the winner of the Relay. The horn blew and the race began. Every member of each team is an integral part of the race. No matter if you are a Freshman or a CIT, your parts are equally important. This event emphasizes what a family we are here and bring us all together. There were so many memorable moments from tonights Apache but one that stood out was Junior camper Hudson Wachler who was given the task of running from the camp sign on Camp Rd. to the flag pole in center camp. That is a 1/4 mile run and Hudson was competing alongside GC’s and CIT’s. He was the first junior ever who was given this event and he nailed it. Everyone was blown away by his effort and his ability. Hudson ran down Camp Rd. with confidence and determination and everyone was in awe watching his run.  This was his moment and he deserved accolades for competing with the big kids and not only did he keep up, he dominated that race. It was awesome to witness and a moment that we know will stay with Hudson forever. Olympics brings us together and brings the best out of us.

After a full day of games, our Olympic athletes were glad to get to bed. They know that the battle continues tomorrow with more games and ends with Olympic Sing. If you know Olympics, It always comes down to Sing!!