A Day We Will Never Forget

To say the timing was perfectly on our side would be an understatement. There was nothing we wanted more than to welcome all of you to your kids  summer home while sharing the news we have been waiting  to tell you: The Chen-A-Wanda story will continue. After the past six weeks of fighting for this place we all love, being able to stand together with our camp families and celebrate this moment was one of the most meaningful experiences of our lives.

From the moment the gates opened and you all drove in, everything about today felt as close to perfect as a day can be. The weather was beautiful. Camp was buzzing with excitement. Parents got to hug and hold their babies,  siblings were back together again, campers showed off their bunks, their favorite activities, and best friends, and every corner of camp was filled with laughter and so much joy. But there was something more. There was certainty. There was pride. There was relief. More than anything, we wanted you to spend today simply enjoying your kids. We wanted you to walk around camp knowing that their summer home, the place that means so much to all of us, has a really bright future. Being able to give you that peace of mind meant everything to us.

We knew you all were rooting for us. And today, we felt it. The hugs felt different. The conversations felt different. It wasn’t just congratulations. It felt as though we had all walked this journey together, and today we crossed the finish line together. We cannot begin to express our gratitude for your love, your faith, your encouragement, and your belief in Camp Chen-A-Wanda. You carried us through one of the most challenging chapters of our lives, and we will never forget it.

As we watched families explore camp today, our hope was that you saw exactly what we see every single day. We hope you saw children who are happy, confident, and free. We hope you met the extraordinary counselors and staff who are helping write your kids summer story and who pour their hearts into making every day unforgettable. We hope you experienced the incredible sense of community that makes Chenny so unique. We hope you paused at lunch and listened to Will and Jake’s live music, and know that your children get to experience that joy every single day. Most of all, we hope you left knowing your kids are exactly where they should be, surrounded by people who care deeply for them, challenged to grow, encouraged to be themselves, and embraced by a community that loves them.

To every family who drove through our gates today, thank you. Thank you for bringing so much love, warmth, peace, and joy into camp. You made today magical. And the best part? Summer isn’t over yet. We still have three incredible weeks to go.