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  • Finding Her Voice

    Last week, a senior camper approached me for support regarding her bestfriend that she was struggling with. She had felt a growing distance between them since camp began and wasn’t sure how to bridge the gap. Afraid that addressing the issue might make things worse, she struggled to find the right words, the right time, and the courage to say anything at all. She visited my office daily, seeking advice on how to approach her friend, whom she missed so much. I shared advice and ultimately offered to be there with her for support if and when she was ready to speak her mind and share her feelings but today she came to me saying, “I need to do this on my own, and I think I’m ready.” With palpable nervousness, she walked from my porch straight to her bunk and, mustering all her courage and asked her friend to take a walk with her. I watched them stroll past my office, initially quiet but gradually opening up. By their fifth lap, they were laughing and clearly reconnecting. Being a teenage girl can be incredibly challenging, especially when it comes to finding your voice and expressing your feelings. Today, this camper not only found her voice but also rekindled her friendship and discovered a newfound confidence. At tonight’s evening activity, I saw them sitting side by side, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, back to being best friends. This place is amazing for so many reasons and this was definitely one of them. She found her voice and her courage and her best friend.

    Girls Side Sports:

    Senior Softball – CAW 0 vs. Lohikan 7

    Senior Basketball – CAW 15 vs. Island Lake 22

    Boys Side Sports:

    Freshman Flag Football Tournament – Game 1 CAW 21 vs. Wayne 14 / Game 2 CAW 21 vs. Westmont 28

    Inter Hockey – CAW 5 vs. Wayne 10

    Collegiate Hockey – CAW 0 vs. Starlight 5

    Super Basketball – CAW 53 vs. Starlight 34

    Camp is where we shine and tonight we were as bright as the sun, as our campers took the stage in the Camper Talent show #2. There were 21 acts that stood up on our stage and performed in front of camp. That is not an easy fete for anyone but this Chenny audience was overwhelmingly supportive cheering proud and loud for their talented friends.  Freshman camper Ivy Havens, took center stage and sang a solo and it didnt take but a beat that the rest of us inside Shields Hall sang along with her.  That initial shaky voice quickly grew stronger with each note. Looking out a the audience who was rocking out, clapping along and singing with you gives you something you can’t quite explain; a confidence that will be with you forever.  She literally skipped off the stage after she was done with so much confidence and pride.  Every year this evening activity restores my faith in how good we are to one another here and how brave we are to get up on that stage.  We are so proud of every camper who had the courage and confidence to share their talent with us and so incredibly proud of the audience who so graciously supported them. Way to go Chenny Kids!

     

     

  • Keep Spreading that Kindness, You Make the World a Better Place

    To be a kind person is to be gentle and show compassion, care and consideration for others. It’s the act of being empathetic and understanding, offering help without expecting anything in return. Kindness often involves small, everyday actions, like a smile, a compliment, or lending a hand when your needed.  It’s not just about grand gestures; it’s also in the little things that make others feel valued and respected. Kindness can bridge gaps, build trust, and create a sense of connection. It’s about recognizing and responding to the needs and feelings of others, and it often has a ripple effect, inspiring more kindness in the world. There is nothing better than calling out our KIND CAMPERS and to see the look on their faces when they hear their name, its pure perfection. When I hand them their shirt, I tell each of them the following  “keep spreading that kindness, you make the world a better place.”

    Girl KIND Campers: Harlow Fass, Carly Reisfeld, Ive Havens, Sienna Fass, Dylan Wolman, Skylar Braverman, Savannah Zeitel, Ella Sherman, Jordyn Kuperstein, Maya Barasch, Jolie Schissler, Emma Rice, Morgan Fischer, Jaden Bugni, Sophie Hochstadt.

    Girls Kind Counselors: Kylie Ross (Bunk C), Talisha Todd (Bunk G), Stevie Green (Bunk H), Lucy Jones (Bunk J), Addison Rubovitz (Bunk N), Maisie Walker (Bunk N), Arielle Ashkenase (Bunk Q), Lanie Bishop (Bunk Y)

    Boy KIND Campers: Gabe Porat, David Chuven, Paxton Debrabant, Emmet Rosenberg, Zach Capon, DC Cohen, Trevor Weinstein, Tucker Friedman, Luke Orlando, Logan Shapiro, Mason Shulman, Hunter Sterling, Chase Goldman, Jordan Klatsky

    Boy KIND COUNSELORS: Jonah Kingma (Bunk B), Aiden Gwyther (Bunk G), Graham Dooskin (Bunk Q), Chandler Spencer-Salmon (Bunk R)

    Girls Side Sports:

    Freshman vs. Junior Softball Tournament Team – Juniors Win 10-3

    Freshman vs. Junior Basketball Tournament Team – Freshman Win 14-4

    Middy vs. Inter Soccer Tournament Team – Inters Win 8-0

    Middy Tennis – CAW 1 vs. Wayne 4

    Boys Side Sports:

    Freshman vs. Junior Soccer Tournament Team – Juniors Win 6-2

    Freshman vs. Juniors Tennis Tournament Team – Juniors Win 5-0

    Lokanda Cup Hockey Seniors & Collegiates – Game 1 CAw 1 vs. Timberlake / Game 2 CAW 2 vs. Tyler Hill 8

    Lower camp had a blast at their Gold Rush evening activity. Each bunk had to find gold rocks hidden all around camp and collect them. It was hilarious as they searched high and low and everywhere in between. The campers were eager to find the gold because they knew the more they got, the better their chances were for getting some premiere prizes at the auction. Our older kids had their own fun at a Vegas style casino night inside Shields Hall. They too, were vying for more chips as they played blackjack and other card games in their own private Chenny Casino. As the night came to a close, the entire camp gathered by bunk on Shields Hall court and pooled the gold they found and chips they won to give each team the money value they had to use at the upcoming auction. It was a real deal auction as they bid for premier prizes like pizza parties, canteen raids, krispy creme for snack call to name a few. Bunks were out bidding one another and the campers just had the most amazing time, hootin’ and hollarin’ and having a ball. It was another remarkable night your kids enjoyed.

    The GC’s are truly having the trip of a lifetime and living it up in LA. They spent the morning at the Farmers Market (an LA staplke) followed by an evening at Universal.  What a trip these kids are having together. Making memories, deepening friendships and making new ones. Life is Incredible when you are a GC at Chenny.

    Truly hard to believe that we are over the halfway mark of our summer and with 19 days left, we have a lot more to do and accomplish. Best news is, we get to wake up tomorrow and do it all over again. Life is Great!

  • Days Like This

    I had to title this blog, Days Like This. Because the world would be a happier place if everyone had days like this.  It’s hard not to be completely fulfilled when you start your day eating breakfast overlooking the most beautiful peaceful lake with all the glass doors wide open and you can feel that morning breeze. Then it’s off to play activities, maybe a baseball game or a biddy basketball tournament. After that, you are off to the lake to go tubing with your friends. You find yourself making a friendship bracelet in Arts and Crafts. You have built up an appetite so it’s off to the Lodge for lunch and it’s not any lunch, it’s chicken nuggets and french fries. Wohooo! The food was delicious but it didn’t compare to that giant sing-a-long party you had. You will forever remember dancing to Jai Ho in the Lodge.  There is something so awesome to stand on the table, sing at the top of your lungs in a room full of everyone singing with you. After lunch you take a needed rest and put away all your clean laundry. Then you and your friends head out to a few more awesome fun activities. You enjoy an afternoon snack and the wrap up your day with one last fun activity to do. Its time to shower and after that you head back into the Lodge for some incredibly delicious General Tso Chicken and Fried Rice. Just when you thought your day couldn’t get any better, its off to your evening activity where we all get crazy, dress up and sacrifice our Visiting Day candy. This is the day your children had today. This is why we have happy campers – because they have days like this.

    Girls Side Sports: 

    Our girls side had a great time at the Tyler Hill Dance competition. We had 80 dancers perform in Hip Hop, Lyrical and Jazz categories. The girls worked hard and the choreography was fantastic. We couldn’t be more proud of our dancers and the heart and soul they put into todays comp. They are fierce, fiery and fabulous.

    Boys Side Sports:

    Inters Basketball Championship – CAW 39 vs. Wayne 52

    Seniors Baseball Championship  – CAW 9 vs. Starlight 2 – CHENNY WINS!

    Gordon Cup @ Timberlake – CIT/Senior/Super – Game 1 CAW 3 vs. Wahnee 7 ; Game 2 CAW 5 vs. Equinunk 4

    Tonights evening activity was the candy sacrifice and it’s when each bunk purges all of its candy from visiting day. Girls side hosts the Candy Cat Walk and Boys side embraces Candy Gods. It is absolutely hilarious and a great way to get all that candy out of the bunks. Sacrifices were made and now our bunks are clean. It was all laughs and much respect for those bunks who brought all their candy to the sacrifice. And to those bunks who had little to sacrifice, we know where they hide the rolos. It was a great fun night and one our campers will not forget. Candy, dressing up, sacrifices…Oh what a night!

  • Trip Day #3

    Trip Day #3  was another spectacular day spent outside of camp.

    Freshmen, Juniors, Middies, Inters and Coillegiates spent their day at Kalahari Water Park and LOVED it. Nothing is better than a giant waterpark in the summer with your best friends.  What could be better than that? The kids rolled into camp late tonight and got off the buses with huge smiles but were exhausted. There are some things that truly define our summers and experiencing the countries biggest indoor waterpark parks with your campies is one of them. It was a great day for everyone.

    Seniors & Supers started their day at the roller rink for some old fashion fun. There is something so pure and sweet about rollerskating with your friends. It truly is a summer favorite and of that wasn’t enough summer fun, it was off to the movies for some popcorn and summer blockbusters. Our CIT’s had a day touring Syracuse University and then some shopping at the mall. The GC’s landed in Los Angeles and wasted no time as they headed directly to my alma-mater UCLA and explored what I think is the best University ever (I know I am biased).

    Other than our GC’s, everyone is back at camp, exhausted from a day well spent and hearts full from the people who we spent it with. We’re livin the dream at Chenny.

  • ‘s

    Where can you find a group of 13 year old boys sitting around a table playing card games. N0 phones, no Netflix and no screens, just 6 boys and a deck of cards and good conversation. I walked out of the Lodge from lunch and found this scene on the picnics table under the apple tree.  I don’t know the game they were playing and it didn’t matter. It was the company they kept and how a deck of cards allowed these boys to find joy and humor and ultimately friendship in these moments that happen daily here.  You are just an ask away from sitting in a group of friends, making memories and connections that will ultimately impact your life in the most positive way. It’s the simple things that make the most impact and sometimes a game of Crazy 8’s with your buddies can blow away all the video games they play alone at home. Our kids are hungry for these connections and camp breeds these shared moments.

    Girls Side Sports:

    Inter Basketball – CAW 25 vs. Starlight 8

    Senior Basketball – CAW 22 vs. Starlight 21

    Senior Soccer – CAW 2 vs. Starlight 1

    Super Softball – CAW 7 vs. Lohikan 4

    Boys Side Sports: 

    Middy Tennis – CAW 0 vs. Wayne 5

    Seniors Tennis – CAW 1 vs. Wayne 4

    GC/CIT Softball – CAW 4 vs. Tyler Hill 8

    It was a gorgeous night with a the brightest red full moon shining over our amphitheater as we were having awards outside under the lights. It was time to announce and celebrate our Campers of the Week. We love highlighting these outstanding campers and they LOVE hearing their names being called. Awards at the Amp is always spirited and it’s a time during our week that bonds us together and creates a shared experience we wont ever forget. Congratulations to this weeks Camper of the Week.

    Freshman – Charlotte Pomeranz & Nathan Shay

    Junior –  Mayah Hollander, Maya Sackser &  Charlie Rosenhouse & Jacob Sackser

    Middies – Eliana Friedman, Madden Weisberg & Harrison Zender

    Inters – Zoe Ratner, Livi Pall & Austin Acree, Joshua Kirstein

    Collegiates – Zoey Kornblau & Bennett Schwartz

    Seniors – Emme Shulman , Brooke Arenberg & Ben Amster, Nate Isaacson

    Supers -Meri Jacobs, Maddy Rosen & Brady Kotler, Jake Sklar

    GC’s – Abby Foodim & Dylan Adler

    CIT’S – Mandy Adler & Jordan Klatsky

    So another day spent in the best place on earth, with the greatest people doing incredible things together. Life is pretty Great right now and I have a good idea – let;s do it all over again tomorrow.

  • Visiting Day Success

    Thank you to all of our incredible Chenny families who came to camp and made today spectacular. Even a mid-day rain couldn’t stop the great vibes felt all throughout camp today. There is just nothing sweeter than watching you run to your children and hold them tight. That moment when you get your kids back in your arms makes everything right in the world.  The anticipation on your kids’ faces as they so desperately want to see you grab them off their porches is a sight that will never get old. Family is everything and all is right in the world when you have kids in your arms. We loved watching your family reunite and spend the day enjoying each other.

    There were so many amazing moments that unfolded in front of our eyes today, and we are incredibly grateful to see how important camp is for your kids. It’s moments when the cast of The Lion King and the Dance team performed in front of all you and watching you watch them perform was so joyful.  When our staff broke out into a giant dance party during lunch in the Lodge, you sat in awe watching the joy your kids experience every single day  here. It is why we do what we do—to enhance and impact the lives of your kids, to let them feel safe and secure in a world that may not always feel safe and secure and to give them experiences that will build their confidence. We hope today reaffirmed that your kids are in the most perfect place, surrounded by the most caring people, trying new things and being outside and active all summer long . Thank you for supporting us and trusting us with your beautiful children.

    We hope your Visiting Day was outstanding and exactly what you needed. The night was epic with our Silent Disco and new fun tradition where we had a pie eating contest. Ask you kids about it, It was so much fun. We have 3 1/2  more weeks of this amazing place, and we plan to make each day better than the last. Thank you for your love, support and thank you to everyone who shared with me today that you are enjoying these Blogs. My goal is to share what I see and how I am inspired by your kids every single day. Today, it was you, our Chen-A-Wanda families that brought the love and inspiration – Thank you.

    Visiting Day 2024, it’s a wrap!

  • Visiting Day is here

    We are getting ready for our Visiting Day tomorrow and cannot wait. The kids are sooooooo excited to see you can feel the excitement on camp. Today was dedicated to getting camp ready and our bunks look absolutely gorgeous and the campers just cannot wait to show you around their summer home!

    Some wins.. some defeats but Visiting Day is tomorrow so we are all GREAT!!!!

    Girls Side Sports:

    Freshman vs Junior Girls Basketball Tournament Team – Freshman WON (8-6)

    Inter vs Collegiate Girls Basketball Tournament Team – Inters WON (35-14)

    GC/CIT Girls Basketball – CAW 23 vs Island Lake 51

    Boys Side Sports:

    Freshmen basketball vs Wayne loss 42-14

    Fr/Jr Baseball  – CAW 13 vs Wayne. Chenny Wins Championship

    Inter soccer  –  CAW 2 vs island lake 4

    Collegiate basketball  CAW 73 vs Nesher 26

    Senior hockey – CAW 11  vs Lavi 3

    Super basketball  – CAW 59 vs Westmont 30

    Super baseball  – CAW 8 vs Wayne 4

    GC/CIT  soccer  – CAW 7 vs Island lake 4

    GC/CIT hockey – CAW 8 vs Lavi 5

    Tonight was electric as our staff took the stage and performed for our entire camp in the Staff Talent Show. This staff blew us away with thier talent and our kids went bananas cheering every single one of them on. They danced, they sang, dazzled us with circus tricks, told jokes and so much more. This staff is brave and funny and talented and showing the campers to just put yourself out there and just do it without fear or self doubt! That is a part of camp I love, when staff and campers can get up on that stage, lose all inhibition and put it out there. After the show, a counselor came into my office and asked me if this place is actually real. She performed tonight and was so nervous but said this place gave me a standing ovation. She went on to say, “I have never done anything like that before and it felt so great to feel so free and so supported. This place is truly unreal and I am so glad to be here and I may never leave.”

    There isn’t a person on camp that isn’t going out of their mind with excitement for tomorrow. The weather forecast is beautiful and we are ready for you!!  Just a few more hours to go until you hug your babies!!

    See you in the morning

     

  • ‘s a Thing!

    Today was anything but typical at Camp Chen-A-Wanda, thanks to a special visit from the Corn Man. One of the best days of the summer is when we get a visit from the Corm Man. Campers dressed in Green and Yellow  – this was a thing! He hit it out of the park with his delicious, sweet roasted corn on the cob. Starting early in the morning, the aroma of roasting corn wafted through every corner of camp, building anticipation throughout the day. By mid-afternoon, it was time, and the campers were ready. You can’t imagine how much the kids LOVED the roasted corn. It was the sweetest, most delicious corn you can imagine, and everyone was hooked. When you can have a blast eating corn on the cobb, you know you’re somewhere special. What a delicious day we all had.

    Two Championships Today!

    Girls Side Sports:

    Freshman/Junior Soccer CAW 9 @ Westmont O – CHAMPIONSHIP WIN!!

    Freshman/Junior Basketball CAW 14 vs Wayne  6

    Middy Basketball CAW 15 vs Lavi

    Middy vs Inter Soccer Tournament Team  – INTERS WIN

    Inter vs Collegiate Tennis Tournament Teams – COLLEGIATES WON (3-2)

    Senior/Super Lacrosse CAW 8 vs Wayne 9

    Supers Basketball @ Lavi LOSS (34-21)

    ⁠GC/CIT Softball – CAW 7 vs Lohikan 1 CHAMPIONSHIP WIN !!!

    Boys Side Sports:

    Middy/Inters Barsel Cup (@Lokanda) Game 1- vs Timberlake loss 6-1. Game 2- vs Lokanda loss 7-1

    Middy vsInters Tournament Teams  Middy  Win 1-0

    Seniors Baseball – CAW 5 vs Westmont 1

    Gc/CIT tennis – CAW 3 vs Lohikan 2

    Girls took the field tonight in our annual Powder Puff GC’s vs. CIT’s and the girls brought the excitement. We are all so proud of of these amazing girls who went out there tonight and left it all on the field. Both teams wanted it, but the CIT’s defeated our GC’s 21-0. Everyone had so much tonight regardless if you were playing in the game or dancing, watching the game. It is a camp favorite here at Chenny and ones our oldest kids look forward to since they’ve been freshman sitting and watching it. Congratulations to our MVP’s Hayden Berger and Sammy Witz – they are strong, powerful, fast and talented girls!

    One more day till you get to hug your kiddos – We can’t wait for VisitingDay!

  • & Connected

    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

    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.