Today was one of those summer days we wish wouldn’t end. Having been here for 4 weeks and with only 3 to go it seems that each day passes quicker than the next. How can we make time stop or at least slow down? We all wait so long to spend 50 days here and it seems to be going way too fast. At this point in the summer, everyone seems to cherish the little things that truly matter the most. Our relationships have grown stronger by the day and our new friends have officially become our family and old friends have continued to enrich our lives.

There is something that sticks out to me every summer as I watch these relationships grow and that is benefit of a hug. Something so simple and easy as a hug or a piggyback ride or holding a hand is just what we do, daily. It’s human connection that we all crave and here is where we get it. We may not even realize how much we need it until we get here and standing next to your friend or counselor seems awkward without sitting on their lap, holding their hands or giving them a hug. You have to see it to believe it and living in this environment breeds it. It’s the thread that makes us closer and the benefits are profound. How different the world be if getting and giving hugs happened like they happen here at camp. You can’t help but smile as you watch campers walk arm in arm to an activity. It warms you from the inside out. It brings our friendships to a very different level than with our home friends. It is why our camp friends become our family. It’s why we love this place so much. It’s why we call it home.

It was another fun day full of sports for our Chenny athletes.

Freshman/Junior Girls Soccer – CAW 3 vs. Westmont 6

Senior Girls Basketball (Gold) – CAW 16 vs. Tioga 22

Freshman/Junior Boys Baseball (Gold) – CAW 0 vs. Westmont 13

Middy Boys Basketball (Gold) – CAW 26 vs. Westmont 31

Middy Boys Basketball (White) – CAW 8 vs. Westmont 18

Inter Boys Softball – CAW 20 vs. Tyler Hill 8

Inter Boys Tennis – CAW 0 vs. Starlight 5

Collegiate Boys Baseball – CAW 5 @ Westmont 3

Tonight our campers were entertained by Audiobody, who dazzled us with their synthesizing drumming light show. You could hear a pin drop in Shields Hall and the look on your kids faces were priceless. It was a night that took our breath away and left us all in awe. They were fun to watch and we all felt as if we were apart of the show!! Here’s to another magnificent day in paradise.

Chenny out

The day was perfect and camp was ideal.  Campers were busy in their activities and it was just another perfect day in paradise. Nothing is wrong waking up in this gorgeous landscape, breathing in this crisp air, playing outside all day long and just loving life. It’s really hard to complain when your day is spent like this, surrounded by energetic happy people. From walking into the Lodge for breakfast, people pass you by and say, “Good Morning” all the way through curfew and you hear the words “Goodnight.. see you in the morning.” It’s a place that breeds good feelings and kindness. Where saying good morning and good night are as effortless as breathing. We are living in a city of good will and great vibes. Reason #175 why Life is Great at Camp Chen-A-Wanda.

Sports…Sports….Sports…. Chenny Loves their sports

Collegiate Girls Soccer – CAW 5 @ Wayne 1 (CAW advances to Finals)

Senior Girls Tennis – CAW 0 @ Wayne 5

Freshman/Junior Boys Baseball – CAW 1 @ Equinunk 4

Collegiate Boys Baseball – CAW 1 @ Starlight 8

Collegiate Boys Tennis – CAW 4 @ Starlight 1

It is such an honor to be a Camper of the Week and we couldn’t be more proud of these campers who earned and deserved it..

Freshmen                         Riley Skrief                   Alec Glazer

Juniors                              Sloane Kesselman     Jack Resnick

Middies                             Ashleigh Brett            Sam Kreshover

Inters                                 Jordan Glickman      Ben Farhi

Collegiates                         Rachel Novick            Noah Kule

Seniors                                Halle Recenstein      Ben Einzig

Supers                                 Phoebe Warshauer    Jordan Rosenberg

CIT’s                                     Gillian Stapler            Steven Bochner

Out GC’s are still having the time of their lives on their trip out West. They are in Las Vegas and loving it. It was Circus Circus in the day and some sightseeing on the strip at night. They group dined at Hard Rock Cafe and then off to an incredible show, Jabawokeez!! They LOVED it and loved Las Vegas. Next stop, The Grand Canyon. It just keeps getting better and better.

Everybody loves Minute To Win It and Chenny kids had a ball as each division had a boy and girl player represent their division.. The crowd cheered on their campers as they were playing for some fabulous and fun prizes. There were 16 players to start the game and after several rounds of incredible challenges, it was narrowed down to 2 finalist who battled it out. CIT Matty Krieger vs. Collegiate camper Jordan Model as they played Volcano in the last round. Each contestant had a cup full of mentos mints and both stood on a platform overlooking a large bottle of soda. The task needed them to successfully drop a mentos into the soda where it would cause a reaction for the soda to crate a volcano and shoot up. It was neck and neck and anyone’s game but with only seconds on the clock, Matty won!!! The crowd went crazy and the kids had a ball. Another amazing night here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda.

Chenny out

Have you ever sat and watched kids build sandcastles? I mean really watch the collaboration and design of the whole process? I did that today and what I saw was pure magic. There was a group of campers building sandcastles down at the beach. There were a few kids who were filling the buckets with water from the lake and the others that were digging the motes that surrounded the castles that were built by another crew. This division of responsibilities was like a dance these campers have done before. There was a vision they all had and boy were they busy. They discussed just how big the castle needed to be and together they worked to create this mini royal world all by themselves. It looked like too much fun to sit by and watch so just like them, I jumped in and added my own contribution with a stick here and a leaf there and every time someone new came to play with us, they were welcomed and their ideas were treasured and added value. It was the perfect example of collaboration, negotiation and creation that stemmed from building sandcastles together. This group of boys and girls, some younger and some older were working independently yet in sync with one another. We were all busy bees working together without a disagreement and with total collaboration that made something pretty beautiful. We did it together and as the bugle rang for shower hour, we all reveled in what we created. To them it was an awesome sandcastle but to me it was way more than that. It was watching your kids learn to work with others in the most positive, productive and supportive way. That sandcastle will most likely not be there in the morning but the value of what it taught your kids will be with them forever.

Another awesome day for Chenny Sports.

Inter Girls  Soccer – CAW 10 @ Tioga 1

Collegiate Girls Basketball – CAW 16 @ Nesher 36

Super Girls Soccer – CAW 7 @ Westmont 0

Freshman. Junior/Middy Boys LAX Tourney at Wayne – CAW lost both matches (7-9 & 5-8)

Inter Boys Soccer – CAW 6 @ Westmont 2

Collegiate Boys Soccer – CAW 4 @ Starlight 2

Senior Boys Tennis – CAW 0 vs. Tioga 5

Senior Boys Basketball – CAW 35 @ Morasha 37

Tonight was an incredible night as we watched our Head staff battle at Lip Sync. There were 8 AWESOME performances and each brought down the house. It was hilarious and entertaining. From our Basketball Director completely embodying Meghan Trainor as he lip synced All About That Base to our Head Counselors putting on a show that we will be talking about for days to come. You could barely hear the music as the roar of the crowd was defining. As hard as it was to choose 5 acts that will move on to our final Lip Sync Battle, we did narrow it down and the bar was set high. Not only do we have the best and most talented staff, they can put on a show that made every single person in Shields Hall smile and sing a long tonight. There is no place like camp!!! Life is Great.

Chenny out

Every summer I mention in these blogs how moved I get about watching the closeness develop between our campers and staff during the summer and today I was blown away watching it all unfold before my eyes. You can’t walk 5 feet without being in its presence. Girls holding hands, boys walking arm in arm, counselors giving piggy back rides, face-to-face everything. The giggles, the hugs, the physical connections we make and the abundance of love that is in this camp is tremendous. From the moment we roll out of bed, someone is arm in arm with someone walking to breakfast. We can’t get close enough as sitting on a lap at line-up is a must and crawling all over our counselors is what we do. Our closeness in this camp is incredible and it shows us just how much we crave this connection in a world where everything we do disconnects us. Our campers need it, our staff revel in it and the outcome is a community of people who are deeply happy and feel the love. I often wonder how different the world would be if everyone got to feel the love and experience this kind of connection for an extended time in their lives. These connections are real and are making a lasting influence on your children. We are all feelin’ the love!!!!

Our Chenny athletes were on point today with so many games being played. Everyone put in great effort and showed awesome sportsmanship. We could not be more proud of our Chenny athletes.

Middy Girls Soccer – CAW 1 @ Westmont 4

Inter Girls  Basketball – CAW 4 vs. Westmont 20

Collegiate Girls Softball – CAW 9 @ Tioga 4

Senior Girls Softball – CAW 6 @ Blue Ridge 8

CIT Girls placed 5th at Volley Tourney at Wayne

Collegiate Boys Basketball – CAW 22 @ Tioga 34

Senior Boys Soccer – CAW 1 @ Poyntelle 11

Super Boys Basketball – CAW 28 @ Westmont 39

Trivia madness was the craze tonight as campers played this awesome game show full of fun facts that we all know and love. Campers were contestants and it was a race to recall answers.  Questions ranged from pop culture to geography and the campers just had an absolute ball. Kids hit the buzzer when they knew the answers and the fun didn’t stop there. There were singing out the answers, silly dances as they raced to hit their button and even beach ball volleys as they recalled fun factoids from this outrageous game show. So much fun for our Freshmen – Collegiate campers. It was a different kind of night as we held a night swim pool party and beach bonfire for our seniors and supers. The  sun was setting on beautiful lake and our campers enjoyed this prefect summer night with a pool party, campfire and s’mores. There was a feeling at our waterfront tonight and as we watched our kids chat the night away around the campfire. The feeling was simple pure summer fun. Like we were watching a movie of what happens on a perfect summer night but this was no movie, it was real and our kids experienced a night that felt surreal. Some campers were swimming, some sat pool side and just talked with friends while others were roasting marshmallows listening to music around. It just doesn’t get better than a night like this.

Chenny Out

I sat in center camp today and watched your kids playing and was thinking of you, their families at home, wondering if the pictures and video truly relay how easy life is up here. There were kids swinging on swings and some were having a catch and most were in conversation with one another and all I kept think was how at ease our kids are. The music was bumping, the sun was shining and everyone was at ease. There is no traffic to get frustrated over, no daily stresses to occupy our minds and no concept of time to worry how late we are to an appointment. How nice it is to live in a state of ease and peacefulness and that is how we are living up here. It actually took my breath away as I felt incredibly grateful  that our kids get to detox from the stresses of their real world and live at ease for another 3 1/2 weeks.

Chen-A-Wanda has a perfect winning record today!

Inter Girls Basketball – CAW 21 vs. Westmont 7

Collegiate  Girls Softball – CAW 11 vs. Wayne 10

Super Girls Basketball – CAW 27 @ Lohikan 26

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

Inter Boys Baseball – CAW 9 @ Wayne 1

Collegiate Boys Baseball – CAW 18 vs. Weequahic 6

Senior Boys Soccer – CAW 7 vs. Wayne 1

Chenny has so much talent that we needed another night to showcase our kids and they out did themselves tonight. They danced, told jokes, played instruments and sang and got up on that stage and felt the love. I am always blown away by the energy in Shields Hall as nights like tonight define our summer family. We love seeing each other on stage and we love cheering each other on. I tucked in some Middy girls tonight, two of which performed at this evening’s show and as we went around the bunk saying our rose & thorn of the day , the girls who performed said tonight was something they will always remember. As the giggles were in abundance as they recalled play by play of their performance, each said their rose was having the other by their side tonight and looking out at the audience and seeing the rest of their bunk cheering them on. This is what we do here and this is why we love our summer family.

Chenny out

There is something quite special about heading out of camp on trips with your campies. Everyone is wearing their camp shirts and we all load the buses to some amazing fun places. It unifies us as a group as we exit our gates for some fantastic adventures. Each group had a ball today as they enjoyed themselves beyond imagination.

Our youngest Freshmen campers spent their day at Claws and Paws Zoo and it was remarkable. They watched the monkeys play, they saw some great animal shows, they enjoyed the animal scavenger hunt and in one adorable Freshmen’s own words, “That was the best day ever.” They rolled back into camp right at shower hour, all with the stuffed zoo animals they bought there. The cuteness was too much too handle. After a yummy dinner, they brought their new zoo animal friends into the Chen-A-Plex as they watched Zoo Keeper.

The Juniors and Middies started their day at Leahy’s fun park where they played in the arcade, zoomed around the go-kart track, played mini-golf and had a blast of a day. Then it was off to the movies to catch this summer’s hottest blockbusters. Half of the campers saw Minions and the other half enjoyed Inside Out. They arrived back to camp just in time for dinner and then spent their night outside playing games and enjoying a perfect summer evening under the stars. An absolutely remarkable trip and a fun relaxing night back at camp. Just doesn’t get better than that.

Inters and Collegiates got wet, wild and wacky at Camel Beach today. It was a hot day and there is no better way to spend it than with your campies swirling around the giant toilet bowl!!!! They relaxed in the lazy river and had a blast in the wave pool. It was an all around perfect way to cool down and have an ideal summer day day.

Seniors and Supers spent their day at Aquatopia and it was perfect. The brand new indoor water park is the biggest of it’s kind in all of Pennsylvania. This ginormous indoor water park was the ideal spot for these campers. They relaxed at the pool after they spent hours on the rides. It was another amazing day for these campers who made memories that will last their lifetime. When they got back to camp, every single one of them said the same thing, “That was the BEST trip EVER!!!!”

Our Wanderers had a true LA day as they toured Sony Studios and saw movie magic. After the tour it was onto more Hollywood experiences with an afternoon spent at Universal Studios where they went on rides and saw attractions they only see in the movies. They are getting the real deal Los Angeles experience and we couldn’t be happier for them. They are soaking it all in and enjoying every moment.

The CIT’s spent their afternoon at Syracuse and after touring the campus, it was time to eat and shop. The day was perfect and so meaningful as one CIT said to the group as they rolled back ingot camp tonight, “We can’t ever forget days like today and in only 25 days, our time as Chen-A-Wanda campers is done.” So they made a commitment to treasure every moment and appreciate every experience they all will have for the next 25 days.

With the exception of our Wanderers, we are all back in camp, snuggled in our beds and sleeping soundly from a day well spent.  We are not wasting one moment here and living out our summer dreams.  Best news is we are only halfway through our summer and  there is so much more to do. When we say Life is Great here, we mean it!!!!

Chenny out

It was 3rd period and I walked into ceramics where I saw a group of Collegiate boys having the best time using the pottery wheel. They were all laughing and so excited to show me their works of art. Some were creating hand made bowls and a few made coasters but why this moment stuck out to me today is because these same boys who were having a ball with clay just got off the field from a serious soccer game they had with their division. Their faces were flushed and they still had sweat running down their cheeks and  these kids went form a fierce game of soccer where they ran up and down the field  to sitting down  in Arts & Crafts making a creation with clay. They were focused and loved showing me what they were making. This is the Chenny kid in a nut shell. Fierce athletes playing with all heart, straight to ceramics as they so delicately molded a masterpiece. When you think of a well rounded kid who can pop in and out of activities that each equally engage their mind, body and spirit, you think of a Chenny Kid. This is what we do here and this is why your kids love spending their summers at Chenny.

It was a great and fun day for Chenny Sports.

Freshman/Junior Girls Soccer – CAW 0 vs. Tioga 5

Middy Girls Basketball – CAW 21 vs. Westmont 20

Senior Girls Basketball – CAW 8 @ B’nai Brith 25

Inter Girls Softball – CAW 3 @ Westmont 4

Middy Boy Baseball – CAW 30  vs. Lavi 29

Collegiate Boys Tennis – CAW 5 vs. Westmont 0

Senior Boys Baseball – CAW 8 @ Westmont 3

Tonight was all about our talented kids who get up on that stage and shined so bright. Before we were entertained by the plethora of talented Chenny Kids it was our Kind Camper Awards. We are pleased to announce that this week there even more nominations with kind acts happening every day by so many campers. It is with such joy that we announce this weeks Kindest Campers: Cami Platt, Alexa Becker, Julia Blee, Liam Irizarry, Bennet Goldstein, Sarah Kaplansky, David Stulberger, Sam Erlich, Sydney Steinberg, Zoe Grabow, Max Wasserman, Zoe Gorsky, Cole Weiss, Zoey Wood, Zach Olson ad Chloe Lebovitch. This Kind kids smiled from ear to ear as I announced their names and they got their tshirts. To be recognized by your peers for your kindness makes you feel just awesome.

To feel the love in Shields Hall tonight was to be in the presence of something pretty special and moving. When our kids take that stage, no matter if they  play guitar, sing a song or do tricks with their diablo, they receive an ovation of cheers followed by hundreds of people screaming, YOU ARE A SUPER STAR. Can you imagine the feeling of getting that response when you put your talent out their in the Chen-A-Wanda universe? It’s insanely awesome and those kids who performed loved every minute of it. Confidence is built here and support thrives amongst us all. We love making out fellow campers feel the love and tonight was off the charts. We know that for those 30 campers who stood on that stage and entertained us all tonight, they felt the love. We all felt it and you couldn’t help but leave Shields Hall tonight with huge smile and a happy heart.

Chenny out.

It was right back to the fun after one amazing visiting day. There is a sense of calmness or maybe the word I’m looking for is better defined as comfort but the feeling here we are all experiencing is just the feeling of being home. This is our home for the next 4 weeks and we have all beautifully settled in and created a true safe haven here. Even after all the families pulled out of camp yesterday,  getting back into our camp routine took only moments and now its back to business for us all. The sun was out and the heat was high so today we were all loving spending the time in the lake, pool, the Zone and any other area that we could get drenched with water. What another incredible day we had. It just keeps getting better and better.

Our athletes had a fun day of games today as one camper perfectly said it all after loosing her LAX game, “We may not have won today but we sure had a fun.” Nothing could be better than hearing a young athlete speak about having a great time just playing the sport she loves regardless of the outcome. No pressure, just playing because you love to play.

Super Girls LAX – CAW 6 vs. Starlight 9

Middy Boys Soccer  CAW 11 @ Tioga 3

Inter Boys Basketball – CAW 25 @ Tioga 8

Collegiate Boys Soccer – CAW 11 @ Tioga 5

Senior Boys Tennis – CAW 3 @ Tyler Hill 2

Super Boys Baseball – CAW 12 @ Island Lake 5

GC/CIT Baseball – CAW 2 vs. Wayne 1

Tonight was Round Robin and the entire camp was being utilized. There were movies in the Chen-A-Plex, dodgeball and Gaga tournaments, there was a road rally and cooking in the Cookhouse. It was an awesome night full of summer fun. Exactly what we wanted to do on a beautiful warm summer night. We hope you enjoyed your day because we all enjoyed ours!!!!!

Chenny Out

We have all seen the viral videos of families running to get their campers as the whistle blows on visiting day at every sleep away summer camp. What that video didn’t show, was the intense emotion you felt as you embraced your child after being without them for the past three weeks. The joy, actually it was pure elation you had as you held them close again. It is such a privilege to watch you embrace your children and the sweetness of that moment never gets old. The tears, the smiles from the heart and the “oh my god, you’ve grown” are truly magical moments to witness. We watched your sons leap into your arms and saw your daughters hug you so tight she didn’t want to let go and your face said it all. We could actually see your heart explode with love as you reunited with your kids. You have given your children their wings and for the last three weeks we have watched them soar and we hope today you did too.

These past three weeks, they have overcome homesickness, worked out issues with friends, found their voice, discovered their independence and proved to themselves they are stronger than they ever thought. That is why you sent to them to us and we hope today you had a brief glimpse to the wonderful life they have created here at Chen-A-Wanda.

We hope you enjoyed your day and truly appreciate all of your support. Your kind warm words leave indelible marks on our hearts and keep us doing what we do best and that is care for, guide, inspire and keep your children safe. It takes a village to run our village and we have the best staff in the game. We hope you felt the love our staff gives your kids every single day . We even made sure the weather just perfect for your day with your kids. It is a joy getting up to bugles and playing with your children all day long. We have four more weeks of pure bliss here and we aren’t going to waste a moment of it. Continue enjoying the pictures and videos of what is to come because one thing is for sure we will be having a ball up here and loving every minute.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making today so very special and for being a part of our Camp Chen-A-Wanda Family.

Chenny Out

We all know what is happening tomorrow and we just can’t contain the excitement. We spent the day getting our summer home ready for you and it looks beautiful.  In just a few short hours, our families will be lining up down camp road and visiting day 2015 will officially begin.

Our athletes were focused and fierce today as they played hard on the courts and fields.

Freshmen/Junior Girls Basketball – CAW 8 @ Tioga 12

Collegiate Girls LAX – CAW 4 @ Starlight 10

Inter Boys Basketball – CAW 40 @ Tioga 6

Collegiate Boys Roller Hockey – CAW 8 vs. Starlight 9

Super Boys Basketball – CAW 67 vs. Tioga 15

GC/CIT Boys LAX – CAW 5 vs. Wayne 10

Another fantastic week has passed by and another hardy congratulations to the following Campers of the Week!!!!

Freshmen –                         Eden Lebovitch          Troy Golden

Junior –                                Elly Frank                  Jack Komson

Middies –                             Marli Cohen                Jack Einzig

Inters –                               Rachel Knee                  Jase Nadboy

Collegiates –                       Alexa Hallen                Alex Kapusta

Seniors –                             Hailey Wolff                Michael Hellerman

Supers –                              Sami Flyer                   Matt Rosen

GC’s –                                Alexis Ash                      David Smolowitz

CIT’s                                   Julia Blee                     Henry Weinstock

Tonight was off the charts fun with our annual Chenny Jam Basketball Game. Girls were head to toe in neon and boys wore all black. It was Girls vs. Boys in this extremely high energy crazy fun game of basketball. When the video comes out, its a must watch. Girls side brought home the win tonight but everyone left with a smile on their face as if they had floor seats at the Garden. What a great night we had.

Only a few more hours until you get to hug your children. We can’t wait to see you in the morning!!!  We wish you nothing but a joyful day with your family tomorrow. Happy Visiting Day!!!

Life is Great at Camp Chen-A-Wanda

Chenny out.