It's time to choose a summer camp. How about YMCA Camp Wa Wa Segowea!

News on "Choosing a summer camp for your child" seems to be in peak season lately.   USA Today ran a few articles the last couple of months.  Camp Fairs are happening quite a bit, and even the Old Farmers Almanac are into it-   http://www.farmersalmanac.com/health/2012/03/26/choosing-the-right-summer-camp/.

So how do you decide?  Parents are looking for a safe place to send their child that has a well trained staff.   Kids are looking for where their friends go and for that "something special" that piques their interest.  They also just want "camp time" to get here soon!

Sending a child to Wa Wa Segowea has a positive affect on both the child and the parent.  After a long school year, with tests, homework due and practically every minute scheduled, children that attend camp have a venue where they can decompress and be a kid again.  They can be themselves and be who they were meant to be.     Learning however, still occurs at camp.  The experience a child has at Wa Wa Segowea contributes greatly to the development of independence in them as well as taking on new responsibilities.  Segowea offers hands-on learning opportunities where kids try new things, make decisions, learn skills they didn't know they had, and at the same time, have some fun!

When a parent decides to send their child to Wa Wa, they too learn and grow.   They learn new things about their children.   Parents already know the value of a summer camp and what it means for their child to partake in one.  But when the child returns from camp, the parent observes the changes in their child and knows their camp experiences are now a part of the story of their lives.  They see and know that their child has lived in a different community,  in a natural setting with new friends and is better for it.  They see these changes and know what their kids learned at camp will help them when they head back to school in the fall.

We encourage you to see and hear for yourself what YMCA Camp Wa Wa Segowea is all about.  In just one month, on May 6, we'll be holding our first Open House.   During that time, you have the chance to see the camp, talk to Camp Director Kat Fitzpatrick as well as some volunteers. 

Speaking of the volunteers, just the week before, on April 28th, we'll be holding a work weekend, where volunteers come up to camp and assist in work projects put together by the Property Director, Norm Button.  After a winter off-season, the volunteers will be sprucing the camp up, grabbing a broom or rake, cleaning out the cobwebs, and getting it ready for the next weekend.

Just a little over a week ago, Smith Park of New York held their annual meeting with past and future members attending, and getting the latest on what's happening with Camp for the 2012 Season as well as what's happening with Smith Park.  It was held at the East Greenbush YMCA where attendees had the chance to use the YMCA for the day at no cost.  Outgoing Smith Park of NY Chairman, John Dunn, was honored with a nice plaque for his 25+ years of service to the camp and to Smith Park of New York.  The different committees supporting camp all made presentations and a few people went home with raffle prizes.  All in all, it was a great event!   

Below are some pictures of the Smith Park Annual Meeting and the Camp Fair in Red Hook.  Thanks to Lana, Chris and Pat for the pictures!

Chairman John Dunn receiving plaque.

Committee Chairs giving their presentations.

Kat giving the Camp Report.

George giving the YMCA Report.

Some meeting attendees.

The raffle prize table.

                                                       And the winner is...

Inside the Y Lobby, the Camp display.

And lastly, the Red Hook Camp Fair.

YMCA Camp Wa Wa Segowea March happenings!

What do a corporate meeting, swimming in a pool and a chance to see camp friends all have in common?  You can do them all in one day of course!

It's time for the Camp Reunion/Smith Park Get Together/Annual Meeting!  Well that's way too long a title and it didn't fit on a flyer, so we're just calling it a "Get Together".  

You can click on the flyer above for all the information on it and the same info is below, but first, a little history.  It was 1928 when Poughkeepsie YMCA President W.W.Smith (of the Smith Brothers Cough Drop fame) created what he called "Smith Park", which is the spot of land where camp is located today. 

It was back then, and remains today, one of the most ideal locations in America for a YMCA camp.  The Smith Park of New York Inc. was formed back in 1931 and through the years has served as the advisory board for the camp and continues today to ensure that kids enjoy the magical experience of Wa Wa Segowea.  

Smith Park's Mission Statement declares "The mission of Smith Park of New York is to ensure the continued existence of Camp Wa Wa Segowea. We will do this by maintaining financial and administrative support; as well as upholding the vision and goals of Camp Wa Wa Segowea."  SPONY, as it's abbreviated, generally meets once a month to discuss all the important camp matters at hand, making decisions on all aspects of camp with the benefit of children always at top of mind. 

They also hold an annual meeting and invite members of the organization to attend to hear all about the previous year's activities.  This was previously held in the fall, but as attendance was on the decline, they decided to switch it up this year and turn to the Early Spring/Late Winter time period.

And that's where the some pool swimming, a reunion and the meeting,  all come together!  

Smith Park of NY would like to welcome you to the Smith Park Get Together!  It's being held March 24th in East Greenbush, NY on Community Way at the East Greenbush YMCA.  Attendees will have full use of the Y for the day, meaning not only swimming  in the heated pool, you'll also have access to the basketball courts, the steam room, the sauna and the whirlpool.

In the afternoon, from 2 to 5 pm, we'll have the "Get Together" portion of the day.  All are invited to join us!  You don't have to be a Smith Park member to attend, but we'd encourage you to become a member, so you can have an official say in what happens with camp.  Members vote on important aspects of camp and membership dues ($30) go into the Smith Park Endowment Fund which supports Camp Wa Wa Segowea.

What will happen in the afternoon is we'll get the financial picture of camp, a facilities report and you'll have the opportunity to participate in a number of ways.  Want to hear what's new in the program for this summer?  Do you have a question about any of the buildings at camp?  Maybe you'd like to help with marketing the camp?  All of these can be discussed.  

Camp Alum and Smith Park Board member, Amy McPheeters will serve as emcee for the Get Together and I'm sure she'll have a couple surprises up her sleeve!  We'll have some raffle prizes, refreshments and more!  Put the date on your calendar now and be sure to attend.  See some camp friends, talk about camp and enjoy the Y all on the same day!  Hope to see you there!

Also happening this month is a fundraising event for camp that you can do in the enjoyment of your own home!  Whether you're a basketball fan or not, you can enjoy the Segowea 65 NCAA Bracket Challenge.  The Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament is fast approaching, so get ready to make your picks.  Now in its 4th year, the Segowea 65 NCAA Bracket Challenge has raised over $2000 for Camp Segowea and has grown every year.  We expect this year to be the biggest year yet.  That means more competition, more trash talk, and of course more prize money.

To sign up for this year's tournament simply visit  www.friendsofsegowea.org and make a donation to the Camp Segowea Camper Scholarship Fund.  For each $15 donation you may enter 1 bracket up to a maximum of 3 brackets for $45. (You can of course donate more if you want.) You will then be taken to an instruction page explaining how to make your picks.  We are using the same bracket manager as last year from CBS Sports. Selection Sunday is March 11th so you will be able to make your picks at the end of that day. If you have any problems using the CBS Sports Site contact Joshua Perks at yoshason@gmail.com

Prizes:

1st place- 10% of the pot

2nd place- 7% of the pot

3rd place- 5% of the pot

76% of the pot will go directly to Camp Wa Wa Segowea Capital Campaign. (2% will go toward paypal processing.)

Camp Alumni Lisa & Josh Perks have been running this event for all the years of its existence and we thank them for their continued connection and support of YMCA Camp Wa Wa Segowea!