Spring happenings at YMCA Camp Wa Wa Segowea!

It's March at camp and generally that means Spring will soon be here!  However there's a lot of snow that needs melting yet and we hope the temperature will be a little warmer to do just that!  But we're under Mother Nature's lead here and will look forward to June and the first official day of camp!    We find ourselves quickly moving from the "off-season" to the "on-season" here at camp as there's a lot happening the next couple of months.  So here's what happening!

We start with March Madness!  For 6 years now,  the Segowea 65 NCAA Bracket Craziness challenge has occurred and has grown every year.  Organizers and Camp Alum's Josh and Lisa Perks expect this year to be the biggest yet!  What is it?  It's a way for you to be involved in camp, have a little fun and raise some money to go towards scholarships for kids to go to camp this summer.   It based around the college basketball tournament happening beginning Thursday the 20th of March at Noon time.  You pick the teams that you think will go forward in the tournament, all the way to the end.  You pick the winners  by any way you choose (Top contenders?  Best mascots?  Great team colors?)  
What do you win?  

1st place- 15% of the pot

2nd place- 8% of the pot

3rd place- 5% of the pot

70% of the pot goes directly to Camp Wa Wa Segowea camper scholarships. (2% will go toward paypal processing)   Everything is done online with Paypal and the CBS Sports brackets.  You can find more info and the link to begin HERE 

It's a lot of fun!

Coming in April, the Northwest CT YMCA is presenting the first WA WA Bait and Fish Family Fishing Derby!  It's taking place at camp in Harmon Pond on April 26th Rain or Shine from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM.  There'll be games and activities, a penny auction, door raffle prizes, a free BBQ lunch and of course, fishing!  There's "Catch a Chance at $10,000" too!   Visit baitandfish.org or click HERE for more info.  For those that pre-register by April 16th, you'll get a free T-Shirt.  According to Jason Cohen, the camp’s Executive Director, the event is an effort to promote and support camp.  “We wanted to find a fun way for families to come out and experience our beautiful facility.  With 500 acres of forest and a private 30-acre lake, it’s an amazing place to reconnect with nature.”  We couldn't agree more!

Coming in May is a Camp Open House and Family Fun Day! It's taking place on Sunday May 4th from 12 PM to 3 PM. You can come out to camp, meet the camp leadership, tour the camp and take part in some fun!

Next up in May is the 5th Annual Wa Wa Wally Waddle!  It's happening once again on Mother's Day,  May 11th and will be taking place at Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve in Poughkeepsie, NY.  The one mile kids race will take place first at 9:30 AM and awards for the kids 1 mile race will be given out to the top 3 boy and girl finishers in 2 age groups,  9 and younger and 10-13. The main event is the 5K Run/Walk and instead of traditional medals or trophies, we give fresh baked pies to our overall male/female and age group winners in the 5k.   In celebration of Mother's Day, we've added a new awards category and that is Mother’s Day Family Teams.  That means Mother’s Day Family team awards will be given to the Mother/Daughter and Mother/Son teams with the fastest combined finishing time in the 5k.  The winning teams will receive a bouquet of flowers and gift certificate for brunch at an area eatery.  For the full list of prizes, click HERE  According to Examiner.com, the Waddle is one of the 5 best races to treat your mom to on Mother's Day!  It's always a great day and you can register online by visiting the Mid-Hudson Runners club website by clicking HERE.

And lastly, some camp news- Due to the generous amount of snow we received this winter and thus children enjoying Snow Days, the school year is being extended into the summer.  As a result, the first one week session, June 22nd to June 28th has been cancelled as schools will likely still be in session!  The camp summer season will officially begin June 29th. 

Camp Director Josh Scott is busy putting together the summer plans and he's heard from some staff members who will be returning to Wa Wa this summer!  He is also currently looking for a couple more staff positions,  so please visit the website and check out which positions are available.  http://www.nwcty.org/wawa/wawa.htm#staff     

Camp registration is open and the full schedule for the summer is on the website.  Click HERE to register.

Here's the brief rundown:

March 20th- Segowea 65 NCAA Bracket Craziness

April 26th- WA WA Bait and Fish Family Fishing Derby

May 4th- Camp Open House and Family Fun Day

May 11th- 5th Annual Wa Wa Wally Waddle

June 29th- First Day of Camp

In case you were wondering, yes, there still is snow at camp!  Here's a few recent pictures taken to prove it.

We noticed a couple houses on Foley Hill Rd and we wondered, who wants to be our new neighbors?

See you at camp!

I ♥ YMCA Camp Wa Wa Segowea!

I love my camp.  I truly do.  No if's and's or but's about it. 

According to the marketing folks, camp is not only a place where children have the opportunity to become who they are meant to be, if you're lucky, it's also a wonderful feeling that carries over with you into your life years later.

The love I have for my camp is plain and simple and I have it for so many reasons. It's the character of the place itself. The land, the water and the air is different at camp.  It's as if you walk through an invisible stress detector when entering the camp grounds.  When you come through the front gate, you immediately feel less weight on your shoulders. There's problems out there, but for a little while, just for a moment, your stress is eased.    As you make your way down the camp road, there's the excitement in the air.  What will the camp look like?  What is new?  Is everything still there?  Slowly you see the back of the lodge and the entrance to the kitchen. The love I have for my camp comes from this connection to the place. This heartfelt connection is shared amongst many, many people besides me, so something right must be happening.   You take a first look into the lodge and it's a lot to take in.    In order to give character to kids, it has to have some character of its own and the lodge has just that.  At a closer glance you see the chestnut logs finely crafted together along with the steel girders.  Built in 1927 and 28, from logs cut and milled on the property, the lodge indeed, has character.  Spreading from building to building, from Arapaho, all the way to Ticon Cabin, from The Estate to The Nature Lodge, each building has seen it's share of experiences in them and all add to that character of the camp.

I love my camp for other reasons as well.  It's the fact you know it continually has an impact on peoples lives.  It's a place where there's always improvement-in-practice, both in the structure as well as the people that attend. Kids learn it's okay to be themselves as people will like and appreciate you for it.  Some come out of their shell, while others learn to relax a little. They are all heard from equally. Those little quirks you have? Camp loves them and there's no embarrassment in sharing them!    

It's experiencing the opportunity to fail and then having support as you try again.  It's witnessing the mentor advise the mentee.  It's watching groups of kids of all ages, sit and talk with each other and enjoy themselves.

I've seen people excel at camp, both kids and adults too.   Camp teaches you.  You learn new skills. You listen to people.  You take part in something that perhaps scares you and you're better for it.  You see yours and the other person's value as part of the whole big picture.  And all of those affect you in life years later.  

I love my camp for the people I've become connected to through it.   It's people of all ages, races, gender, etc. that camp has attracted and I've connected with through the years that make it so special. On top of that, when you witness the dedication of the volunteers past and present, the camp staff through the years, and friends and family members who give and give and give some more, financially, physically and emotionally, that you realize it really is a big family on a whole different level.  There's the instant bond between two people that is created when you hear the word Segowea. That's when the conversation begins.  There's the years attended, cabins you stayed in, similar activities held, sharing a story or two. You both leave the conversation with a smile on your face and a heartfelt connection.   

I love my camp because of the little reminders I get about it throughout the year:

Hearing "Cat's in the Cradle" or "Stairway to Heaven".

Getting an unexpected message from an old camp friend.

Seeing random pictures of camp pop up on a screensaver.

Having a dream where I'm sitting on the front porch of the lodge.

Seeing someone with a Camp T-shirt on.

Having someone ask me about my camp T-shirt.

Hearing someone talk about the Smith Brothers.

Hearing a conversation where the word "Campish" is used.

I do love my camp, for all these reasons and more.  I am lucky enough to be able to be a part of it for 38+ years now with more to come I hope.  I've taught to it, learned from it, and will always be connected with it.  I have to say-

I LOVE MY CAMP!

It’s Camp Wa Wa Segowea 101!

We’ve begun the 101st season at YMCA Camp Wa Wa Segowea!  

It’s been a cold winter here at camp with the year round residents still mainly sleeping.  Harmon Pond is frozen, but the snowbanks have generally melted.  It is still mid-January though and we can be sure to expect more precipitation!  

There’s a few updates of camp we’d like to share and the first is it’s time to register for camp!  Registration is now open online (here).  Just like last year, we’re offering early bird rates (if you register by February 28th), but this year the savings is even better!  By choosing the dates to attend camp now, you can save money no matter which session or option you select.    We’ve also continued the referral credits that began last year.  As a thank you for any new (did not attend last year) enrolled campers that you refer to camp this summer, you'll be credited $100 each ($50 for a Day Camp registration) toward your summer camp fees!  Full details are found on the camp website. http://nwcty.org/wawa/wawa.htm

The second update is that we’re offering a couple of new options this summer!  For the older campers, we’re offering Senior Options Camp (or SOC).  SOC’s program is for boys and girls, ages 15-16, and will be a combination of outdoor experiences with service projects in camp and around the community.  They’ll go on hiking trips, canoe trips and overnight trips and will have a role in selecting and planning these trips and projects.   Another option for the older campers will be something we’re calling Excursion Camp and that will take place at the beginning and the end of the summer.  Stay tuned for more details on that!

Another update you may or may not be aware of-  We are ACA accredited once again!  Last year, not only was it the first year of operation of camp for the Northwest CT Y, the hard work of ACA Accreditation was taken on!  And we made it!  Congrats to the team that took on this herculean task.  According to the website of the The American Camp Association (ACA), they accredit over 2,400 camps.
   
"As a leading authority in youth development, ACA works to preserve, promote, and improve the camp experience.   ACA-Accredited® camps meet up to 300 standards for health, safety, and program quality."

 Why should a parent care about accreditation?  The ACA says it all. To read about it click here- http://www.campparents.org/funsafety 

                                          Here's what it says about us on the ACA website-

So now you know we’re accredited and you can register and save money, but why Wa Wa?  Why did you choose this camp?  Why should you choose this camp?  What did you think of your camp experience?  Those are questions we’ve asked previous campers and we received a few responses we'd like to share.

“On the first day, I kind of liked it. We did crazy stuff and it was really fun. I really love this camp and would come back every year.”

“It’s my first year here and my favorite part has been the amazing people and I enjoyed meeting all of you.  You guys really make this experience what it is.  You guys are so nice.”

“I’ve been coming here the past three years and my family’s been coming here and they loved it. I never really went to summer camp before and I really enjoyed this. I’m so grateful to be here”.

“I love how happy I am when I’m here.”

“It’s small enough, you can bond with everyone.”

“I love the kind of person this camp brings out in everyone.”

“I love it here.  It’s real nice.  We play a lot of games.  We go swimming. You make a lot of new friends. What more do you want?”

More and more kids come to Camp Wa Wa Segowea and find out things about themselves.  They grow in different ways.  They learn things that surprise them.  They accomplish more than they thought they could.  They make friends of all ages.  Camp becomes a part of them!  That's why they choose Camp Wa Wa Segowea!

We recently came across some pictures from the past era’s of camp and want to share just a few here on the blog.  Look for more in some upcoming posts.  These are from the 1940's.

See you at camp!