Sunrise Day Camp, It’s the Best Camp!

Hi everyone!   For a little change, I am writing this week’s blog!  I hope you enjoy it! 

-Gabrielle

The Sunrise Association is the first company to have a day camp that is free of charge for kids with cancer and their siblings.  Throughout the east coast and Israel, there are currently 8 campgrounds. During the year, The Sunrise Association does Sunrise on Wheels, which is when people from Sunrise go into hospitals to hang out and play with kids who are cancer patients.  There are also fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the association. 

The main jobs of the counselors are to make sure that the kids are safe and that they have fun. Staff members make sure that everything is wiped down and that campers always use hand sanitizer in-between and during activities. Without the amazing staff members, the camp would not be as great.  They always make sure that campers are being included and are given the opportunity to be kids.  The biggest goal of camp is for it to be camp and to give the kids the chance for a normal experience.

For the past 3 summers, I have been fortunate enough to work as the Music Specialist at Sunrise Day Camp in Pearl River. We sing, play musical games, and play on the Music Garden that has been donated to the camp.  While at camp, there are many activities to do other than music.  Campers get to play sports, go rock climbing, go boating, play minigolf, dance, go swimming, do yoga, do drama, create art, and make lanyards.  While these are normal camp activities, these campers are special and would not be able to have this opportunity.  Our camp gives children with cancer and their siblings an opportunity to attend summer camp in a safe, caring environment.

I have met so many counselors and campers who have shown me to live each day to the fullest.  You never know where life will take you, so it is important to live every day as best as you can.  Don’t take anything for granted and enjoy everyone and everything.

On October 20, I am lucky enough to be leading a team at Sunrise Walks, where “We Walk So They Can Soar”. For the past few weeks, my team members have been raising money to give to the Pearl River camp. Please find the website below for more information about the camp and everything that this amazing organization does. 

https://www.sunrise-walks.org/PR/Team/View/113113/Team-Z

Impacts in our Lives

This morning, I was shocked to see a post on Facebook about the passing of person many of us knew over the years.  I stopped and stared.  I am at a point in my life where the various parts of the life cycle are no longer a mystery and as I get older, more people are moving onto the next world.

This one struck me, as a tear rolled down my cheek.  As is with so many people on Facebook, we have been friends for years, but have not seen each other in well over 20 years.  While I have no one person who I can say that was my mentor, this was someone who did have an impact on my life.  As a college kid and a counselor at Camp Eco Lark, I was learning how to deal with my campers:  Lots of yelling, trying to get them to activities, etc.  There was a senior counselor (meaning he taught during the year), who was loud, fun and seemingly everywhere.  His philosophy was to be "big" up front, set down the rules, start off strict, then ease off. Each summer, he followed that process -  it worked and he became one of those beloved people you looked forward to seeing the following year.

He had many good ways to handle new situations, some of which I have adopted.  The advice he once gave me about working with kids, was invaluable.  At that point, I had trouble controlling (I.e., being the leader) and thought yelling and idle threats were the answer. "Once you yell," he told me, " there is nothing more you can do."  Simple advice?  Yes.  However, it caused me to change my approach, find other ways to work with campers and ultimately made me a better counselor.  Watching, learning and using his advice, paid off years later when I became a parent and had my own children.

The impact on me from that summer long ago, and the advice imparted, is something that I have and will always remember.  Paying it forward, I have said similar things to others.  If we take a moment to step back during our lives, there are always people who cross our paths with lessons to teach.  In the month where we are supposed to be grateful for what we have, I am grateful for the life lessons learned.  Remember the people in your lives who knowingly or unknowingly who have positively affected you.  Wherever you are now, Murray, I am grateful that our paths crossed.  I know that wherever the next world takes you, you are making sure that people are laughing, imparting wisdom and impacting souls. 

Riding the Roller Coaster of Life

One of my earliest recollections of going to an amusement park was as a camper at Camp Echo Lark.  Each summer, we would venture out from Poyntelle, Pa to Ghost Town Amusement Park in Moosic, Pa.  There was one ride that I used to go on over and over again – the roller coaster.  It is still one of my favorite amusement park rides:

• The tick, tick, tick sound as you slowly climb the first hill with the anticipation of reaching the crest,
• The sudden thrill of the first drop where you feel like you could lift off the seat and into the air,
• The quick change of direction as you round the first bend, and,
• The “I cannot believe we are finished” feeling when you pull back into the station. 

Today, there are more varieties than that rickety old wooden one – the quick start, the loops, and the corkscrews.  You no longer have to sit in a “car”, but can have your feet dangle or be in a position like you are flying.  However, it is still the same – you still have the speed at which you move, the ups and downs of the hills and you still end up back where you started!

There comes a time where we need to start moving on, whether it is “picking up the pieces”, focusing on the next goal or some further horizon.  While mass media would have us believe that all good things come to those that wait, the truth is, we need to put ourselves out there, gather the right skills and maintain an open eye so that when opportunity crosses our path, we can take it. We can step out of the stream of our ongoing life to catch our breath, recharge our batteries or reevaluate our lives; but inevitably, we have to be a part of the larger world to engage in life.

Some thought leaders say that we are a reflection of the last five people that week hung out with or that the last few books that we read impact our choices.  It makes sense, as these are the latest things that we have in our minds, the last bits of stimulation and the newest points that we want to emulate.  Basically, we tend to reflect the environment we have surrounded ourselves in.  The last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster and it would be easy to sit in a dark room, hang my head and ponder (question?) the meaning of life.  Fortunately, I do not have time for this.  Aside from supporting family, I have to think about Bec moving off campus next year, continue to quietly provide encouragement in Gab’s search for a job and spend time with Debbie.  Not to sound like my life is a cliché, but we have things to do, places to go and people to see.  In light of these things, the small amount of time to sit in the corner and reflect, while important and healthy, cannot be the sum total of all of my future actions. 

I know that life is not some thrill ride, yet there are many thrills as we ride through life.  Almost all aspects of life have high points and low points.  Sometimes the peaks are very high and sometimes the valleys are very low.  Life is full of many different things: full of successes and failures; full of happiness and sadness; full of positive experience and negative experiences; full of good times and bad times; life and death.  And, because of the valleys in our lives, we get to appreciate the peaks that much more.  Like the roller coaster, there are times where we seem to end up back where we started.  I, for one, like back in Ghost Town, am ready to stay on that `coaster for the next go around, looking forward towards that first hill, and enjoying the thrill of the ride for as long as I am here.

“Every Camp Has A Legend…”

Poyntelle, Pennsylvania.  How many of you have heard of it, much less have been there?  This is a tiny town in Wayne County, located in the northeast corner of the state.  To me, and many other youths, that was the home of Camp Echo Lark and, for me, 15 summers of memories.  In the years that followed, as we head into spring, I would dream of being in camp, whether as a camper, a counselor or engaged in some camp activity.  There were the familiar bunks, fields and faces.  Last year’s dream had me on the softball field, then having a conversation with Zelda, the last owner from my time at camp.

I know what you are thinking:  “What? 30 years later and this is what you dream about?”  “Wayne, you’ve lost it (again)!” “Who dreams of such things?”

You do realize that with the help of the internet and Facebook, I get my Echo Lark fix whenever I need it.  There are the pictures and the faces (which have gotten older looking).  I might sound like a stalker, but it is good to see what the people from my youth, their successes, and the families that have grown.

My trigger this year was a picture, sent via Facebook, from a camper of a letter he wrote home to his parents.  All campers had to have a “buddy” when they went around, and I went around that year with one of the campers.  We used to go to an amusement park each summer called Ghost Town, in Moosic, Pa (closed in 1987).  I remember going as a camper on the teacups a bunch of times with a bunk mate, spinning as hard as possible – that led to one nauseous ride bank to camp.  Another year, we were on the Spider and it jumped its track – this led to them manually stopping the ride.  When this camper found the letter that his mother saved, he forwarded a copy (see below).  I remember spending the day with him and hanging upside down.  It is a great feeling to be remembered, especially around a positive experience.

What we learned at camp:

• Sports – You learned how to play softball, soccer, basketball, street hockey, swimming and tennis.  In the earlier years, they also had golf (taught by Smokin’ Joe).  This was not open playtime, but instructional, leagues, inter-camp competition, and countywide competitions.  The camp always had experts in the various fields that played or coached in their sports. 
• Teamwork – Very important attribute taught as a byproduct of sports.  There were some standout individuals, but the team working together was most important.  Outside of sports, camp built camaraderie (i.e., team spirit) in the bunks at play, in the dining hall, or in the field.
• Dealing with children – An extremely important lesson that I learned was from a guy named Murray.   As a counselor, you find yourself trying to corral your campers constantly.  When they are younger, they have boundless amounts of energy.  Murray taught me to have patience and not yell.  Since you cannot hit the campers, nor can you “legally” punish them, yelling is the only thing you can do.  That bit of advice made me a better counselor and ultimately a good parent.
• Playing in the sandbox – This is a term used by my cousin Ben.  In camp, you had to learn to get along with other people.  For eight weeks, you lived in an intense environment where a lifetime past by in 56 days.  If you did not figure out how to get along, negotiate friendships and share, you were severely ostracized.  This skill has helped me in business and with volunteering where you learn to respect others, care about those around you and learn to work together.
• Learning to Lead – As a counselor, you are responsible for the 8 to 10 campers in your bunk, from the moment they arrive at camp until the moment they leave.  While the measure of your success is being asked back the following year, an even greater measure of success is the return rate of your campers.  My first year as a counselor I did a mediocre job.  They next year, I was paired with a “strong” counselor, where he could act as a mentor to me.  I observed, learned, and ended up working as a counselor for 7 summers. 
• Mentoring – There are certain people in our lives that have an impact on what we do, how we think and how we react.  We may not realize nor appreciate it until later in life.  The boys head counselor, Ed, was one of those people that had a profound impact on many people.  Any of us that have coached our children use some of his techniques (including wipeout).  My brother, Brian, commented on how he realized this coaching his son’s baseball team.  Ed provided a model for being a good person, doing the right thing, sportsmanship and the importance of zero tolerance for not doing what you were suppose to.

This was a land where people went by the name of BT, Smack, Bananas, Buffalo, Danger, Munchie, Mouse and Whoopie.  Each generation of camp goers has their stories and the impact to their lives, made special in a short 2-month period.

“But of all the other idols,
The one that stands the test,
Is the royal green and gold camp,
The symbol of the best.” ~ excerpt from the camp Alma Mater