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Give Me a ‘G!’ Gratitude at Camp Weequahic

November 18th, 2016

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

Screen Shot 2015-11-04 at 3.14.34 PM We are heading closer and closer to Thanksgiving. That means it’s time to be thankful for all around us and, especially, for those who brighten our lives.

Being Grateful

Who is the most grateful person you know? By that, I mean, who seems to be thankful for all of their situations, no matter what is going on around them. Mine was my grandmother who we all called ‘Munner.’

No matter what was going on, Munner had a smile for you, a thoughtful word, and a laugh. And, she loved to play cards. Loved it. She was always especially thankful when we made a discard mistake on which she could pounce. (Munner was always grateful and a little competitive….)

She did not have much. In fact, the older I get, the more I realize just had little she had. However, it was always more than enough for her and she was thankful for every bit. She was so thankful for what she had that she gave a good deal of it away.

Munner always seemed to live this quote:

“Gratitude takes nothing for granted. It shines a spotlight on all that is good, amplifying its presence, all while putting your ‘problems’ into perspective and emboldening you with the courage you need to respond to them more constructively, less resentfully; more graciously, less begrudgingly.”

Becoming Grateful

We all need a bit of help in this light. It’s one of the reasons we picked ‘gratitude’ as a core Weeuquahic value. People who are grateful feel full, no matter how much or little the have at that Screen Shot 2015-05-21 at 10.25.32 AMmoment. And, they are more courageous in new or difficult situations.

That is why we ask our potential staff members about their approach to gratitude. It’s why we educate about its importance. And, it’s why we do our best to model it every day in a myriad of ways.

We hope you spend a few moments this Thanksgiving holiday thinking about the people in your life and then giving them specific thanks. More importantly, act thankfully. While thankful words are important, living those words is even more so.

Have a wonderful great weekend and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Kids Don’t Remember the Best Day of Television…They Will Remember Their Favorite Day of Camp

November 14th, 2016

 

weeq1Sitting on fences is not safe. If your kid was sitting on a fence, you’d tell them to get off before they fell backward and hurt themselves. But there you are, sitting on the metaphorical fence, hemming-and-hawing about whether or not to give your kid the best summer on the planet.

 

If your kids don’t go to camp this year, they’ll survive. They’ll watch some a lot of TV, sleep in, eat whatever they can find in the pantry, hang out with their friends (probably in your living room, with their smelly, teenage socks all over your couch) maybe visit grandma, do some swimming, and complain on day 5 of vacation that they are bored. You know it’s true because it has happened every single summer since they started kindergarten.  And now, for one reason or another, they have been begging and begging to go to summer camp and you keep telling them you need time to think about it.  At the end of summer, is it going to warm your heart to listen to them brag about how they binge-watched Netflix all summer, or would you rather hear them gush about the new friend they made, the sports they tried and experiences they will never forget?  It’s time to get off the fence.

 

Instead of watching TV all summer, your child could spend weeks in the mountain, hanging around campfires, making new friends, sailing and fishing and swimming and creating memories of a lifetime.  Instead of you having to yell at them to clean their room or find something to do, you would be reading letters about how they faced their fears and tried something new  at camp.  Instead of struggling to find something for them to do every day of the summer, you could have a little R&R yourself, knowing your kid is having a blast.  Instead of eating junk all day and sleeping in until noon, they could be filling their bellies with nutritious lunches, and waking up early to start their day of fun.  Instead of having a plain old boring summer, they could go back to school with story after story about hiking adventures, zip lines, smores under the stars and inside jokes with all of their new friends.

 

They spend the entire school year sitting down. They sit in their classes, they sit at lunchtime, and they come home and sit and do homework, and they sit and eat dinner and then they sit and watch TV and then they go to bed. And they wake up and do it all again the next day and the next day and the next day. So when summer comes along, why not reward them by giving them a chance to run, play, stretch and really be kids? Summer camp is the best place to do that.  Another great benefit of camp is all of the growing and learning that is done, most of the time without them even knowing it. They learn to compromise and communicate and learn self-discipline and self-confidence, things they definitely don’t learn sitting home in front of the TV all day.

 

If you’re really still on the fence about sending and your kid to camp, think about this: they won’t remember their favorite day of watching TV all day, but they will remember the lifetime memories made every day at camp.

Thank You for Your Service

November 11th, 2016

Today, our nation celebrates Veteran’s Day – a day set aside to honor all those who honorably dsc_0081-5served in our nation’s military. These men and women came from a multitude of backgrounds.However, despite this diversity, all are bonded by one overriding purpose. To show this commitment, each individual took and lived the following oath:

“I, _______, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

Their decision to live this oath made each person a part of something larger than themselves. They served and we, as a nation, are better for it.

Service at Camp

The young women and men who choose to serve as mentors, coaches and counselors do so with lots of other opportunities back home. Rather than spend time with their buddies or do less demanding work, they choose to serve our campers and each other.ac9u6433

Our staff members’ commitment to Weequahic’s mission of “creating an amazing experience for everyone we meet through gratitude, attitude, and courage” makes for an incredible community.

But service does not stop with our staff. We are so pleased to see our CITs, Super Seniors and Seniors get into the action as well. Whether serving as a Big Brother/Sister, a bunk buddy, or serving at the local Ronald McDonald House, they give back in many ways. We are excited to offer new opportunities for Seniors to serve during Summer ’17. They’ll earn both community service hours but also the respect and admiration of the younger campers.

Thank you

We are so thankful for those who have served to help make our country great. We gain so much from them – safety, inspiration, and resolve. They show us that when we give ourselves over to a purpose larger than our own needs, we begin to act as heroes.

So, take a page from those who have supported this nation for so long: go out and serve. You’ll find yourself happier and your world a better place.

PS – A special thanks goes to those men and women who have served both at Weequahic staff and also in military service. You all rock!