I hope that everyone enjoyed the July 4th holiday!
Well, Y camp is in full swing with the joyful noise and activity we’ve all come to love so much around here. The vibe has been called "contagious," an admittedly fraught adjective in these times, but apt nonetheless. It should come as little surprise that Y camp enrollment is the highest it's been in our history. Clearly, parents recognize the great need for kids to be kids, to exercise, get outside, make friends and, perhaps most importantly, begin to shed the worries that built up over the past two and half years. Campers have displayed a visible sense of relief to be in their happy places, making new friendships, learning new skills, and getting a much-deserved summer break for fun!
Exhibit A: last week the camp at the Hill Y in Westminster held "Circle of Chaos Day," complete with shaving cream battles, water balloon paint splashes, turning counselors into "human sundaes", and overall wet water fun!
A great debt of gratitude is owed to the many Y associates across the region who work for months on end to bring a great camp season to fruition. It takes a near army with every part of Y operations with their noses to the grindstone to make Y summer camp magic happen. This is all done under the amazingly capable leadership of Dana Ashley, VP of Youth Development Operations, and Matt Lewis, Senior Executive Director of Y Camp as well as the Y in Pasadena. Thanks also are owed to the many volunteers who fanned out across the region to help ready our campsites for so much action and to the thousands of kind-hearted souls in our community who donated to help assure as many kids as possible could enjoy the fun of Y camp. We live in challenging times to be sure, but we all play an important role in bringing community, joy and (sometimes) water balloons to kids here in Central Maryland.
All the best,
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland