Cracking my shell by Charlotte E from Camp Jewell

I grew up with a shell.  A shell to protect me and to filter out the people who would affect me negatively.  In bad situations I would rely on my shell to help me find the safe way out.  In a way, my shell was my friend.  My shell was also my worst enemy.  It kept me from doing things that may not have been the best choice, but that I still really wanted to do.  It kept me from branching out of my comfort zone.  In the end, I was scared of what would happen in I lost my shell.  When I first came to Camp Jewell, I simply expected my shell to help protect me in some cases, and restrict me in others.  But what happened at camp that first year wasn’t any of those things.  Camp Jewell helped me lost my shell.

 

Ever since day one, all of my cabin mates have accepted me.  I’ve been nurtured in a way that lets me grow by myself.  This was probably the main element that lead me to losing my shell.  For example, my best friend today was a girl I mat at camp my first year.  We kept in touch over the past year and stated right where we left off last year.  She has taught me how to take chances and she believes in mall of the choices I make.  Without these comforting people surrounding me, there is no way I could of become a more independent and confident person. 

 

Since I’ve for a lack of better words, shed my shell, I’ve been a lot happier.  I’ve learned to deal with situations the way that I truly want to.  Without Camp Jewell, none of this would have ever happened.  I am so incredible blessed with how my situation turned out and I love watching other campers unfold and crack their own shells.  That is what I love most about Camp Jewell; experiencing things for yourself and then watching others do the same.  I will forever be thankful for Camp Jewell. 

                                                                                By: Charlotte, Cabin 9A

Cracking my shell by Charlotte E at Camp Jewell YMCA

I grew up with a shell. A shell to protect me and to filter out the people who would affect me negatively. In bad situations I would rely on my shell to help me find the safe way out. In a way, my shell was my friend. My shell was also my worst enemy. It kept me from doing things that may not have been the best choice, but that I still really wanted to do. It kept me from branching out of my comfort zone. In the end, I was scared of what would happen in I lost my shell. When I first came to Camp Jewell, I simply expected my shell to help protect me in some cases, and restrict me in others. But what happened at camp that first year wasn’t any of those things. Camp Jewell helped me lost my shell.

Ever since day one, all of my cabin mates have accepted me. I’ve been nurtured in a way that lets me grow by myself. This was probably the main element that lead me to losing my shell. For example, my best friend today was a girl I mat at camp my first year. We kept in touch over the past year and stated right where we left off last year. She has taught me how to take chances and she believes in mall of the choices I make. Without these comforting people surrounding me, there is no way I could of become a more independent and confident person.

Since I’ve for a lack of better words, shed my shell, I’ve been a lot happier. I’ve learned to deal with situations the way that I truly want to. Without Camp Jewell, none of this would have ever happened. I am so incredible blessed with how my situation turned out and I love watching other campers unfold and crack their own shells. That is what I love most about Camp Jewell; experiencing things for yourself and then watching others do the same. I will forever be thankful for Camp Jewell.
By: Charlotte, Cabin 9A

Shedding her shell- Why Charlotte E. loves Camp Jewell

I grew up with a shell.  A shell to protect me and to filter out the people who would affect me negatively.  In bad situations I would rely on my shell to help me find the safe way out.  In a way, my shell was my friend.  My shell was also my worst enemy.  It kept me from doing things that may not have been the best choice, but that I still really wanted to do.  It kept me from branching out of my comfort zone.  In the end, I was scared of what would happen in I lost my shell.  When I first came to Camp Jewell, I simply expected my shell to help protect me in some cases, and restrict me in others.  But what happened at camp that first year wasn’t any of those things.  Camp Jewell helped me lost my shell.

Ever since day one, all of my cabin mates have accepted me.  I’ve been nurtured in a way that lets me grow by myself.  This was probably the main element that lead me to losing my shell.  For example, my best friend today was a girl I mat at camp my first year.  We kept in touch over the past year and stated right where we left off last year.  She has taught me how to take chances and she believes in mall of the choices I make.  Without these comforting people surrounding me, there is no way I could of become a more independent and confident person. 

Since I’ve for a lack of better words, shed my shell, I’ve been a lot happier.  I’ve learned to deal with situations the way that I truly want to.  Without Camp Jewell, none of this would have ever happened.  I am so incredible blessed with how my situation turned out and I love watching other campers unfold and crack their own shells.  That is what I love most about Camp Jewell; experiencing things for yourself and then watching others do the same.  I will forever be thankful for Camp Jewell. 

                                                                                By: Charlotte E., Cabin 9A

CITs Rock Da Aquarium!

Last Friday the Wilson-Gray Counselors In Training went on their first trip of the summer season. I gathered up the C.I.T’s and we were off to the Mystic Aquarium! Everyone was full of excitement because this was our very first visit. We were welcomed with open arms by the Mystic Aquarium staff. They took us on a tour of their facility and shared fun facts and stories about the animals. We asked them how their staff and facility was able to operate cohesively, they replied team work! We shared with them the 4 core values and how it’s the driving force to our unification. Overall this was a great experience and we can’t wait to go back!

GHYMCA Blog has moved

Good morning, subscribers! The Greater Hartford YMCA Blog has moved to – all of these great stories have been moved, but you will need to resubscribe there by selecting the “follow” button. Sorry for the inconvenience – we hope you’ll continue to follow us and hear about the great work being done by the Greater Hartford YMCA.

Sincerely,

Chris Pallatto & the Story Tellers

A “kiss” is worth a thousand words

Today while speaking to someone they recounted a recent interaction between her sister and her 6 year old nephew.

“Mom, I love Camp Jewell so much I wish I could kiss it!”

Enough said…What a statement for Camp Jewell and the Y!

Camp Camp Camp

Although I am the Child Care Director here in East Hartford, I sadly have little to do with our stellar Camp Nowashe. My concentration is primarily early childhood education and school age child care. This week, however, my fabulous boss Mike Kerrigan (author of the wildly popular “Kerrigan’s Korner” blog posts) is on a much-deserved vacation (to move his family to an awesome new house) soooo.. I am on camp duty! I’ll be doing random check-ins at camp this week to make sure everything is running smoothly and with fun!

This morning I arrived to camp in the rain. I was anxious to see what I would find on a day where the kids simply couldn’t play outside. I entered camp to see engaged, smiling, happy campers and their equally-as-enthused counselors! It was only 9am but everyone was already enjoying themselves despite the weather.

I received a warm welcome from many of my former school age child care friends and made my rounds to talk to as many happy campers and counselors as I could.

I left camp feeling super excited that my awesome boss was on vacation this week so I could have some “camp responsibility” and get to have such a great experience on a rainy Monday morning!

Thanks, MK!

Jenn Odorczyk
Child Care Director
East Hartford YMCA

Peter from Cabin 15A @ Camp Jewell shares why camp changes people for the better!

Essay by Peter from Cabin 15A 2^nd Session, 13 yrs old

Camp changes people.  As a new comer at camp, Jewell has changed me.  My peers have changed me along with my counselors and the coordinators.  Although it is my first year at Camp Jewell I am a different person because of it.

My fellow peers have taught me to trust.  I have had many friends that have faked liking me.  Everyone at Camp Jewell is genuinely kind to every one!  When Ray first said Camp Jewell was a place no one would be made fun of, I did not trust my fellow peers and I did not believe him.  But my fellow peers taught me a new, better way of thinking, here I don’t hesitate to trust.

My counselors have taught me that at Camp Jewell you get out what you put in.  The first couple of days at Camp Jewell I was not having fun.  I would not participate in the repeat after me songs because I thought they were stupid, and I didn’t like the activities because they were pointless.  But, on the third day, Dan Weinreb told me that at Camp Jewell “you get out what you put in” I decided to try it out.  Now, I have fun all day at Camp Jewell.

The coordinators and PCs have put the lessons into action.  At chapel Ray Zetye told us a story about a desert pump.  It reminded me and reiterated the lesson of trust I learned to trust everyone at camp.  During the Nancy Tucker concert, I thought of Dan’s lesson and put it into action.  This activity proved his concept.

Camp changes people, but more importantly Camp Jewell changes people for the better.  Through everyone here I have changed for the better.

 

Derrick Cranford: An Inspiration to a Community

One of our most inspiring stories is that of Derrick “Rick” Cranford. He’s one Wilson-Gray’s popular members. Not because he dominates our summer basketball league, or because he bench presses 500 pounds. He’s popular because he has one of our most inspirational stories and members got the opportunity to see his transformation on a day by day basis.

Two years ago, Derrick found himself in the doctor’s office for an annual check up. Weighing in at 465, the doctors let him know that he was at high risk for diabetes and faced other health issues including high blood pressure and heart disease. Right then and there, Derrick decided he needed to make an important change in his lifestyle. He realized that his life and family’s were more important than his next cheeseburger at a fast food restaurant.

With a change to his diet, an exercise routine and the support of family and friends Derrick set out to reach his goals. He decided to give up fried foods, red meats, pork, pasta, coffee, alcohol and cigarettes. He striped his diet down to baked chicken and fish, fresh fruits and vegetables. His wife Toni and best friend Lamont encouraged him to start taking group exercise classes. One class that truly inspired him was H.I.I.T (High Intensity Interval Training), taught by Dwight. It was a challenging time but Toni, Lamont, and Dwight were supportive forces and always encouraged Derrick to keep chasing his goals. He dreaded every Friday morning with Dwight, but as time passed and Derrick grew into better shape, he embraced the challenge of H.I.I.T. class. Now he is often a front runner in all of the group exercise class’s. 

After 2 years of dieting and exercising, you can still find Derrick almost every morning working out with a smile on his face. Even though he has lost more than 250 pounds, he’s still determined to keep in top shape. Anytime he needs a little motivation, he looks to an old picture of himself and tells himself to keep going. On a recent visit to his doctor’s office, Derrick heard very pleasant news. He was given a clean bill of health, has no signs of being diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. 

If your interested in Derrick’s, feel free to visit our facebook page every Friday starting in August to find healthy recipes.

 

Wilson Grays C.I.Ts Making A Difference!

This is the second week of the CIT program, I’m happy to say I can already see that our youth are growing in and small but a powerful way. Ultimately we choose ten teens to work in our summer youth program. Each candidate went through a competitive interview process, I was impressed to see our youth work hard and strive for the positions. Once we selected our team we taught them team building skills, camp safety, arts and crafts and a host of camp songs. We ended the week by hitting the streets and covered up street graffiti with YMCA logos! Everyone involved had fun but most importantly we improved the look of the neighborhood. Local residents thanked us for our efforts; something we thought was so small made a big community impact!