Ah… Halloween us is upon us again. The kids are dressing up, planning their routes to the houses with good treats, and thinking of mischief… sounds like camp!

Actually, there are a lot of similarities between a great Halloween night and a great camp. Both allow kids to dress up a bit. On October 31st, this happens literally: vampires, cowboys, or superheroes (a staple around the Kelly household) roam the neighborhoods. At camp, kids to try different activities and are surrounded by other kids they have to get to know. It’s a fresh start for many, a time to ‘dress up’ up a bit.

Both Halloween, with its spooky music and haunted houses, and camp, a first time away from home and all those new people, seem scary at first. However, you quickly realize you are having a blast and, at the end, look back on the experience with both surprise and joy.

Finally, you have to approach both the correct way or it will not be a great experience. For October 31st, this means planning your route carefully and not stuffing all of those sweets in your mouth later that night. At camp, it means taking an active part in the experience and understanding that you are an integral part of a community, not the one being everything revolves around.

When done well, both Halloween and Camp can start with that fun nervous feeling in your stomach and end with delight. The good news about Camp: it won’t leave you with any cavities!

Have a Happy Halloween everyone.

Cole

PS: Jerry is already planning another Haunted House for next summer!

A good friend recently told a great story about his first encounter with basketball as a young boy. His father had put up a backboard and goal for his oldest son to practice upon. My friend, the younger brother, watched until his older brother was through and in the house before he gave it a try.

Holding the ball in his very young hands, he looked up at the goal “which looked like it was 100 feet in the air.” After standing there for a while and just staring at that far off goal, he noticed his father standing next to him.

“Son, are you ready to take your shot?” his father asked.

“Dad, it’s so far away. There is no way I can make it,” my friend dejectedly responded.

“Son, I didn’t ask you to make the shot. I asked if you were ready to take it.”

My friend went on to explain the beauty and power of studying, preparing, and then taking your shot. There is honor in a well-intentioned attempt. There is much to be learned in simply taking the shot: knowledge, increased skill, and, perhaps above all, independence. These factors combine to form the foundation and fuel for true self-esteem.

All of our first time campers are ‘taking their shot.’ It’s a very big deal to go to camp. For most, a session at Weequahic represents the first time they have been away from the comforts of home.

Surrounded by excited children and engaged staff from all over the country, our campers have the time of their lives while doing things they’d never have a chance to experience at home. They are taking their shot inside a community committed to helping it be a successful attempt. We can’t promise our campers will have fun because we can’t control what they think. We promise, though, if a child decides to take a shot, they’ll go home more knowledgeable, powerful, and independent.

So, here’s to taking the shot. Give it all you’ve got. We can’t wait to help.

Hat Tip to Chuck Hodges.

Cole Kelly, Camp Director