Week 9

MVP did not let a little rain stop them this week! The campers took their activities indoors with a mix of "base games." With an array of options to choose, they decided to play kickball, baseball and another game called dodge-kick ball. MVP Counselor, Sarah says, "The kids are looking forward to a fun day of base games, it is something different for them." The campers had a great time despite the weather, but they were extremely excited to get back on the fields today! With a mini golf trip planned, hopefully the sun will continue shining through so they can get out on the greens!

This week Discovery campers decided to help others by "Going Green" when they designed and colored bring your own bags donated by Hoagie Haven. Everyone sported the "Y" symbol and "B.Y.O. bag" or "bring your own bag" so that customers can reuse bags instead of throwing them away. The campers also made homemade dog treats to donate to SAVE animal shelter. The campers were determined not to let the rain get in the way. They made toys out of dog food, socks, ripped shirts, the inside of a roll of tissue for SAVE the animals shelter. Pioneers got to get up close and personal with Boots, Dora, Max and Ruby! They are the animals from the petting zoo that visited the Y this week. Dinkey the Donkey taught the kids why they should brush their teeth and the campers were also privileged to see the donkey dance with the tamer! 

Link to the recipe for the homemade dog treats if you are interested in making them at home: http://www.dogtreatrecipes.org/the-perfect-dog-biscuit-recipe.html 

Learn more about adopting a new friend from SAVE: http://www.save-animals.org/

Looking for a great meal? Check out Hoagie Haven: http://www.hoagiehaven.com/

Specialty Camp this week was Super Science! Specialty has done a lot of experiments so far as they become Super Scientists for the week. Earlier in the week, our scientists made homemade chalk. They learned that chalk is a soft rock and than proceeded to make their own chalk to take home. They also were going to make salt crystals as another experiment. Today, our Super Scientists took a trip to learn about another great scientist, Ben Franklin. The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is one of the oldest centers of science education in the United States!

This week the Leadership Academy's service project was to pack fifty donated book bags with school supplies. All of the supplies were donated by Christine's Hope for Kids (CHFK) foundation. The bags will be given to children attending St. Paul's Catholic School in the fall. Many of the students are in need and would not otherwise be able to start school with the proper supplies without their help. "This is the second year CHFK has donated bags to the children and worked with the YMCA's Leadership Academy to help them prepare the materials. The Gianacaci's are generous supporters of our YMCA camp program. They donate $5,000 annually to provide camp for children who need financial assistance. We are always happy to have our campers learn from them and their fine example," exclaims Paul Zeger, Camp Director. John and Jean Gianacaci of CHFK will join the Leadership Academy campers on Friday to deliver the completed bags to St. Paul's.