News

Dear Parents & Friends,

We hope you all had a safe trip home or to another destination if you were going elsewhere.  Many of you were here this morning when the electricity went off and one our transformers blew on the Hillside.  Our power was off until 5:00 this afternoon and only through quick thinking and a resourceful staff were we able to have our traditional mac and cheese dinner tonight with the giant cookie for dessert.  I was out most of the day calling the power company and checking with the workmen as well as  pacing back forth waiting for the power to come back on.  I do know that all activities went off without a hitch.  One young man said, “Camp is the only place where life goes on even without electricity.”  I like that attitude!

We had a very smooth opening this morning and went right into our afternoon activities after sign-ups.  Traditionally on opening day all the campers do a swim test which happened and it’s also a great way to begin cabin bonding.  Our head counselors are at the pool and in the dining room to help spot that camper that may be having a little homesickness.  No major cases at this point.  Children participated in a variety of activities today including the following:  Web of Life/Outdoor Living Skills, Pioneer Crafts, Texture Crafts, Fine Arts, Farm, Swimming, Kayaking, Horses, Climbing, Sports, The Mill, and of course after supper acitivities.  We also had sign-ups for the week which provide a chance for the children to sign up for two activities they will take 3 days this week that last until Sat.  Each camper will have two activities each morning M, W, F, and T, TH, Sat for a total of 4. In the afternoons we’ll have signups that allows anyone to join and the activities will be different each day.  Morning is for building skills and afternoons for trying many new things.  From today’s pictures you’ll notice campers swimming on the blue lily pad, kayaking, molding clay, playing B-ball, riding horses and many other things. 

Every cabin will also go on a campout this session so we’ll keep you posted on those.  Tonight’s campfire was Introductory Skits which allows each cabin to introduce themselves to the whole camp on the first or second night.  We had some great skits by SunRise, Playhouse, Chipmunk Hut, Rosebay, 7th Heaven, Shady Grove, and Connestee Cove.  The rest of the crew will be tomorrow night.  Skits are always a mixed bag of music, acting, comedy (lots of it) and one cabin trying to outdo the other (keep in mind were non-competitive here at GV).  

Many of your children are new campers to GV this session and we have a very young camp overall.  We’re glad you chose the best camp ever to attend here in beautiful western NC.  Camp is such a great way to be away from home make some decisions on your own and stretch yourself a little without mom and dad being there.  Camp parents (counselors) are different in the children’s minds but we’re all on the same page as far as our goals for what we hope for your children.

Children and youth need a community that:  encourages achievement and builds self-esteem; promotes healthy lifestyles, fitness, and activity; receives instruction in a classroom without walls; instills appreciation, respect, and responsibility for the natural world around them; and inspires the confidence and courage to become the leaders of tomorrow and solid citizens.  We thank you for the above opportunities and many more as we get off to a great start with our campers for E Session.  Stay tuned!

Dear Parents & Friends,

As we wind down today I want to thank you for sharing your children with us this past session.  We will miss the joy that comes from our campers who have been here for several years as well as the new ones which just experienced their first year.  We’ve had a wonderful session and I hope it was evident as we held our closing for Session D this morning.  It’s started out cool and then hot.  We’re getting some distant thunder but no rain at this point.

Soon you will receive an evaluation via email, sent to you by the camp and we hope you will take the time to fill it out and send it back.  This provides us with feed back to help make our program better.  The eval will come through a service called Constant Contact.  They will not solicit you in any way and you will get only one correspondence from them.  We use their services and design the form here at camp.  We appreciate you taking the time to help us keep Gwynn Valley an outstanding program.  On a similar note the North Carolina Youth Camp Association, of which we are a charter member, is working on an economic impact study done by NC State University.  The camping industry in NC is a big part of our economy in this part of the state and we’re trying to get a handle on how the industry affects other parts of the economy.  You will receive a questionnaire that asks some questions about your days surrounding camp drop off and pick up.  The association will use this information to further the educational values that camping creates as well as become a more powerful voice with our state and national legislators. Thank you for participating in this survey.

For those of you that want to experience Gwynn Valley after the season, we are celebrating our 75^th reunion at the end of the summer the weekend of Aug. 20^th.  If you want to attend 1 or all days, we would love to have you.  We’ll be doing a bike ride on Friday the 20^th to benefit our campership program.  Come join me for a 25, 50 or 75 mile ride that day.  Cost for the ride will be $75 per person and all proceeds will go toward making camp affordable for children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.  The terrain will be rolling with no severe climbs.  We hope you can join us.

Placed in the hands of a mature staff a camper really gains a good bit from “playing outside which produces growing inside”.  Camp is just that and creates what we call camp DNA or good memories filled with learning and gaining confidence.  From all of us, thanks again for a great session.  Wonderful children, great staff and the Simple Joys of Childhood at Gwynn Valley!  Hope to see you next year.

Dear Parents & Friends,

A bright and sunny day here at camp for our last full day of D.  Clouds and thunder threatened several times but it didn’t rain.  I was on the river with Mountainside most of the day and returned to camp about 3:00 today.  Upon returning I headed over to the pool because the final day of camp always means pillow case day.  That’s when all campers come to the pool to swim, they bring their pillowcases and they get a quick check by the camp doctor and nurses while they’re waiting to swim.  You might ask what the pillowcase is for. .. well it’s a floatation device.  You don’t say… and how does that work.  First you wet it and then fill it up with air by twirling it round and round and then twist the end and there you have.  You wouldn’t believe how long it stays inflated and will hold up an adult.  So next time you’re out in the middle of a body of water and all you have is a pillowcase then you’ll know how to save yourself or a friend.  It’s actually a survival technique that you can use with most simple clothing.

I saw lots of happy campers this afternoon and evening.  Everyone enjoyed our traditional pizza dinner which is always on the last night of camp.  Pizza for 320 people is a feat.  Hat’s off to our kitchen staff.  They’ve done a great job all summer long and the food here is non-comparable.  My time with Mountainside today was spent on a section of the French Broad that borders the Biltmore Estate.  Our water levels were not that high but we learned a lot about some of the river dynamics they will face on their adventure.  Paddling can be tough when you have to work with a partner and each person carries an equal amount of responsibility for boat handling.  It’s good for teamwork and communication.  Much improvement was made today and I hope that continues into their adventure next week.

Tonight we had our Friendship Campfire with several members of the staff and many campers contributing.  Tonight’s campfire offered up an array of talent.  Much music was shared by campers, staff and SIT’s.  It’s been a great session and we celebrated that by showing many of the pictures that you all have been viewing over C and C-2 sessions.   Our camp photographer Casey has done a great job with capturing your children at camp.  Be sure and thank her for the great pics that she has put up on the web site.

Tonight at campfire I was amazed by how pop culture is so prevalent in our campers.  At our final gathering for D three different songs were sung by campers either solo or in a group.  They were all Taylor Swift songs.  Almost all the campers knew the words especially the girls and while it was cute and everyone was singing, some of the lyrics didn’t seem to fit the ages of campers who were singing.  I have always encouraged campers to get up and have the confidence to perform and sing in these situations because I feel we should have a place where they feel comfortable to do this.  I’m also glad that Gwynn Valley exists to promote those “simple joys” of childhood that keep children young at heart while at camp.  We thank you for supporting our program.   Anne and I appreciate our staff who have cared for your children this session and made sure that their experience at Gwynn Valley was one that will bring about great memories of the good times we all had.

It’s been a great session and the children have made lots of new friends, explored the world around them, and learned that “I can” is much more powerful than “I can’t”.  Magic has happened in their time with us.  In an environment created just for them, they’ve learned real life skills, developed self-esteem, and gained a sense of independence and community.  By playing, exploring nature, conquering new heights, and becoming part of a camp family, they have created some memorable moments this week.

As you arrive tomorrow morning, we look forward to seeing you and hope you hear many good stories over the next few days from camp.  We wish they could another week.   Gwynn Valley is 75 years old this summer and we hope to see everyone back again for another year of the simple joys of childhood.  I’ll be checking in tomorrow with new pictures and some final words for D session.  Stay tuned!