During the summer months, I was hoping my children would have an experience that would continue their education in ways that aren’t possible in a classroom setting. And, I didn’t want them on screens. I wanted them to be around friends — both old and new — and have wonderful, caring, supportive grown-ups lead their way.
Because of Everwood, they’ve been given the opportunity to participate in such a variety of activities that they never would have experienced being home. They have a sense for adventure and appreciation for the outdoors while learning to do everything from sailing to archery, and yoga to cooking.
If you’re looking for anything like I was, Everwood checks all of the boxes. I have entrusted the leaders and staff at Everwood with my children since they were in preschool. Five years later, they’re counting down the days until they start camp.
From the directors and lifeguards, to the nurse and counselors, everyone puts the health and well-being of the children above all else. Everwood is the home away from home you want your children to have this summer. I only wish they would have a adult day at Everwood!
Our son had an incredible summer of growth, fun in the sun, and happiness. We felt so secure knowing he was at Everwood. From the moment he was greated at the car – where every single person who came up knew his name, we felt he was cared for at this camp. You cannot imagine the comfort of letting your four year old go to camp when you realize every counselor on the grounds knows who he is and therefore must be looking out for him. His stories about nature, about boating, and about camp, were incredible. We learned that one reason we go to Everwood Day Camp is to make new friends and try out new things at least once. We learned about fishing and how it feels to catch a fish. We learned A_W_E_S_O_M_E!… We look forward to many more exciting summers together with your outstanding group of staff, committed kids and professional adults who together made such a wonderful summer of fun.
Every day our daughter would come home really happy and fulfilled with stories about what she had done and how much fun the whole experience was. The “warm and fuzzies” gave a seal of approval to good behavior, being kind and sociable to your groupmates, or if you had personally challenged yourself and found a new strength within. This was all great stuff and exactly what we want our kids to take away from the camp experience – the unspoken curriculum – outside of all the marvelous activities they do.
Then when our eldest daughter, joined in the second 3 weeks of camp, making it her first year in the LEAD program, again you were able to offer her exactly what she needed – real leadership training and experience which she gained from working with younger members on the musical – a range of activities and settings, which personally challenged her, and all of which enabled her to learn new things about herself whilst working in a very supportive and creative environment. She was very grateful that her counsellors were so flexible, and thus enabled her to separate from the regular program at times, to spend more time with the musical production. Each of our girls bonded very well with her counselors, and found them particularly empathetic and skilled in listening, so that by the end of the summer, she felt that she had made new and strong friendships.
I just wanted to write to say thank you for giving both of my kids a wonderful summer. My son attended Everwood for the entire 9 weeks, even though I had originally signed him up for 5! He just did not want to leave and kept coming home asking me if he could go another week. Honestly, he’d go next week if he could! My son is not one to make a long-term commitment to anything; he usually signs up for things, gets bored after a couple of weeks and pleads not to go. But with camp, on Sunday nights he’d say, “I have camp tomorrow!” and couldn’t wait to get back. That tells me how much fun he was having.
As for my daughter, this was her first summer at home in 6 years and we knew it would be different than her years at overnight camp. She couldn’t have made a better choice for her summer. She loved being a counselor and it was a really great first job. Every night she’d come home and tell us about something she’d done that day “because my girls wanted me to.” These were things that she might not have been adventurous enough to do on her own when she was a camper, but she wanted her girls to have fun, so she did it. She told us a really sweet story about one day when the bunk was walking to an activity and one of the girls came up beside her to hold her hand, which made her day. She was so nervous about doing a good job before the summer began and I could see her really grow into her role as the weeks went by.
