| 7/01/09
Breakfast:
Pancakes, 2 Fruit Toppings, Warm Syrup, Bacon,
a selection of Cereals and a fresh fruit bar.
Orange Juice or Milk was available for Juice.
Lunch:
Hoagie Sandwiches with Ham, Turkey, Hummus, 3
types of sliced cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onions,
Coleslaw and corn chips as well as a selection
of salad items on the salad bar.
Dinner:
Pasta and Meat Balls, Red sauce, Sausage, Peppers,
sauteed fresh veggies, warm breadsticks and a
freshly stocked salad bar.
Desert is Ice Cream
Sandwiches.
6/30/09
Here at Camp Mason
we pride ourselves on being prepared for any kind
of event or situation where the safety of our campers
is at risk. In order to practice this effectively
all staff are trained to respond to our Emergency
Procedure Plans A – F when informed over the
radio, in person by Head staff or at the sound of
three blasts of the Air Horn!
This week, as with every session, a random drill
was to be enacted in order for campers and staff
to practice what to do during an emergency or situation
where campers are at risk.
Today,
the drill became unnecessary when inclement weather
provided the perfect opportunity to put into action
one of our Emergency Procedures. This procedure
was alerted to the whole of camp with a triple
blast of the Air Horn repeated once a minute.
For the trained staff of Camp Mason, this triple
blast of the Air Horn informed them that all campers
should be returned by staff to their cabins immediately
as a prolonged bad weather front was approaching.
Within minutes all
village leaders were able to confirm that their
campers were in the appropriate cabins. The
storm front took some hours to pass and campers
were able to enjoy some indoor games that each
Cabin was prepared for!
6/30/09
Breakfast:
Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browned potatoes, sausage patty
and biscuits on the hot cart while on the cold breakfast
cart was a selection of fruits such as Bananas and
mixed fruit salad or a large selection of cereals.
Lunch:
Baked potato bar with chilli, broccoli, chopped
onion and sour cream as well as a freshly stocked
salad bar.
Dinner:
Chicken Fajita’s with rice, black beans, salsa,
guacamole, onions and peppers as well as the salad
bar.
Desert tonight is fruit salad.
All meals have juice and Peanut Butter and Jelly
is available at every meal! 6/30/09
This summer we have
lots of new activities and one in particular which
has become an instant success is Back Yard Games!
Back Yard games are 16 all time favourite games
that Campers choose from in one activity.
At the start of the week the campers choose four
of the sixteen games they would like to play that
week. Some of the games they can choose from are;
Whiffle Ball, Kick Ball, and Gaga. In the last fifteen
minutes of each day – the group works on a
game of their own devising.
Jordan Katcher – one of our counselors who
was also a camper here at Camp Mason is leading
this activity this year. After only one day he was
able to tell me that so far they have four great
ideas for the game of their own devising and he
can’t wait for tomorrow! 6/20/09
Camp Mason is
excited to announce that this year Bunk1.com will
be hosting our Camp Mason Photos and Camper E-mails.
Bunk1.com is a fantastic resource allowing parents,
relatives, campers and staff to find photos of a
particular person quickly via the search option
and purchase merchandise of their photos. The e-mail
facility allows parents to send e-mails to their
camper with the camper being able to send a hand
written e-mail back to the parent, friend or family
member.
To register for Bunk1.com go to www.ymcacampmason.bunk1.com
where you will have the option to ‘Register
Now’. If you are a parent or guardian, you
will have received literature in the post with regards
to Bunk1.com including a pre-approval code to enter
upon registration. Once you are registered and approved,
you are able to start sending e-mails to your camper
and to view the Camp Mason Photos.
The feature to allow you to ‘search’
for a particular person on Bunk1.com can be found
once you enter the Photo Gallery. Look down the
left hand side of the screen and you will see the
‘Photo search’ bar where you can enter
a name and only the photos of the person you have
searched for will appear in the gallery. You can
also search by Cabin Name or Village Name. Once
Summer Camp starts Photos will be updated every
weekday at approximately 5pm and Sunday afternoons.
The Camp Mason News including the Daily Menu, Director’s
message and activity articles will still be found
here on the Camp Mason website under ‘News’.
Should you have any questions with regards to Bunk1.com
or any other questions, please don’t hesitate
to drop us an e-mail here at Camp Mason.
6/29/09
After all the months of preparation, the
Campers are finally here!
Old friends were re-united and new friends made
as campers settled in for their first day and night
on camp! First
off, campers had a tour of camp with their cabins
followed by a swimming test. This year we had
many campers obtaining the Green swimming band
allowing them to swim in all parts of the pool!
There was even a little extra time for campers
a quick swim due to the smoothness with which
the testing went!
Dinner was an indoor
barbeque with some really tasty watermelon for
desert!
Program Sign-ups
was an exciting time for campers with many new
programs on offer and, having had a brief taste
of the Programs on offer on the Basketball Courts
earlier in the evening, Campers knew exactly what
they wanted to take and went straight to the appropriate
sign-up sheet!
The first night
at camp came to a close with the first Camp Fire
of the Summer! Counselors
from each village produced a huge range of skits
from 'Repeat-after-me songs to a fashion show!
There was alot of laughs and a particularly moving
version of 'Lean On Me' led by Don his Guitar!
6/29/09
Breakfast:
French Toast with warm Syrup and Butter and accompanied
with Bacon. A large selection of fresh fruit such
as pears, peaches and pineapple was also available.
Cereals such as Cornflakes, Bran Flakes and Cheerios
are on offer every breakfast. The juice today
was Orange Juice.
Lunch:
Chicken Patty Sandwiches with 2 Types of sliced
cheese, Sweet Potato Fries and the Salad bar were
featured with a vegetarian option of Vegetarian
nuggets.
Dinner:
Baked Ziti without meat, green beans, cooked carrots
and Italian bread with butter. A salad bar with
a range of items including salad and cucumber.
Desert was Chocolate pudding with cream.
6/29/09
New to Camp Mason this summer is our Aquatics Director
who comes to us from Davenport, Iowa. Lauren has
15 years of competitive swimming experience and
has been a Swimming Instructor for 8 years.
Lauren's role as
the Aquatics Director involves scheduling for
15 Lifeguards, programming for the entire Acquatic
Programs, Swimming lessons and all maintenance
of the pool.
Lauren is most excited
this summer about the new swim lesson program
she has put in place which includes certification
for any accomplishment in the water!
6/28/09
Dinner:
Barbequed Chicken Wings with corn, baked beans
and potato salad. The salad bar was fully stocked
with cold beans, lettuce and tomatoes to name
a few items.
Desert:
Watermelon
6/24/09
The Camp Mason staff
of 2009 all had a chance to experience Camp as a
Camper would experience camp. It was a great day
for the trial run with the sun out and the international
staff getting their first taste of the heat of New
Jersey. The
day started off with Flag and Don's word of the
day 'Whizbang' followed by a fantastic breakfast
of blueberry pancakes and sausages. After breakfast
Cabin groups set off on various activities. A
quick recall at the Basketball courts revealed
cabins had participated in various activities
such as field games, ASE, Arts and Crafts and
a Core Values Scavenger Hunt which was highly
entertaining and successful according to the photos
I saw.
The
day has since progressed through the various activities,
free time and a highly appreciated 'Free Swim'
this afternoon to cool down after the heat of
the day!
This evening staff will have a chance to dress
up for the staff dance which has been a highly
anticipated event by staff so should be alot of
fun. All photos of
today and tonights dance will be on Bunk1.com
after 4pm tomorrow.
6/23/09
This past week Camp
Mason has seen A LOT of rain! There have been times
when we thought it would never end! Today though,
has been a definite ray of sunshine with temperatures
rising and the warm clothes discarded for summer
shorts and t-shirts! It couldn’t have come
at a better time with staff having completed some
concentrated staff training and next on the schedule
were work projects. This afternoon, staff are all
across camp weed whacking, painting, cleaning and
getting the cabins and camp ready for Sunday.
I caught up with our new Camp Shannon Day Camp Director
Mary Beth Journe and Program Director Mike Seidel
who were doing training with their team this morning.
They have some really exciting changes for this
summer including new staff who will be doing both
Day Camp during the day and with a cabin group in
the evenings. They have lots of new activities and
are very excited about this summer!
This afternoon all the camp is coming back together
to meet at the pool in time for an Aquatics orientation
with the Aquatics Director Lauren Lehenbauer followed
by an open swim for all staff to cool down after
an afternoon of work projects! 6/23/09
Descended
on Camp Mason this weekend was 60% of our Summer
Staff! From Switzerland and South Africa to Australia
and the United Kingdom – they came for Camp!
The energy walking around camp is amazing with counselors
meeting in cabin groups with towels slung across
their shoulders ready for their swim tests and others
still pouring in with suitcases and smiles! Summer
Camp feels like a heartbeat away!
The tone of this week’s staff training was
set with the high jinks of Head staff at the Camp
fire skits and Don, Marcus and Dave giving a verbal
tour of Camp Mason’s history, our Mission
for this Summer and the core values that define
us; Honesty, Caring, Respect and Responsibility!
The first day of all staff being on camp ended with
the counselors in each cabin gathering around a
candle and reflecting on the day during cabin chat!
6/23/09
As many of you will
recall our Apache Village Leader last year was Amanda
Meehan who this year has taken on the challenging
role of Program Director. Amanda is very excited
by this opportunity not only because there are many
new programs to offer but also because she gets
to work closely with Don Jennings!
As program Director Amanda’s role is to facilitate
and co-ordinate with staff all the programs we offer
to campers. From the basics of helping staff design
the most exciting lesson plans to ordering and providing
the equipment necessary to get the programs up and
running. One of her most important jobs is in the
scheduling of all the programs with staff to run
each activity.
Amanda is most excited about the Theme Weekends
this summer which she has been working closely with
the Village Leaders to organize.
6/20/08 If you have
been following the Camp Mason news Over the Fall,
Winter and Spring; the Camp Mason Staff, Volunteers
and Alumni have been busy building and preparing
for Summer 2009!
The dining hall is one of our most exciting renovations
with a marble-like finish to the floor, new chairs,
pictures of camp around all of the dining hall walls
and brand new ‘heated’ food carts! The
Upper Barn and lower barn have had a fresh lick
of paint while new fire rings have been established
for overnights along and near the Green Trail and
the Beaver Pond. The Nature Centre program has been
re-invented with a recently planted garden of vegetables
and a farm of animals such as goats, rabbits and
chickens.
A new program for 2009 is the CIT Program (AKA Counselors-in-Training)
which will be run by our CIT Directors Kat LaFata
and Will Watts. The aim of this program is to give
young people who wish to become counselors; the
skills and experience required to be a counselor
next year as well as learning how to operate as
a team and contribute to camp through a Service
Project.
The LT program has also been given an overhaul and
this year will be focusing on teaching leadership
skills such as survival and trekking through two
big trips during the two week session. Brad Nagle
and Sara White are the LT Directors this year and
they are very excited to get going!
6/20/09 The
Summer is gearing up with Staff Training beginning
this week and continuing next week! It has been
great to see many familiar faces and lots of new
faces! This week has involved the Leadership team
scheduling and organizing the summer for their
villages, LT and CIT programs.
Ali Beatty, the
Nature Director is getting the nature area ready
for the arrival of the goats while Carrie Lander;
the Arts and Crafts Director has been ordering
lanyards and clay and lots of other exciting equipment
ready for the many activities she will be running
this summer. Lauren Lehenbauer, this year’s
Aquatics Director has some new Pool Games she
is preparing while I have started getting photos
up onto Bunk1.com and preparing for another exciting
summer.
6/20/09
Camp Mason was recently featured in the news
with an article outlining our history, our mission
and what a Camper can find at Camp Mason this Summer.
To view this article
you can view it by clicking here.
To find out more
about Camp Mason or about donating to Camp Mason,
information is available at the Camp Mason Website
www.campmason.org
11/4/08
Did you
know that Camp Mason offers family camp weekends?
In our busy, modern lives we all seem to have
far too many distractions that pull us away from
the things that really matter. We say family foremost!
Quality time with the family when you can all
be together seems harder and harder to find. But,
the YMCA has a solution - a tradition that spans
seven decades. Family Camp!!!
Our program is designed to be
a fun-for-the-whole-family weekend of things to
do, indoors and out. Do as much or as little as
you like. Relax at camp, or hit the trail! Throughout
the weekend we will be offering various camp activities
you can enjoy as a group - or divide up for a
time so each can sample the activity they most
enjoy. Some activities are self directed while
others are supervised by our helpful, caring staff.
The weekend also includes planned group events.
Evening programs include exciting presenters,
treasure hunts, and a traditional campfire complete
with s’mores
| Winter Weekend Camp |
January 2 - 4, 2009 |
Arts and Crafts Weekend
Women’s Wellness Weekend |
March 6 - 8, 2009 |
| Mother’s Day Weekend Camp |
May 8- 10, 2009 |
| Memorial Day Weekend Camp |
May 22 - 25, 2009 |
| Labor Day Weekend Camp |
September 4 - 7, 2009 |
| Fall Foliage Weekend Camp |
October 16- 18, 2009 |
| Grandparent’s Weekend |
November 6 - 8, 2009 |
New programs in 2009!
Interested in Scrapbooking,
Quilting, crafts of any kind? Are you and your
friends looking for some peace and quiet to focus
on what you love? Here at camp we will take care
of everything for you, providing meals, lodging,
a place to work on your projects with plenty of
activities available when you want to take a break.
Looking for a weekend where women have a opportunity
to spend time together in the outdoors? All activities
are outside, social and designed to provide a
retreat from daily life. “Get away from
it all” with other like minded women.
Grandparents, what better way to spend time with
your grandchildren than spending a weekend away
with them at camp! All activities available at
our traditional family camp weekends will be available
this weekend.
Click
here to go to the Family Camp's section of our
website.
6/5/09
July
3-5: Olympics – A theme with an international
flavor, this weekend’s events will be defined
by Olympic-type competition and mixed-village,
mixed-cabin teams representing a wide range of
‘nations’. Prepare for the thrill
of victory!
July 17-19: Future Camp Mason – Everything
from Star Wars to Star Trek to Lost in Space,
this theme will focus on the future… any
future. A huge range of costumes and activities
is available – from astronauts and aliens,
to robots and rockets. Start planning now to get
your future on at camp!
July 31-Aug 2: Shipwreck – Pirates and galleons
and Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island –
this theme presents an amazing array of costume
opportunities. Events will include all things
island-y, so get ready enjoy a deep sea weekend!
Aug 8-16: Heroes – Comic book heroes, movie
heroes, literary heroes, imaginary heroes, side-kicks,
villains, and secret headquarters – this
theme has it all!
Family
Day: Success!
Thanks
to everyone who showed-up for Family Day at Camp
Mason. More than 100 people – parents and
kids and friends and families – turned out
for an afternoon of sunshine, snacks, tours, and
fun-filled camp activities. The weather was beautiful
and camp looked great. With only three weeks left
until Opening Day, this event was a great start
to the summer season. Don’t miss it next
year!
Tell
a friend about Camp Mason!
Remember,
there’s still room in every session –
tell someone you know about the summer camp you
love! We’ll be accepting registrations up
until Opening Day and beyond. Don’t forget
that tuition assistance is available. Why not
give your child the gift of summer camp?
6/5/09
The
American Camps Association has developed a wonderful
video titled Because of Camp…™. The
purpose of this viral, Web-based, campaign is
to familiarize the non-camp population with the
benefits of summer camp.
Because of Camp…™
consists of fourteen celebrities discussing how
their lives have been changed… Because of
Camp...™. As dedicated members of the ACA
we at Camp Mason feel that this video represents
many of the wonderful benefits of a summer camp
experience.
To
view the video please click here...
4/15/09
Recent
visitors to Camp Mason have witnessed long anticipated
changes to our most important building on camp...our
dining hall.

Our new dining hall
floor has been polished (ridding us of the old
painted surface), we have replaced much of the
old decor on the walls, are acquiring new hot
food serving carts, new lighting and new chairs
for our round tables.
The dining experience
for our guests is one of the most important goals
for Camp Mason's staff and we hope that these
improvements to our dining hall, in addition to
new meals like asian sty fry and philadelphia
cheese steaks will be welcomed by all.
3/31/09
Last
weekend over fifty summer camp families, board
members, outdoor center participants,alumni and
donors converged on Camp Mason to participate
in our spring Work Weekend.

Volunteers
placing posts for our new goat enclosure
Projects
that took top priority were painting in our Dining
Hall, the establishment of our Farm and Garden
Program, routine trail maintenance and brush clearing.

Our
new garden plot: fresh vegetables anyone?
All
participants worked hard and by Sunday morning
we even had time to give our Dining Hall tables
and benches a new coat of paint . Thanks to all
who participated.
11/4/08
Did you
know that Camp Mason offers family camp weekends?
In our busy, modern lives we all seem to have
far too many distractions that pull us away from
the things that really matter. We say family foremost!
Quality time with the family when you can all
be together seems harder and harder to find. But,
the YMCA has a solution - a tradition that spans
seven decades. Family Camp!!!
Our program is designed to be
a fun-for-the-whole-family weekend of things to
do, indoors and out. Do as much or as little as
you like. Relax at camp, or hit the trail! Throughout
the weekend we will be offering various camp activities
you can enjoy as a group - or divide up for a
time so each can sample the activity they most
enjoy. Some activities are self directed while
others are supervised by our helpful, caring staff.
The weekend also includes planned group events.
Evening programs include exciting presenters,
treasure hunts, and a traditional campfire complete
with s’mores
| Winter Weekend Camp |
January 2 - 4, 2009 |
Arts and Crafts Weekend
Women’s Wellness Weekend |
March 6 - 8, 2009 |
| Mother’s Day Weekend Camp |
May 8- 10, 2009 |
| Memorial Day Weekend Camp |
May 22 - 25, 2009 |
| Labor Day Weekend Camp |
September 4 - 7, 2009 |
| Fall Foliage Weekend Camp |
October 16- 18, 2009 |
| Grandparent’s Weekend |
November 6 - 8, 2009 |
New programs in 2009!
Interested in Scrapbooking,
Quilting, crafts of any kind? Are you and your
friends looking for some peace and quiet to focus
on what you love? Here at camp we will take care
of everything for you, providing meals, lodging,
a place to work on your projects with plenty of
activities available when you want to take a break.
Looking for a weekend where women have a opportunity
to spend time together in the outdoors? All activities
are outside, social and designed to provide a
retreat from daily life. “Get away from
it all” with other like minded women.
Grandparents, what better way to spend time with
your grandchildren than spending a weekend away
with them at camp! All activities available at
our traditional family camp weekends will be available
this weekend.
Click
here to go to the Family Camp's section of our
website.
3/25/09
Here at Camp Mason
we’ve been busy planning ahead for another
great summer of Adventure Bound Treks. This year
you can expect to see some improvements to many
of our programs. Two treks (Mountain Adventure
and Spokes n Splash) have fun new itineraries
and all treks will see an increased focus on leadership
and team building. We’ll still visit all
of the beautiful locations we’ve been going
to for years: Rick’s Rocks, the Delaware
River, Kittatinny Ridge, and more. Never been
on an Adventure Bound Trek? Many of our trekkers
are first-time campers. All you need is a positive
attitude and a willingness to try something new!
If you have any questions about Adventure Bound
Treks feel free to contact Alissa at 908-362-8217
or Alissa@campmason.org.
All the best adventures in the
area packed into two fun filled weeks! We’ll
hike, bike, climb, and canoe our way through some
of the most scenic places in New Jersey. Our trek
starts with a bike ride along the beautiful Paulinskill
Valley Trail. Later in the week we’ll advance
to trails in High Point and Stephens State Parks
as well as the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation
Area. Our hikes will be along the Kittatinny Ridge,
affording us some of the most beautiful views
of the region. We’ll also test our climbing
skills as we progress from our climbing wall to
some awesome local faces. The culmination of our
trip will be a 2 night canoe trip on the Delaware
River where we’ll paddle, swim in the refreshing
waters, and camp out along the banks. Don’t
miss out on this multi-sport adventure! Intermediate
swim level required.
This trek will run from July 26th to August 8th.
2/11/09
You’re invited to join us on
the weekend of March 27-29 for our Spring Work
Weekend! We’re looking for a hardy group of volunteers
– alumni, camp families, friends – to help us
with a number of important projects around camp.
We’ll provide the housing and meals – you provide
the enthusiasm and muscle. Bring the whole family;
There will be supervised children’s groups to
keep the kids busy. And when the work day ends,
there will be plenty of camp activities to enjoy.
Best of all, our work weekend is completely FREE!
Come visit Camp Mason at one
of the best times of the entire year. For more
information about our Work Weekend, or to register,
please visit the link below or contact the camp
office.
Click
here for Camp Mason work weekend information.
2/13/09
Camp
Mason's Camp Director was recently featured in
an article in MetroKids magazine.
To read the article
please click on the following link:
Don
Jennings' wonderful article.
The magazine is
distributed throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
and Delaware. Circulation totals 130,000 copies.
Way to go Don!!
1/20/09
On
Sunday the 18th of January campers and staff gathered
at the Princeton YMCA for some pizza, games, slide
shows and catching up! Thank you to all our wonderful
campers who attended, we were thrilled to see
you all. Camp Mason is planning another reunion
event at the Edison Branch of the Metuchen-Edison
YMCA in February - look out for the details coming
soon to your inbox.

ASE anyone? Reunion
campers try out a little teamwork.
10/27/08
Over the weekend
of October 24th - 26th Camp Mason hosted Comfort
Zone Camp, the nation's largest bereavement camp
for children. Comfort Zone Camp runs camp programs
in Virginia, New Jersey and California at no cost
to participants. Information on Comfort Zone Camp
can be obtained from their website by clicking
here.
The New Jersey Herald
also ran an article on Comfort Zone Camp's programs
at Camp Mason on Sunday, October 26th. To view
that article please click
here. YMCA Camp Ralph S. Mason is proud to
host Comfort Zone Camp and proud to be participating
in this important service to our community
10/23/08
Are
you ready for summer?
Traditional camp,
Ranch Camp, Adventure Bound plus many new programs
are currently open for enrollment.
Please
click here to go directly to our online registration.
Remember that all
registrations that pay a deposit by Nov 1st receive
2008 prices and all registrations that pay-in-full
by December 31st also receive 2008 prices. Two
ways to save money! You save $200 on a four
week session of regular camp and $50 on a two
week session. |