It's Halloween on the 4th of July for Woodbridge YMCA Campers

While the rest of Woodbridge was preparing for Independence Day festivities, the YMCA Summer Day Camp instead was looking ahead - to Halloween. Campers and counselors alike showed up Friday dressed in costumes and boogied to “The Monster Mash,” “Thriller,” and other spooky tunes provided by a professional DJ. Even the Chick-Fil-A Cow dropped by to show off some moves.

For campers, having a Halloween party in July was not an unusual occurrence. In fact, for the past week, the camp, located in the Woodbridge Community Center, had celebrated everything from Easter to Christmas as part of “Holiday Hoopla” Week. Each of the 10 weeks at camp is marked by a special theme, like “Medieval Mayhem” or “!AZNANOB SDRAWKCAB,” and culminates in a party every Friday.

Luckily for Woodbridge residents, children ages 3 to 14 can join the party for as little as $50 per day. The camp runs from June 20 to August 26 at Woodbridge's YMCA. Financial assistance is also available so Mom and Dad can provide fun for the little ones without hurting their wallets.

In addition to weekly parties, children also engage in regular camp activities like basketball, rollerblading, indoor ice skating, and swimming. Every week also features a field trip to exciting places such as the Bronx Zoo, Combat Sports Laser Tag Park, and Yankee Stadium. With more than 200 children enrolled in the camp each week, one would think that it would be difficult to appeal to every camper and parent’s needs, but the flexibility of the camp satisfies everyone.

Even teenagers, who are often the hardest to please, are thrilled to be at camp. “It’s a lot of fun,” said Kenyuan Burwell, 14. “The Teen Camp goes on trips to the movies, the water park, and bowling.”

The Summer Day Camp also caters to parents with difficult schedules. “The great thing about camp is that parents can customize it,” said Woodbridge YMCA Membership and Marketing Director Nancy Drumm. According to Drumm, parents who do not need to send their kids to camp every day “can pick one day or only trips.” Other options such as AM Camp, PM Camp, and Before and After Care are also provided.

What about the budding artist or athlete who is easily bored by regular camp activities? Indulge their interests with YMCA’s unique specialty camp programs. Camp director Allison Vitali described specialty camps as “weeklong, half-day classes that kids can enroll for. They can either enroll for just the specialty camp or they can enroll for specialty camp and traditional camp to create a full-day camp experience.”

Specialty camps appeal to a wide range of hobbies from gymnastics to video game animation to basketball. Many specialty camps boast advanced equipment and quality instructors, including NBA scouts Scott and Paul Wissel. YMCA also provides busing for campers for specialty camps held at outside facilities.

Back at the Woodbridge Community Center, campers can play in the pool, gym, or playground, where specially trained counselors are always on hand. For 19-year-old Jackie Gyorfy, this is her fourth summer working at the camp. She and the other counselors “try to have activities that include the whole group and make sure kids fit in well.” Her fondest memories are of the last day of camp, when “all the campers started crying, because they didn’t want to leave.”

The campers themselves also attest to how fun the camp is. Armaan Bilimoria, 5, said, “I just finished preschool and this is better than preschool, ‘cause we didn’t have arts and crafts in preschool.”

Nine-year-old Jillian Pogoda agreed. “You should go to the YMCA Camp because ‘cause they have a lot of fun activities and trips…. There a lot of kids there, and you can make a lot of friends,” she said. “Basically, it’s just that you’re never bored there.”

To register for Woodbridge YMCA’s Summer Day Camp or to find more information, visit their website.

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