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LINK TO DONATE AT BOTTOM

How do you help a family that has lost everything?

There are countless numbers of people that have lost their homes, belongings and sense of stability through the horrific California fires. How do you start from scratch and what are the things that can bring comfort to those affected? Many of the families not only lost their homes but also the place that their children spend the majority of their days, school. The thought of having to rebuild your entire existence is massively overwhelming. But to also have to provide activities for your children and make sure that they are still stimulated, nourished, and emotionally taken care of during this time is next to impossible.

Shibley Day Camp and the CampGroup family of camps have chosen to pair up with an organization called Project Camp (@projectcampla) that sets up pop-up day camps for impacted children while their homes and schools are being rebuilt. At these camps, children have fun with other children, they are distracted from what’s going on at home and they have the emotional support of trained staff if they need to speak with someone.

About Project Camp:

“We are former summer camp directors and administrators, experienced designers, and trauma-specialists who believe in the transformative power of the camp experience. Every staffer and volunteer is fully background checked and trained in childhood trauma identification and mitigation tactics before they ever interact with a camper.  Project Camp strives to serve every evacuated child in need.  We are in no way religiously or politically affiliated and we accept children of all backgrounds, socioeconomics, abilities, and needs from ages 6-16.  As far as we know, there are no other organizations that provide this type of relief for children.”

While campers are having fun at camp, their parents enjoy free childcare, time  and space to assess the state of their home and some peace of mind as they  make big decisions about moving forward.

Fundraising is a priority for Project Camp. Please consider donating to Project Camp yourself and/or circulating the link to your network. Here is a link to the donation page: https://projectcamp.co/donate.

Thank you!

The winter season is all about making memories and cherishing relationships near or far. At Shibley Day Camp, we believe in the power of connection and this is why I feel it’s important to encourage families and friends to stay in touch with loved ones, even if they aren’t local. 

Whether it’s sharing a laugh with friends or updating family members on your latest adventures or accomplishments, maintaining those bonds is essential to personal growth and building lasting friendships.

Here are a few simple and fun ideas to stay connected and spread smiles and cheer this season!

1. Schedule a Virtual Hangout. In today’s technological world it’s easier than ever to connect with friends and family via Zoom, FaceTime, or even a phone call. Schedule a time to share stories, play a game, or a simple check in over the phone! It’s the perfect way to stay connected, no matter the distance.

2. Send a Handwritten Letter. For something more personal, why not go back to basics with a handwritten letter or for little ones draw a picture! I believe there’s something special about receiving a physical note in the mail that can brighten anyone’s day.3. Creating Memories. Even if you’re miles apart, you can still create memories together. Watching a movie at the same time or even cooking a favorite recipe over FT or Zoom, then sitting and enjoying that meal together are simple ways to stay connected!

4. Lastly and my favorite, make a playlist with your loved one’s. Collect songs that both of you enjoy and while over FT or Zoom have a dance party!

At Shibley Day Camp, our GREEN values of Generosity, Respect, Empathy, Endurance and Nurture guide’s everything we do. These principles can extend into how we interact with others all winter long.

Let’s spread kindness, show respect, and nurture those relationships that matter most!

I wish everyone a joyful and connected winter season! Please share with us your pictures on how you choose to stay connected!

Shibley Shibley!

Melissa

Have you ever heard the expression “throw spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks!”? That’s kind of my motto when it comes to parenting. There are so many things that we throw our kids way and we hope that the most important things stick with them. I would argue that the most important piece of information for them to memorize is a parent’s cell phone number.

Now you might say to yourself, “Hayley, my kids are always with me or a trusted adult.” Or, “My number is saved in their phone which is always with them…Why is this a MUST?”

Here’s Why:

A few years ago my family and I were on a ski trip. We were on the mountain with our cousins and my 20-year-old nephew (trusted adult) and my youngest son (at the time he was 7) got separated from the rest of us. When we got to our normal meeting spot at the bottom of the mountain they were nowhere to be found. So we waited…and waited…and waited. “There’s no need to panic Hayley”, I said to myself, “just call your nephew’s cell phone!” I did. It went straight to voicemail. I called it again. No answer. I called about 5 more times and each time it went right to voicemail. At this point I started to freak out. Big mountain…little kid. My mind was racing with all the possibilities that no parent wants to think about.

I was about to call ski patrol when my phone rang from a random number. I answered and it was my nephew. He and my son were fine. They took a wrong turn and ended up on the opposite side of the mountain. They were together and wanted to let me know that it would take a while to walk back. He said that his phone had died and he wasn’t really sure what to do other than start walking towards the usual meeting spot.

What to know and what to do:

I was so proud to hear that my son, the seven year old, was the one who decided what they should do next: “Let’s look for a person who looks like a mommy and ask to borrow their phone.”

My nephew responded, “I don’t know your mom’s phone number without access to my own phone.”

Jesse said “I know it! And I know my dad’s number too!!”

This is just one of many situations that can pop up where your child should know your phone number by heart. He was with a trusted adult and safe but had no way to communicate this to his worried family. He was able to navigate the situation because he knew to ask for a phone from “someone who looked like a mommy” and he memorized the number he had to call. Thankfully, this allowed him to let me know that everything was ok and my moment of panic changed to a proud mama moment. Nice work Jesse!

How:

When they were babies I made a poster with my cell phone number, my husband’s cell phone number and our house line (yes, I am one of the few people left on the planet that still has a landline). I hung it on the wall of their playroom and whenever we were in that room together playing, we would make a point to look at the poster and recite the phone numbers. The poster was always there so even when we weren’t intentionally focused on it, the information showing was seeping into their heads. Eventually, it stuck with all of them. And we proved on the mountain that it was worth the effort!

Knowing a parent’s phone number is something that your child can use whether they are young and get separated from you, or when they are older and have lost their cell phone and they need to contact you. Cell phones make it easy to store numbers. But what if your child finds themselves without that information at their fingertips. It’s important that they have at least one trusted adult’s phone number in their brain so they always have a way to get in touch with you, even if they cannot use their own phone. Of course we also recommend that your child knows to call 911 in an emergency or if they forget a specific person’s phone number.

At Shibley Day Camp, we provide fun family programming all year long as we prepare for the next summer to arrive. Why?

• We want to stay connected to our camp families and staff 12 months a year.
• We provide multiple opportunities for new campers to make friends, meet staff and acclimate to our camp environment.
• New camp parents have the opportunity to speak with veteran camp parents who can ease their concerns and answer questions from the parents’ perspective.
• Often times parents/guardians will run into other adults that they know but didn’t realize were also connected to Shibley.
• The more times a child/family comes to visit before camp begins, the more successful the transition to camp is when opening day arrives in June.

Nothing is quite as awesome as actual camp…but at Shibley you don’t have to wait ten months to get back to camp each year. We host year-round activities for our families and prospective families nearly every month between each summer.

Off-season Events for 2024-2025:

December 15 – Shibley Bingo for Shibley Prizes

Zoom at 5:00pm

January 11 – Winter Wonderland Crafts & Games

75 minute sessions at camp in person

9:15am, 11:00am & 12:45pm

February 9 – Pre-Super Bowl Crafts & Games

75 minute sessions at camp in person

9:15am, 11:00am & 12:45pm

March 1 – Family Outing to New York Islanders Game

12:30pm game at UBS Arena

More info/how to purchase tix coming soon…

March 22 – March Madness Crafts & Games

60 minute sessions at camp in person

April 19 – Family Outing to New York Mets Game

4:05pm – Citi Field

Email info@shibleydaycamp.com if you wish to purchase tix for this game – $50 per ticket.

April 26 – Open Picnic/Open Play for Earth Day

Families are invited to bring a picnic and enjoy our beautiful grounds from 10am to 2pm.

May 17 – Spring Festival for 2025 Shibley Families

Enrolled families are invited to enjoy camp activities and additional entertainment from 1pm to 4pm,

Shibley Shibley! My name is Jess Marback and I am thrilled to announce my new role at camp this summer as Junior Camp Athletic Director. I have been a part of the Shibley family for 12 years. The past eight summers I have been a group leader in Junior Camp encouraging children to try new activities and give it their best! Seeing the success in a child’s eyes is the most rewarding experience anyone can ever hope for.

I have an extensive background in athletics.  During my childhood and high school career, I played a variety of sports. As I got older, I predominantly played basketball and softball. My athletic career continued in college where I was the starting catcher at Post University in Connecticut.  I come from a family of five children, so competition is second nature to me.

During the summer I will create a safe, positive, nurturing, and empathetic environment for our youngest and newest athletes to develop their skills. I look forward to new tournaments, games, and fun activities for all junior campers.  I will focus on making sure each physical activity is fun and engaging for campers of all skill levels. We will work on teamwork and building self-confidence.  I’m a fan of the Yankees, Jets, and Rangers, but I love watching all the sports and all the teams with my family on the weekends.

During the school year I work as an educator at Weber Middle School, and I have three children, Lola, Georgia and Briar, of which two are attending camp this summer.  It is truly incredible to be able to see the growth and happiness that my children and all campers have at camp.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing them come off the bus smiling, happy and dirty!  Summer can’t come soon enough and I’m looking forward to working with all the new and returning campers!

Hello camp families!! It’s been two years since I wrote about my family’s introduction to sleepaway camp (Wow! Time flies!) and how we knew it was the right time to send them. Last I wrote (scroll down for original blog), my two older children were preparing to go to Camp Walt Whitman in New Hampshire. One for four weeks and the other for seven weeks. They were of course nervous, but the camp hosted some off-season gatherings to get them excited, break the ice and to meet other camp families.

I am happy to report that their first summer away was a huge success and they of course wanted to return. They came home with tons of new camp friends, new experiences to share, and best of all- self-growth and much needed independence!!  They both wanted to go back for the full summer and they even convinced my youngest to give it a shot for 4 weeks.

My little one is a home body and enjoyed his previous summer without siblings. He had mom and dad all to himself…was he really going to give that up to sleep in a cabin with 9 strangers? Yes! He did!! Summer 2024 he did a four-week session and absolutely loved every minute of it. He cried his eyes out the day he had to leave and come back home. Thankfully, he came right back to his Shibley family that immediately embraced him for the second half of the summer.   

My three children have very different personalities. We chose a co-ed camp so they would all be in the same place but still expect and encourage them to have their own experiences. That’s exactly what happened and they can’t wait to get back to camp for summer 2025. It’s a win/win for the entire family. My husband and I know our kids are busy and active, learning new life skills, having fun, staying off screens and being safe. And the kids are having a blast without any worries or noise from the outside world. It’s just pure joy every day.  

We are well into the school year but there is not a day that goes by that there is no mention of camp. Whether it’s a text from a bunk chat, a picture that pops up on Instagram or the clothing that they are wearing (they have a large Walt Whitman wardrobe/and awesome camp jibbitz), camp is always on their minds and in their hearts!!  

If you are considering a sleepaway camp for your child but you are not sure where to start-give me a call at camp!

Read my original sleepaway camp post: https://www.shibleydaycamp.com/is-my-child-ready-for-sleepaway/

Read more about our camps:  https://www.shibleydaycamp.com/thinking-about-sleepaway-camp/

Sleepaway Savings Account Info: https://www.shibleydaycamp.com/summer-camp/sleepaway-camp-savings-account/