Record turnout for St. Gerard’s Kids Camp

Campers and counselors at 22nd annual St. Gerard's Kids Camp (Amy Nachbar photo)

The chants from the Galvin Middle School field could be heard blocks away. They meant only one thing — St. Gerard’s Kids Camp! Last week, over 700 campers, scores of counselors and dozens of parent volunteers gathered to see old friends, make new ones and slide down Splash Mountain.

Each morning began with a circle led by Kids Camp co-founder Mike Mahan, along with college students who were in charge of each age group (Duckers, who are 5 and 6 years old; 7 and 8 year olds; 9 and 10 year olds; and 11 and 12 year olds).

Campers stood with their group to do the wave, throw their hats in the air and sing “Everywhere we go.” The record number of campers formed the largest-ever circle.

“The kids are great,” said Mahan’s wife, Judy. “They’re very motivated and spontaneous.”

The Mahans worked on the idea for Kids Camp at their kitchen table more than 20 years ago. Many of the campers return each year to work as counselors.

One of those former campers is Cassie Kelly, who is now a student at Massasoit Community College. “I’ve been coming here since I was a Ducker,” she said. “It’s my favorite week of the summer. I wouldn‘t miss it for the world.”

Counselor Vicki O'Brien with camper (Amy Nachbar photo)

For Kelli-Anne Crane, it was her third summer as a counselor at Kids Camp. “It’s great,” she said. “All the kids are really excited. It’s awesome. You meet a lot of new people.”

Kelsey Ross worked with Crane as a first-time counselor. “My friends told me about it,” she said. “I love being with kids.”

One of their charges, Kristina Keefe, really enjoyed camp. “It’s fun and you can make new friends,” she said.

Sue Morgan’s children, Jake, 7, and Jenna, 6, couldn’t wait for camp to begin. “They haven’t slept,” she said. “They look forward to it.”

Their favorite activity was sliding down the white plastic-covered hill near the Galvin parking lot known as Splash Mountain.

Robert McNeice, Ryan Fennessy and Nikki Gefteas were in the same 11- and 12-year-old group. “It’s really fun,” McNeice said. “We get to do a lot of activities. It’s a really neat place to be with friends.”

Fennessy agreed. “I meet my friends from school,” he said.

Last week was the third year of Kids Camp for Gefteas. “I like that you can enjoy all the activities with your friends,” she said. “And you can cool off at Splash Mountain and the dunk tank.”

(Amy Nachbar photo)

For Kayla Albert, it was all about being cool in the heat. “It’s really fun,” she said. “You get to do a lot of cool things. You get to get wet!”

Pam Cohen and Chrissy Hartnett were parent volunteers with the 11 and 12 year olds, helping with the scavenger hunt. Cohen’s three children are repeat campers.

“We’ve been doing this for years,” she said. “It’s inspirational for the kids. They love helping the little kids and they look up to the kids who are counselors.”

Hartnett said of her son, Dan, 12, “He loves it. He loves being outdoors and seeing kids he plays sports with in a different atmosphere.”

“By the end of the week,” Cohen added, “it brings the whole community together.”

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Jul 20 2011. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.