Girls Sleepaway Camp in the Adirondack Mountains in Brant Lake, New York
Last night, Callie and Tessa came down to the beach for an astronomy session with Brandon. The sky was so spectacular that we all wanted to share it with you. We took in the view of Comet NEOWISE, as well as the expansive view of our home on a pretty nice arm of the Milky Way Galaxy.
We know we would all rather be together in person, but until it is a safer world, we want to share our online version of the counselor welcome song. We have already shared more than 100 videos and activities including cooking, art, fitness, games and more for you to enjoy your Point @ Home. There is much more to come, including live events that we will share with camper parents via e-mail.
We miss you all and can’t wait to see you in person. We look forward to seeing you this summer online, as much as you want to join in. We miss you!
We are excited to announce the addition of even more depth to our skilled team of Camp Directors at Point O’Pines. As you know we are so lucky to have some of the best camp professionals here at the Point. As we work diligently on making the summer of 2021 the best summer ever, and providing our stimulating Point @ Home program, we wanted to share some well deserved promotions for some of our team members
Betsy Acker, our Assistant Director who has been with us since 2006, has been promoted to Associate Director. During the summer Betsy helps oversee the camp staff, leads the American Red Cross Aquatics and Safety training, assists with the marketing and promotion of camp, helps with staff development, and works alongside Erin and Sue to ensure the physical and emotional well-being of our campers. In the off-season, you can find Betsy traveling to different colleges and universities to help recruit prospective staff, or cheering on the Detroit Lions.
Emily Perelman will now be an Assistant Director. Emily was an 8-year camper at Point O’Pines and began working as a staff member with us in 2012. Emily will be working to help new camp families as they prepare for their first summer at camp while continuing in her role at camp, building strong relationships with our current camp families. During the school year, Emily works at Horace Mann School in Riverdale, NY as the Assistant Director of Admissions.
Kelly Siegersma will now be an Assistant Director at Point O’Pines. Kelly has been at POP since 2009 and has been part of our year-round team since 2013. Kelly will oversee many of the preparations for each summer that make camp run smoothly and will continue to be a key member of our staff recruitment team. She has a wealth of knowledge about all aspects of camp and is always available in our Brant Lake office to answer any questions you may have.
We are so proud of these individuals and wanted to share our excitement with our camp community.
The Himoff Family
Campers and staff, how would you describe Point O’Pines in one word? We want to hear from you! Send us a video of you describing camp in one word. We plan to compile responses into one video. Email your videos to office@pointopines.com by Tuesday, May 26th and make sure to wear your POP gear!
Dear Campers,
Over the past few months your lives have changed so much and we know it has been really hard. During this difficult time, we want more than anything to bring our Point O’Pines family together for the summer because we know how much you need camp right now. We have been working so hard to try to figure out a way to have a wonderful summer while keeping you all safe and healthy. However, it breaks our hearts to let you know that we have made the decision that the best way to keep all of you safe and healthy this summer is to postpone camp until the summer of 2021.
This decision has been the hardest decision we have ever made. Every year, we spend 10 months preparing for summer and we wait excitedly all year for the first day of camp when we can bring our summer family back together. There is no greater joy for us than seeing you at camp as you make lifelong friendships, thrive in your activities, and have the time of your lives. We are inspired by the love you have for each other and The Point, and it is that love that will get us all through this difficult time.
We know that this news is very upsetting to you. We are experiencing many of the same emotions of sadness, anger, frustration, and loss you are feeling now as we come to the realization that we won’t be able to come together in person this summer. It is so important to remember that the real magic of The Point is that we stay connected in our hearts and through our friendships even when we are not sitting together at the campfire circle under a beautiful starlit sky. The bonds that unite our Point O’Pines community are strong, spirited, and loving and will support us all as we work through the challenging days and weeks ahead.
You probably have a lot of questions for us right now and we encourage you to reach out with all of your questions. There is one important point we want to make sure you understand. We are just pausing camp for the current summer and we will move forward in 2021 with all of you in the same groups that you would have been in this summer. The Peakers have already put so many hours of work into planning an outstanding summer for the camp community and these amazing Peakers of 2020 will become the unique Peakers of 2020/2021, and the Seniors of 2020 will be the Seniors of 2021.
We also want to take special care to make sure our new campers continue to build the bonds that they have started to create with their Big Sisters and other POP campers. We are so grateful to our Big Sisters for the kindness and love they have shown their Little Sisters and we are excited to see these bonds continue to grow over the coming months.
Although we won’t be coming together in person this summer, we are going to work hard so we all stay united as we wait for the summer of 2021. We will continue with our “Point@Home” program throughout the summer, but right now, it is important that we can see you, answer your questions, and come together as a community to share our love during this time. We invite you all to join us this Sunday at 3:30 for an all-camp Zoom meeting (we will send the Zoom link to parents on Sunday morning).
Every year at our last campfire, we make wishes for the next summer and we light candles on our wish boats as we say a sad goodbye and look toward the future. Tonight as you fall asleep, it is okay to shed some tears as you say goodbye to the camp summer of 2020. But let’s all remember, just like we do at our last campfire, to make our wishes for next summer that will bring us back together and turn our dreams into reality. All of us at camp will work harder than ever to make sure these wishes and dreams come true.
We love you all and are holding you all close to our hearts. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday afternoon.
Love,
Sue, Jim, Brandon, Caressa, Sherie, Erin, & Betsy