My son, James, was a participant in one of Camp Copneconic’s resident camps this summer, and I’m offering a belated by very enthusiastic thank you note to your staff – in particular to Matt and Nick of Boone Cabin – who were instrumental in assuring that James had a positive experience.

During the week of January 16th-20th 185 Day and Resident Camp Directors and Program Staff from 22 states and over 100 YMCAs attended the Mid America Camping Conference hosted at Camp Copneconic. The staff at Copneconic participated in the conference and attended the educational sessions being offered.  The week was highlighted by professional keynote speakers as well as 30 breakout sessions for participants to choose from.

YMCA Camp Copneconic is where campers shape their lives … one summer at a time!  This is our mantra. It’s what we stand for. To shape the lives of children through friendship, leadership skills, first-time experiences, new skills, and of course fun and memories.  The summer of 2012 guarantees a medley of tweaks and enhancements that will help to build upon an already established culture of excellence.

It’s no secret to any successful camp that returning staff are the true goldmine of camp spirit and set the tone for a successful summer.  With a large percentage of returning staff, Camp Copneconic has once again begun its quest to search for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to carry on camp’s traditions.

In the midst of Camp Copneconic’s autumn splendor, when the shades of fall glisten and the summer sailboats and aqua toys are tucked away until next year, camp staff and volunteers are working diligently to raise money to send underprivileged children to camp in 2012. 

Many times throughout the year, I get to go out to schools for a Parent Presentation and talk about camp.  This is mainly to calm parent’s nerves and answer any questions that they may have for their upcoming 5th grade camping trip.  However, I view it as a chance to brag about how lucky we are here at Camp Copneconic. One of my favorite segments of the presentation is talking about our wonderful staff.

It’s the spookiest time of year here at Camp Copneconic, and we are celebrating it with our first-ever Halloween Mini Camp (October 28-30)!  Campers will have a chance to see camp in the fall, participate in classic camp activities, and see some old summer friends including some summer 2011 counselors! This is also a great opportunity for Day Campers to “test out” an overnight experience before next summer!

I had so much fun! I'm coming back next summer. I also wish I could live there. Someday it would be awesome to be a counselor at camp.

The summer of 2011 was one for the memory books!  Director of Summer Camps, Ryan Hove, couldn’t have been happier with the strength of staff, breadth of programs, and most of all, the quality of campers that made Camp so special.  As one of our Counselor-In-Training participants said, “Camp Copneconic is a place where you can just be yourself.” It is campers like this and our amazing staff who truly understand the magic of camp. They help create the caring and fun atmosphere that attracts more and more children to camp every year. 

In a summer filled with successes and great stories, our fishing program was a big hit this summer. With the generosity of the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, we were able to purchase five fishing boats with trolling motors and fish finders. This great new equipment was utilized all summer but especially during our Rods-N-Reels Day Camp Program. These campers got a chance to spend to some quality out on the lake with their counselors. These weeks were filled with stories of how “Big Charlie” had just got away and all the huge fish that were landed.