Ultimate Staycation
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
It’s no secret the economic downturn has crimped many municipal recreation budgets and left parents scrambling for good summer programs to fill a void for their children.
In Asbury Park and Lakewood, two urban areas in the Trenton Diocese where kids’ programs can always use some help with summer fun, the Church has stepped up to the proverbial plate by offering innovative and low or no cost camps that provide not only recreation but education and even spiritual components.
For three weeks this July, the parishes of Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Providence, St. Peter Claver and the Haitian community, which worship in Holy Spirit Church in downtown Asbury Park, are sponsoring the sixth annual three-week camp for children in the greater Asbury Park area and beyond.
This endeavor includes outings to parks and recreational facilities, games, socializing and a wide range of activities subsidized by the parish and operate at no cost to the children.
And for nine weeks this summer, Holy Family School, situated on the outskirts of Lakewood, is home to a bustling, three-year-old camping enterprise geared toward making the summer camping experience affordable as well as enjoyable.
Each innovative camp makes the most of its facilities and surrounding areas. Younger kids get to enjoy camp life while the older ones experience responsibility as aides, counselors and, in the case of Holy Spirit’s camp, planners of the whole endeavor.
Photo gallery from: HOLY FAMILY, Lakewood | HOLY SPIRIT, Asbury Park
Place in the Sun
It’s traditional at Holy Spirit to start the camping season off in a faith-filled way and so, on June 26, 34 young people, smartly clad in the t-shirts denoting their status as camp aides, counselors and directors, followed the Cross of Christ into seats up front in the stately church’s sanctuary.
There, they smiled broadly as Father William McLaughlin, pastor of Holy Spirit and St. Peter Claver, introduced them as the team that will run the camp from July 11 through 28. Father McLaughlin encouraged the congregation to wish them well and keep them in their prayers.
In his homily on the vigil of Corpus Christi, Father McLaughlin said the young people – ranging in age from 12 to 25 – would be the contemporary personification of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in their diverse community this summer. They would be, he said, a “living sign of Jesus” to a host of inner city children from the greater Asbury area.
The team of 34 radiated excitement about the enterprise they had dedicated themselves to this summer. They were fully aware that they would be overseeing upwards of 60 children and were looking forward to it.
Dayiyah Lezin, 13, spoke of how she wanted to “help the kids that come here and give them a good start.” Lezin and her family moved from Asbury Park to Lakewood recently but kept their attachment to Holy Spirit. “My mom and dad will provide the transportation back and forth,” she said.
Lezin is one of the young people who sought out Father McLaughlin and Marionite Sisters of the Holy Cross Sister Kate McCarney, outreach director of the parish, to volunteer for the camp.
With a sweeping glance at the crew before him, Father McLaughlin said: “You can see why we have such great hope for the youngsters who come through here.”
The camp aides in their white t-shirts, the counselors in their royal purple and co-directors in their striking red, beamed back at him.
In many cases, he noted, they are the older brothers and sisters or the neighbors and friends of the campers. In many instances, they had attended the camp themselves when younger.
Signing on to help with the campers is a way for them to learn a skill set that will benefit them their entire lives, Father McLaughlin said.
“It was Father Bill’s desire to give them this experience. He wanted the campers to have a fun-filled experience, but more so, he wanted leadership training for the counselors and the camp aides,” said Sister Kate. “It teaches them discipline, responsibility, how to look after others and how to focus on caring for children.”
Overseeing everything this summer are the eight co-directors who have honed their leadership skills over several years of involvement.
Over the winter and spring, they planned all kinds of games and activities for their charges, who range in age from 6 to 12, said Sister Kate. “I meet with them and give them direction. We review expectations and responsibilities. They do all the work. It is marvelous.”
Brookdale College communications student Jessica Rojas has been with the camp since it started in 2006, first as a participant, then as a counselor and now as senior co-director.
“I really enjoy helping out,” she said. “I like participating in something I grew up with. This whole experience has helped me to become a better person. When I was little, (religious education) didn’t have programs like this. This is a great program for helping you think as an adult.”
Not the Same Old Summer Camp
At Eagle’s Crest Summer Camp based at Holy Family School, the activity is non-stop and runs throughout the day, five days a week for nine weeks. Early arrival is at 7 a.m. and late departure at 6 p.m. for those families who need flexible schedules, said camp director and founder Jeff Hecht.
Keeping up with Hecht, who taught science at Holy Family School for a decade, requires stamina and perseverance. If he’s not teaching a basic pizza making class at the mini-cooking camp, he’s making sure the 18-foot-high, 135 foot-long “zip line” of ropes and pulleys on which kids sail along overhead is running smoothly.
Hecht is in regular contact via two-way radio throughout the day with the other staff members, making sure a myriad of other activities from water sports for tots to the rope course to dance and volley ball are humming along nicely.
With a background in camping, Hecht, who ran “13 camps for the Brooklyn Diocese in (my) former life,” was a natural choice for starting the enterprise up three years ago as a way to provide Catholic school parents with a reasonable, quality camp experience for their children.
The cost of the camp runs between $135 and $190 per week depending on the number of weeks the child stays.
“The aim of the camp is to help keep kids in Catholic school by providing parents with a savings for summer care,” he said. This year the camp, which is open to non-Catholics as well, has about 200 registrants from a wide area including Lakewood, Brick, Howell, Jackson, Manchester and Freehold.
Among them for the first time will be some international campers, Hecht said. “We just had some German students sign up. We are on the Internet and that’s how their parents found us.”
The facilities include school rooms, the gymnasium and cafeteria, the grounds which surround the school and five acres of fields across County Line Road where the big zip line (there’s a tot sized one located at the school), ropes and other challenge courses and the archery range are located.
“The place is just huge,” said principal Linda Pesce who described it as “a fabulous camp. It fills a real need in the community for our parents, most of who work and really rely on the camp during the summer for their children.”
Pesce said the camp reflects an overall marketing strategy to raise Holy Family’s profile in the area. “We’re the best kept secret in town,” she said. “We want the word to get out and this is one way that is happening.” She noted that several children have enrolled in the school on the basis of their camping experience.
Over the three years the camp has been in operation, enrollment has steadily increased, from 100 the first year to upwards of 200 this year. On any given week, there are likely to be 150 children in attendance, Hecht said. Six teachers from Holy Family School are among the camp employees during the summer. All told, about 47 people, including junior counselors and counselors who are largely school alumna supervise the children.
On two separate occasions when The Monitor visited, the campers were an exuberant lot, enjoying all the activities – whether it was cooking or zip-lining – with gusto.
Lenny Mancini, a member of St. Dominic Parish, Brick, who was walking his son Anthony to camp, said his little boy “just loves it here. It keeps them active and involved all day long. They aren’t just sitting. It’s a great place for the kids to spend the summer.”
Inside the cafeteria kitchen, Varun Malik, 13, Howell, a student at Howell Middle School South, put the finishing touches to the pizza dough he was making in the mini-cooking camp and talked about his camp experience. “This is my second year and I enjoy trips out to the pool, the slides and ropes. I liked cooking camp.
“I took a cooking class in sixth grade and enjoyed it so I signed up for this,” he said. “This is a safe and challenging place.”
Pesce talked about the fact that the camp has opened the door to the school for some children including Dominique Frontiero, 11, a member of Living Word Christian Fellowship, Neptune.
“I’m coming here next year,” said Dominique. “My mom thinks that this camp is very good and that the school will be very good. I’m really enjoying being here.”
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It’s no secret the economic downturn has crimped many municipal recreation budgets and left parents scrambling for good summer programs to fill a void for their children.
In Asbury Park and Lakewood, two urban areas in the Trenton Diocese where kids’ programs can always use some help with summer fun, the Church has stepped up to the proverbial plate by offering innovative and low or no cost camps that provide not only recreation but education and even spiritual components.
For three weeks this July, the parishes of Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Providence, St. Peter Claver and the Haitian community, which worship in Holy Spirit Church in downtown Asbury Park, are sponsoring the sixth annual three-week camp for children in the greater Asbury Park area and beyond.
This endeavor includes outings to parks and recreational facilities, games, socializing and a wide range of activities subsidized by the parish and operate at no cost to the children.
And for nine weeks this summer, Holy Family School, situated on the outskirts of Lakewood, is home to a bustling, three-year-old camping enterprise geared toward making the summer camping experience affordable as well as enjoyable.
Each innovative camp makes the most of its facilities and surrounding areas. Younger kids get to enjoy camp life while the older ones experience responsibility as aides, counselors and, in the case of Holy Spirit’s camp, planners of the whole endeavor.
Photo gallery from: HOLY FAMILY, Lakewood | HOLY SPIRIT, Asbury Park
Place in the Sun
It’s traditional at Holy Spirit to start the camping season off in a faith-filled way and so, on June 26, 34 young people, smartly clad in the t-shirts denoting their status as camp aides, counselors and directors, followed the Cross of Christ into seats up front in the stately church’s sanctuary.
There, they smiled broadly as Father William McLaughlin, pastor of Holy Spirit and St. Peter Claver, introduced them as the team that will run the camp from July 11 through 28. Father McLaughlin encouraged the congregation to wish them well and keep them in their prayers.
In his homily on the vigil of Corpus Christi, Father McLaughlin said the young people – ranging in age from 12 to 25 – would be the contemporary personification of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in their diverse community this summer. They would be, he said, a “living sign of Jesus” to a host of inner city children from the greater Asbury area.
The team of 34 radiated excitement about the enterprise they had dedicated themselves to this summer. They were fully aware that they would be overseeing upwards of 60 children and were looking forward to it.
Dayiyah Lezin, 13, spoke of how she wanted to “help the kids that come here and give them a good start.” Lezin and her family moved from Asbury Park to Lakewood recently but kept their attachment to Holy Spirit. “My mom and dad will provide the transportation back and forth,” she said.
Lezin is one of the young people who sought out Father McLaughlin and Marionite Sisters of the Holy Cross Sister Kate McCarney, outreach director of the parish, to volunteer for the camp.
With a sweeping glance at the crew before him, Father McLaughlin said: “You can see why we have such great hope for the youngsters who come through here.”
The camp aides in their white t-shirts, the counselors in their royal purple and co-directors in their striking red, beamed back at him.
In many cases, he noted, they are the older brothers and sisters or the neighbors and friends of the campers. In many instances, they had attended the camp themselves when younger.
Signing on to help with the campers is a way for them to learn a skill set that will benefit them their entire lives, Father McLaughlin said.
“It was Father Bill’s desire to give them this experience. He wanted the campers to have a fun-filled experience, but more so, he wanted leadership training for the counselors and the camp aides,” said Sister Kate. “It teaches them discipline, responsibility, how to look after others and how to focus on caring for children.”
Overseeing everything this summer are the eight co-directors who have honed their leadership skills over several years of involvement.
Over the winter and spring, they planned all kinds of games and activities for their charges, who range in age from 6 to 12, said Sister Kate. “I meet with them and give them direction. We review expectations and responsibilities. They do all the work. It is marvelous.”
Brookdale College communications student Jessica Rojas has been with the camp since it started in 2006, first as a participant, then as a counselor and now as senior co-director.
“I really enjoy helping out,” she said. “I like participating in something I grew up with. This whole experience has helped me to become a better person. When I was little, (religious education) didn’t have programs like this. This is a great program for helping you think as an adult.”
Not the Same Old Summer Camp
At Eagle’s Crest Summer Camp based at Holy Family School, the activity is non-stop and runs throughout the day, five days a week for nine weeks. Early arrival is at 7 a.m. and late departure at 6 p.m. for those families who need flexible schedules, said camp director and founder Jeff Hecht.
Keeping up with Hecht, who taught science at Holy Family School for a decade, requires stamina and perseverance. If he’s not teaching a basic pizza making class at the mini-cooking camp, he’s making sure the 18-foot-high, 135 foot-long “zip line” of ropes and pulleys on which kids sail along overhead is running smoothly.
Hecht is in regular contact via two-way radio throughout the day with the other staff members, making sure a myriad of other activities from water sports for tots to the rope course to dance and volley ball are humming along nicely.
With a background in camping, Hecht, who ran “13 camps for the Brooklyn Diocese in (my) former life,” was a natural choice for starting the enterprise up three years ago as a way to provide Catholic school parents with a reasonable, quality camp experience for their children.
The cost of the camp runs between $135 and $190 per week depending on the number of weeks the child stays.
“The aim of the camp is to help keep kids in Catholic school by providing parents with a savings for summer care,” he said. This year the camp, which is open to non-Catholics as well, has about 200 registrants from a wide area including Lakewood, Brick, Howell, Jackson, Manchester and Freehold.
Among them for the first time will be some international campers, Hecht said. “We just had some German students sign up. We are on the Internet and that’s how their parents found us.”
The facilities include school rooms, the gymnasium and cafeteria, the grounds which surround the school and five acres of fields across County Line Road where the big zip line (there’s a tot sized one located at the school), ropes and other challenge courses and the archery range are located.
“The place is just huge,” said principal Linda Pesce who described it as “a fabulous camp. It fills a real need in the community for our parents, most of who work and really rely on the camp during the summer for their children.”
Pesce said the camp reflects an overall marketing strategy to raise Holy Family’s profile in the area. “We’re the best kept secret in town,” she said. “We want the word to get out and this is one way that is happening.” She noted that several children have enrolled in the school on the basis of their camping experience.
Over the three years the camp has been in operation, enrollment has steadily increased, from 100 the first year to upwards of 200 this year. On any given week, there are likely to be 150 children in attendance, Hecht said. Six teachers from Holy Family School are among the camp employees during the summer. All told, about 47 people, including junior counselors and counselors who are largely school alumna supervise the children.
On two separate occasions when The Monitor visited, the campers were an exuberant lot, enjoying all the activities – whether it was cooking or zip-lining – with gusto.
Lenny Mancini, a member of St. Dominic Parish, Brick, who was walking his son Anthony to camp, said his little boy “just loves it here. It keeps them active and involved all day long. They aren’t just sitting. It’s a great place for the kids to spend the summer.”
Inside the cafeteria kitchen, Varun Malik, 13, Howell, a student at Howell Middle School South, put the finishing touches to the pizza dough he was making in the mini-cooking camp and talked about his camp experience. “This is my second year and I enjoy trips out to the pool, the slides and ropes. I liked cooking camp.
“I took a cooking class in sixth grade and enjoyed it so I signed up for this,” he said. “This is a safe and challenging place.”
Pesce talked about the fact that the camp has opened the door to the school for some children including Dominique Frontiero, 11, a member of Living Word Christian Fellowship, Neptune.
“I’m coming here next year,” said Dominique. “My mom thinks that this camp is very good and that the school will be very good. I’m really enjoying being here.”
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