Written by Juanita Fox
“Tubing was on my bucket list for a long time and yesterday I got to do it,” said Jim Boose. Boose, who recently moved to Gardens North with his wife Regina, marked tubing off his bucket list earlier this summer. The best part? His granddaughter Anna, 11, joined him for the adventure.
Grands & Kids Camp, an annual, week-long intergenerational day camp, offers a structured opportunity for grandparents and great-grandparents to make lifelong memories with the children in their lives.
Ken and Sandy Sensenig hosted their three great-granddaughters, Addy, 8, Lyla, 7 and Ellie, 4 for the week. First year campers, the girls fit right in, making friends with other campers immediately.
Jack Chernesky, 14, started coming to Grands & Kids camp when it started in 2008. Every year since then, he’s traveled from Pottstown to spend a week with his great-grandma, Marjory Dailey. While he enjoys projects at the woodshop, tubing and attending the Barnstormers game, he says the best part is “just spending time with my great grandma.”
While Jack travels nearly an hour to camp, other campers travel even further. Bill and Betty Ashley’s three grandchildren travel from Florida with their parents to attend camp each summer. Bill and Betty’s daughter Diane says camp is “a nice chance for them to interact.” Plus, she adds, “They have a collection of memories [from the woodshop]…things they would never have done without [camp].”
Grands & Kids Camp is not just for grandchildren.
Ruth Hershey hosted her great niece Janelle, 13, and great nephew, Justin, 11. It was Janelle and Justin’s 4th year of camp and they enjoyed the week of fun and activities. Mini-golf at Village Green and Lancaster County Park’s Ooey Gooey Science presentation were highlights for them.
Bud and Gwen Gray connected with a young Nepali family soon after they immigrated to the United States five years ago. Every year since, they have hosted the boys, Biyoug, 11, and Basanta, 9, for Grands & Kids Camp. In addition, Gwen says, “We’ve done lots of things with them through the years.” Movies, ball games and other fun activities have created opportunities for Bud and Gwen to invest in the young boys’ lives.
Grands & Kids participants this year enjoyed the “Best of the Best.” The planning committee took the favorite activities over the past 10 years of camp and melded them into one week-long adventure. Highlights included tubing on the Pequea, a Barnstormer’s game at Clipper Stadium, a field trip to September Farms, a service trip to Mennonite Central Committee’s Resource Center in Ephrata, a performance by Servant Stage’s Youth Theater and more.
Held annually, the last full week in June, Grands and Kids Camp is open to residents and future residents on the radar list and their grandchildren, great grandchildren and other children in their lives.
Grands & Kids Camp is just one more opportunity to pursue purposeful living at Garden Spot Village.
