Camp Massawippi welcomed back campers for the first March break week since the beginning of the pandemic. “Like most camps in 2020, we were shut down for the summer, but we still wanted to offer something to the campers,” explained Clea Corman, executive director of Camp Massawippi. “That is where we started our online offering, where we do weekly zoom sessions and prerecorded activities at home. It was a way to bring our fun and educational activities to the people at home and a way to see one another.” While it was originally supposed to replace the March break events, both the campers and employees opted to continue to do sessions weekly as a way to connect with one another throughout the pandemic. “This helped us a lot last year when we were open, but at a much lower capacity, said Corman, adding, “some of our campers couldn’t make it due to medical reasons as well, so it was a wonderful way to get in touch with them.”
With the pandemic restrictions lifted, the staff were excited to host March break week this year in person for the campers. To kick off the week, there were many events organized, based on the television show “Survivor” since the campers recently enjoyed online activities that focused on the show. “We will be having a ‘Choose your Hero’ activity, a survivor ceremony, a snow adventure and many more,” said Corman. “The kids enjoyed the Survivor videos we made for our online camp, so we decided to do a couple during the week.” In addition to the “Survivor” activities, a highlight for staff and campers, both are also looking forward to the new activities that the camp will provide throughout the week.
“We always try to help our campers get new experiences,” explained Corman. One of these activities being animal therapy, offered with the help of KhaliZoo, where children could interact with the animals. “Touching the animals and getting to feel them is a wonderful experience for the campers as it is both relaxing, and they get to feel things they’ve never felt before,” said Corman. With the smiles on their faces, the campers seemed to agree with the director as they enjoyed their time playing with the animals.
