My Southwoods Story: Johnny Drucker

My experiences at Southwoods, both as a camper and a counselor, are in many ways more than memories. They are more than hot summers days in the Adirondacks and they are more than cool summer nights out by the campfire. They are proof. Proof that I am always a work in progress. As a camper I learned how to be a part of something bigger than myself, while at the same time learning how to shine as an individual. I was part of a cabin, an age group, a tribal team, a camp, and through the years I began to understand what it meant to contribute to a team. There were always more goals to accomplish and there were always more people to learn with. While I was becoming more and more comfortable with being part of a community, I was also able to blossom into a unique person. At Southwoods I recognized my creativity. I recognized my ability to empathize. I recognized the need to keep blossoming. As a counselor I not only learned how to be a part of a group, but how to lead one. It was my turn to foster an environment that nurtured teamwork and interdependence. As an experienced member of the Southwoods community I was also able to empower young people to shine in their own way. Few things bring me more joy than seeing someone believe in his or herself. As always, I was learning, growing and changing. Over the years the people and the programs at Southwoods have taught me how to reach beyond my own expectations for myself- more times than I can count. Here, I learned how to locate my comfort zone and how extend it. This idea means more than simply trying new things, meeting new people, and visiting new places. It means being able to redefine yourself as your adventure continues. At the end of the day I can say that I share love and friendship with people across the globe and I carry what they’ve given me wherever I go. Their words, their jokes, their demeanor, their perspective. But even more so than all of these things, they have given me proof. Proof that I can make it. Proof that I am always making it. - Written by Jonny Drucker, Former Southwoods Camper & Counselor

My Southwoods Story: Taylor Dyer

My camp story began my first year of University. Young and full of adventure I was on the hunt for an amazing summer job.  Growing up in a small town in Saskatchewan, Canada,  summer camp wasn’t something I had experienced as a kid. Instead my summers were spent camping with my amazing family.

I knew that I wanted to do something exciting and fun and that my educational goal was to work with kids. So to the internet I went and one of the first jobs that caught my eye was camp counselor. I perused some camp websites, and I’m not sure exactly what it was about Southwoods that caught my eye but for some reason I had to apply.  The thought of working in the mountains in New York sounded too good to be true, and every person portrayed on the website looked like they were having the most incredible time!

I applied, and a few days later had a phone interview. Just listening to the enthusiasm of the voice on the other end of the phone, I knew that this was the place I wanted to spend my summer.

A little over 3,000 km from home and the minute I stepped onto camp I knew that this place was special. You get to camp and you are surrounded by like-minded people with a passion for life and contagious energy. I still, 14 years later talk to some of those people who I started my Southwoods adventure with.

The day I left camp I knew that I had to come back, I was unable to return the following two summers, but then my little brother and best friend just finished his first year of university. It didn’t take much to convince Austin that Southwoods was a great place to spend the summer. I was so excited that he was going to get to experience camp! I was also really excited that we were going to come together. It might have been my favourite summer of my 4 years at Southwoods. I knew what to expect this time around plus I got to share and experience it with my brother and a good friend of ours.

I’m not sure if people got sick of camp stories or listening to us talk about the amazing people we met while at camp, but the following year we convinced (fairly easily mind you) 7 more of our friends to travel 3,000 km away from home for the summer to experience Southwoods! The Saskatchewan invasion was on and I was sooo excited that they all got to come and experience camp!

It is amazing to think back on all the memories! Being able to impact a camper’s life and see them grow, how camp brings out the best in you and your day is spent playing and laughing and making new friendships. Southwoods helped make me the person I am today and I wouldn’t trade those summers for anything!

Southwoods is truly a special place! No words that I write on this page can describe the experience of Southwoods. You have to experience it yourself!

-Written by Taylor Dyer, former Southwoods counselor

End of Summer

Well, another truly amazing summer has come and gone! As we hear about our campers embarking on another year at school, the Southwoods Team is settling into the Westchester winter office. Although the fun-filled days of summer camp are over until next June, we are busy planning for the Annual Southwoods Reunion (mark your calendars for Saturday, November 22^nd!) and Winter Weekend (Friday, January 23^rd – Sunday, January 25^th). Details for both events will be coming in the following weeks! Who says the camp fun has to stop in the off-season?!

Parents, we ask that you please take a few minutes and complete an online survey, sharing your thoughts about this past summer. Your feedback is greatly valued, and we look forward to using it as we begin preparing to make 2015 at Southwoods the best summer yet! Just click the following link to go straight to the survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/southwoods2014

Last, we are collecting Camper and Alumni news for the October edition of The Southwoods Way newsletter! We welcome any news, updates, and photos you may have! No news is too big or too small… camper reunions, community service work, travels, Bar & Bat Mitzvah’s, etc! Send your news to office@southwoods.com

Wise Words: “Go out and create a great day for yourself… and each other!” 

My Southwoods Story: Mathy Wasserman

In October of 2000, we made a decision which became the single most significant choice and investment in our three boys' lives. Here in California, we did not know families who were sending their kids to sleep away camp in 3rd grade, let alone for a month, let alone across the country.

People we knew sent kids to camps for a couple of weeks and usually, not very far from home. Both my husband, who is from the midwest and I, from the east, went to sleep away camps growing up. While we were not interested in a full summer program, we wanted somewhere for our sons where there was a formal start and stop date (all the kids arrive at the same time and leave similarly). While that was a starting point for exploration, what we got at Southwoods was so much more.

We have never met another camp owner who is like Scott or Andrea Ralls and who cares so much about the camper and experience. (It's actually difficult for me to decide where to start.) The camp offers one of the most fun, diverse, safe, adventurous, respectful, and healthy growing programs. Each area excels, whether it's the waterfront, sports, arts, adventures, camp activities or tribal war. Our boys went there from the time they brought walkmans to the risk of electronics infringing on the summer. Kids learn to disconnect and participate with each other, embrace challenges and celebrate successes. From the youngest campers to the LIT (Leaders in Training), Scott and Andrea have their eyes, ears and staffs' attention to each child having an amazing summer. If they ran a private school, my kids would have been there!

Over the years, Scott, Andrea and the staff helped our kids with a variety of issues from fear of the lake, concerns with sleeping in a tent outside to having the confidence to become a leader. Some of their most memorable achievements came at camp from learning new skills, becoming a tribal chieftain to training as a video intern.

While our oldest went to sleep away before FB, to this day, he relishes bumping into someone from Southwoods. As a 22 year old with an internship this summer in NY, he was walking down the street when he ran into a kid from camp. They stopped in a bar and had drinks to laugh about those days. A friend of his from college was roommates with a kid from Southwoods and these are great kids with great friends. Our youngest (17 and applying to colleges), also went for 6 years through the LIT program and keeps in touch with kids on FB and visits with them when traveling. They are all in touch around the world from LA to Paris with friends across the continent. A group of them we there to support a friend whose family went through a very rough time and I think for him, having these camp friends helped him to feel like there was a cocoon of safety around him.

As a parent, you want to know your kids are having fun and that they are safe at camp. The "what ifs..." need to be covered. We have had respiratory viruses become an asthma attack and we have had bug bites become infected. Regardless, the health staff have gotten the kids back on track and back in the action as soon as it was safe. It takes a lot of trust to send a kid to sleep away camp across the country and so imagine the trust we had in Scott and Andrea when in the summer after 9/11, we sent our two boys to camp in New York. Another year was the summer that the flu was wiping out camp attendance and experiences for kids across the country. Scott and Andrea had protocols in place that prevented an outbreak from happening at Southwoods while our friends' kids were at camps where quarantines were more active than canteens! Not the case at Southwoods. Not on Scott's watch!

Southwoods does not make communicating with parents a profit center like many camps. Pictures and videos populate the website daily, and parents have coded access to download and share images. Plus, there's no charge to send daily emails to you kid (which they print out) if you want to augment the cards you send. Communicating directly with Scott, Andrea and camp leadership is easy and they are responsive to concerns (but don't be a drone parent, you can trust them!).

Scott never rests on his laurels and continues to invest, improve and update Southwood's facilities and infrastructure. The food is amazing, healthy and bountiful in choices that have met the pickiest of eaters' preferences. The rules and structure that the Ralls have in place for campers and staff reflect their lifelong commitment to summer camp and creating awesome experiences.

Each of our three boys attended for 6 summers and tried things they never would have tried, grew in ways that showed sportsmanship, respect and trust and had the best summers of their lives at Southwoods.

I guess we would recommend it!

-Mathy Wasserman

on behalf of the Wasserman family.

Southwoods Fuzzy | Creative Arts Camp in New York

Neal Gurland deserves a Fuzzy...He is a good brother and I look forward to seeing him for the summer of 2015, when I come back as a counselor...from his big bro Josh Gurland

Carly Gelles deserves a Fuzzy...She is an awesome friend... from Maxine Carly is really nice to me and she has always been able to make me smile...from Lily L. Carly is one of my best friends at camp and is really nice to me...from Sasha Beinhacker

Jordan Schwartz deserves a Fuzzy...He is a great brother and I love him so much...from Maya Schwartz

Sophia Marciano deserves a Fuzzy...She is awesome and a great friend...from Sarah Warshofsky and Maya Schwartz

Lily Lottman desrves a Fuzzy...she is a great friend...from Carly

Charlotte, Nina , Erica, Sydney, and Sophia deserve Fuzzies...They are the best friends ever! Love you guys!!!...from Ella Crandall

Mason Levitsky deserves a Fuzzy...He is an amazing cousin...from Sarah W.

Sydney Ralls deserves a Fuzzy...She is really funny and she always makes me laugh...from Angelica

Maxine Moses deserves a Fuzzy...She can always make me laugh and she is the best friend ever...from Lily L.

Sasha Beinhacker deserves a Fuzzy...She is so funny and sweet. I hope that we're friends forever...from Maia Sasha always makes me laugh, we have so much fun, you are such a good friend...from Maxine

Ethan Ruoff deserves a Fuzzy...He is a great amazingly awesome brother, and he is going to be an LIT when it is my first 4 weeks at Southwoods as an Upper Junior Girl!...from Talia Ruoff

Scott deserves a Fuzzy...He is awesome...from Zoe

Angelica deserves a Fuzzy...She is a great frind and I love her...from Sydney

Becca Roenberg deserves a Fuzzy...She has an awesome name and an awesome personality...from Becca Brand

THAT'S THE WAY...THE SOUTHWOODS WAY!