Staff Spotlight International Edition: BJ Halewijn

DPF 4-H Camp's very own Dutch giant! BJ has been working with us DPF since the summer of 2006. He started as a senior counselor working in our Ropes and Drama programs. Can you believe this burly man to be an actor? In 2008, he discovered his true calling in the Out Door Living program, where he had the freedom to chop down trees, get dirty, and most importantly: make fire! Our weekly council fires are built by BJ and his team. They work long and hard to make sure each one is bigger, better, and more creative than the week before. BJ has been the ODL director since 2010, where he has taught many campers and staff the importance of fire safety, cooking tips, survival skills, as well as keeping "healthy" which in Dutch means covered in soot!

BJ is originally from Driehuizen, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (say that 5 times fast!) and currently lives in Amsterdam. During the year, he is a primary school teacher for 7th grade. He enjoys teaching history, drawing, science, and math. In his spare time at home he builds models of castle and ships out of wood and plastic. Additionally, he spends time writing stories; many of which he tells the children when he comes to camp! He enjoys reading and recording books, as well as doing calligraphy and trying to write a book of his own! He keeps active by playing basketball, swimming, and archery.

So what are some of his favorite memories?
"My favourite memories are all the laughing. There is nowhere else where I laugh more than at camp, I thank my friends for that. One of my favourite memories is the boys unit taking care of each other. They put themselves on the line for me a few times. Besides that I have some good memories about a scary walk, wrestle mania, sleep-out with Zombies, going out with friends, the songs of the boys unit, the kids who are coming back because you are back, all the quotes of my friends, working in a team, and working with the best people I have ever met."

This summer will be BJ's 10th and last summer with us (so sad!) so we're looking forward to making it a great one. What are some of the things he's looking foward to?
"It sounds weird but I’m looking forward to chicken BBQ. Just standing there, roasting chicken with the sun on my face and a cold drink in my hand, while laughing with my friends.
Camp is also the only place where I can be myself. There is no place else where the people just accept who and what you are. They respect you and take you as you are. I’m looking forward to standing next to my friends again and making sure the kids have a great time."  

Don't miss out on any of the fun that comes along with working with BJ. Whether it's the big fires, interactive Dutch songs, teaching him English words, or simply sharing a laugh; we're looking forward to another great summer!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of our 4-Hers!! Today is a great day to wear your clovers with pride!!

Our New Website!

For a long time we have been utilizing the website dpf4hcamp.org for our organization and information. We have exciting news today as we launch the NEW AND IMPROVED website for us under the CCE website! Click HERE to access our organization's page!

Here, you will find all of the Updated information about our camp. This includes a detailed description of programs, up to date forms, access to our Bunk1 registration, photos, and much much more. We're excited to offer this to our families to provide a more comprehensive look at our camp, as well as show what the rest of our organization is up to! Take a minute to check it out and refer others to there!

Leadership weekends and open houses

The sun is out and the weather is slowly warming up, which tells us that Spring is finally knocking on our doors! Which for us camp folks, means that Summer is right around the corner! Just like everyone else, camp goes through a Spring cleaning. We have a wonderful opportunity available to our oldest campers, CITs, staff, and alumni to give back to the camp and prepare it for the summer season.These Leadership Weekends occur throughout the Spring season to help prep camp and open it up for groups, open houses, and of course prepare it for campers and staff! These Leadership weekends run from Friday evenings, where we meet at the Jericho office at approximately 6:15pm to leave by 6:30pm and arrive at camp between 7:30-8pm, through Sunday afternoons, when we leave camp by 2 pm and arrive back by 3 pm. Participants stay on the camp property and engage in a number of different projects to make camp more accessible and attractive. Past projects include; painting cabins, painting offices, building a chicken coop, unit clean ups, planting and beautification projects, and closing or opening cabins for the season. We get a lot of help from the campers to come out and work with us to improve camp, and have a lot of fun at night with camp fires, hang outs, games, and activities. If your child is 15(+) and would like to join us at one of our leadership weekends, email Traci at tp229@cornell.edu to receive the permission slip and rsvp to one (or all!) of these weekends. Dates of the leadership weekends are as followed:

• Friday April 10 - Sunday April 12, 2015
• Friday April 24 - Sunday April 26, 2015
• Friday May 15 - Sunday May 17, 2015
• Friday June 5 - Sunday June 7, 2015

Each of these weekends will also feature an Open House! If you've been waiting for an opportunity to go out and see if camp is right for your child, or you're a new family already committed and want to see where your child will be spending their time, this is it! Open Houses will be on the camp property from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM and you will have the opportunity to meet the director and some staff, register for camp, have refreshments, and view photos, videos and literature about our program. Most importantly, you will receive a guided tour around the premises by our leadership campers and staff. On the tours you will be able to see the cabins, facilities, and see the grounds where all of our activities take place. You'll be able to ask questions and receive personal testimony from our long time campers and staff about what makes camp so special! Open houses will be on the following Saturdays:

• Saturday April 11, 2015
• Saturday April 25, 2015
• Saturday May 16, 2015
• Saturday June 6, 2015

We look forward to having you with us! For more information about either of these opportunities, contact Traci at 516-433-7970 Ext. 11 or the email listed above!

Staff Spotlight: Traci Prevost

Meet Traci Prevost, Administrative Assistant and Girls Assistant Director!

Ever wonder who's you're talking to when you call into the camp office? Who's the face behind the blog and the quirky emails? Now you can get a better idea!

Joked to be the "dinosaur" at 4-H, this year will be Traci's 18th summer at camp! This includes years as a camper, counselor in training, Junior counselor, Senior counselor, Teen girls unit leader, CIT/Leadership coordinator, and Assistant director. This past summer was her first year as the Assistant Director for girls side and she had quite the experience. "It was challenging at times, but it was such a pleasure to work with Brian and Cooper (boys side assistant director) to continue to make camp fun and run smoothly." What are some of her favorite memories? "I could list so many, but it all boils down to the people that I spent my time with. Camp is one of the only places where my friends and the kids could make me laugh so hard I am sitting on the ground with tears running down my face. Anything that made me react like that is a favorite."

In the off season, Traci is in the process of completing her Master's Degree at Hofstra University for Mental Health Counseling. She is currently interning at an agency on Long Island and is planning on graduating this coming May!

Traci began working with the organization office in December of 2014 to further assist with camp functioning and growth. She helps with parent relations, camper registrations, planning and organizational projects. "So far, so good! I look forward to continuing to help families and get everything in motion to make this a fantastic summer!"

What is she looking forward to most this summer? "Seeing familiar faces and continuing to grow camp to it's full potential. Also the warm weather! I'm sick of the snow!"

Camp Movie Parents - 2011

Ever wonder what a week is like out at camp? Take a look at this video (yes a little outdated, but the details are still relevant!). A summary of a week at camp as well as some of the programs are highlighted by some of our long time campers; Cody and Matteo! Thanks so much to staff members BJ and Adam for putting this together!

Weekly Themes!

We recently just determined the themes we will be having each week this summer! Take a look below at the theme names and a brief description of what they're going to be about. If you are signed up for a specific week, be sure to pack some fun stuff to help you celebrate and dress to impress the theme during our activities!

Session 1: British Invasion

Our British brethren have recently informed us of beginning their fight to reclaim the USA by taking over DPF! We need all campers that come this week to bring their patriotic spirit and USA apparel to show them who is on top! Activities will allow for campers to earn points for USA to defeat the Brits!

Wacky Wednesday:  ‘Murica day! Show your Team USA spirit!

Session 2: College Week

All “dorms” will have the chance to represent a designated school for the ultimate collegiate rivalry! Campers have the opportunity to earn points for their school through activities, accomplishments, and spirit to bring victory to their school. Campers can look forward to a rally, competition, and being elected for homecoming court through this exciting week!

Wacky Wednesday: School spirit! Bring clothing to show hometown pride!

Session 3: Country Ho-Down

Break out the plaid and overalls, DPF is going Country! Campers will be yelling “Yee Haw!” for the programs and activities that put a giddy-up back in their step! They’ll be all set to come back for the annual Country Festival held on the property the weekend between sessions 4-5!

Wacky Wednesday: Backwards day!

Session 4: Christmas in July

Beat the summer heat with a frozen blast as we celebrate Christmas in July! As we lead up to Christmas Day (July 25th) on Friday, campers will have the opportunity to show Santa how good they’ve been to earn a special surprise!

Wacky Wednesday: Christmas Character day! Dress up as a character from your favorite holiday movie!

Session 5: Halloween Week

Things are getting spooky out in the wildwood forest! Prepare for a week full of tricks and treats with Halloween themed activities. Campers will be able to dress up, trick or treat, and build up their courage to go on a spooky walk with their cabin to the Monster Mash! 

Wacky Wednesday:  Costume contest! 

Session 6: Wrestlemania X

This year celebrates the 10th anniversary of wrestlemania! Join us for the most popular event of the summer, as the boys unit staff put on an amazing show! 

Wacky Wednesday: Wrestler and Super hero costumes!

Session 7: Boot Camp Survival Week

Do you have what it takes? Campers will face a number of different environments to put their skills to the test in this intense week of survival. Activities will focus on training and experiences to give the kids the techniques they need to thrive. What is coming? A big mud race? Survival camp out? Zombie apocalypse? Anything can happen!

Wacky Wednesday: Zombie day! 

Session 8: Medieval Times

Step back in time with epic battles, jousting tournaments, royal feasts, knights, romance, and bravery all culminating to the spectacular Camper Banquet. Campers will be assigned to one of four kingdoms (Green, White, Red, or Black), so pack something of each color to be prepared to represent your kingdom!

Wacky Wednesday: Color wars!