YMCA DAY
OF GIVING

Next Generation Embraces Summer Camp Tradition

For the last three decades, the YMCA has been a cornerstone for Christine Nunn’s family. Raising her own two children, who are now adults, she counted on the Greater Bergen County YMCA for programs like early childhood care, after school care, and swim lessons. It was at the Y’s former Main Street location in Hackensack that her older daughter started preschool. Her children, and now grandson, learned to swim at the Y. Her younger daughter even went on to become a lifeguard. In the summers, the Y became their destination for camp. Nunn recalls the independence her oldest daughter, Felicia, gained while spending a whole summer at the Y’s sleepaway camp, Michikamau. Similarly, her daughter Storm got to interact with other girls her age from other areas of the NJ/NY region at the Y camps.

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Week That Changed Maya’s World

When I first considered sending Maya to Camp Michikamau, I was nervous. She had never been away from home before, and our family had been going through a difficult year. Maya is bright and caring, but she can be hesitant in new situations. I hoped camp would help her grow, but I was not sure she would feel comfortable.

Learning that financial assistance was available made it possible for us to take that step. When we arrived on the first day, Maya held my hand tightly. Everything felt big and unfamiliar. Then her counselor greeted her by name, which helped her relax. She was invited into a conversation with her cabinmates, and I could see her opening up. It was a small moment, but it helped her feel welcomed.

Throughout the week, she tried activities I never expected. She paddled a canoe, learned camp songs, and created art from things she found on the trail. She came home proud of herself and excited to tell me about her new friends and the support she felt from her counselors. What stood out most was how she described feeling like she belonged and how she achieved things she once thought were too difficult. It was a perfect example of Raising the BAR: Belonging Achievement Relationship.

When I picked her up, she ran to me, smiling and said she wanted to return next summer. I realized camp had given Maya confidence, connection, and joy at a time she really needed it.

This experience would not have been possible without people who give so children can attend Camp Michikamau. Their generosity gave my daughter a week that truly helped her grow.

Why I Give to Send Kids to Camp Michikamau

I give to Camp Michikamau because camp changed my life when I was young. I grew up in a home where money was tight, but someone in the community made it possible for me to attend camp. The week I spent at Camp Mich was the first time I felt completely accepted for who I was. I discovered courage I didn’t know I had, and I built friendships that carried me through some difficult years.

As an adult, I have watched the world become a more complicated place for children. They need safe spaces where they can explore, disconnect from stress, and learn who they are. They need adults they can trust and peers who welcome them. They need the chance to feel that spark inside them that says they are capable of amazing things. I know camp does that because it did it for me.

The reason I give is simple. Every child deserves that chance. When I think about the kids who will paddle across the lake for the first time, who will stand a little taller after learning a new skill, who will end the week with a new best friend, I know my support is helping create those moments.

I give so the next generation can feel the same sense of belonging, achievement, and relationship that I found at Fairview Lake. I give because someone once did the same for me.

How Camp Helped Me Find My Voice

Before coming to Camp Michikamau, I was the kind of person who stayed in the back of the classroom. I had ideas, but never raised my hand. I had friends but struggled to feel like I belonged. I always felt a little out of place.

My first year at Camp Mich changed that. During cabin time on the first night, my counselor encouraged each of us to share something we were proud of. When it was my turn, I spoke quietly about a project I had done in school. Instead of ignoring it, my cabinmates cheered. It was the first time I remember feeling completely seen.

Throughout the week I tried things I never imagined I would try. I learned to steer a canoe. I climbed higher on the tower than I expected. I led a song at the campfire because my cabinmates encouraged me to do it. Each time I stepped outside my comfort zone, the people around me made me feel safe and supported.

By the end of the session, I realized something important. I was not quiet because I had nothing to say. I was quiet because I had not found the right place to speak up. Camp Mich became that place for me.

Now, as an older camper, I help younger campers feel included. I cheer them on the same way I was cheered on. I want them to feel the same sense of belonging, achievement, and relationship that helped me find my voice.

Marlene Waldock, YMCA Board Member, Share Why She Gives to the Y