Growing Up at Staten Island JCC Summer Camp
Summer is spread before us, beckoning like a vast, open expanse. While some Staten Island families have their plans squared away, many parents are still putting together the puzzle pieces of how to fill their children’s time.
Deena Loiacono and her mother never questioned their summer plans: It was JCC Summer Day Camp from the time Deena was 3 years old. As she prepares to embark on her 19th year in a row at Camp, now a senior counselor, Deena said she is still grateful to her mother for the precious gift of Camp.
“Camp definitely made me who I am today,” said Deena, 22, explaining how her mother, a single working parent, would not have had the time or money to go on the hundreds trips she took over the years with her Camp family. “Hershey Park, Club Get Away, everywhere … Every day, no matter what, my mother knew we were busy and well taken care of. It was a great experience for everybody.”
Even before she was old enough to fully grasp the secret of what made Camp so much fun, Deena felt the caring around her and the joy of having so much to do — swimming, arts and crafts, shows in the outdoor amphitheater and more. “Kids are learning without even knowing they’re learning,” she said.
Now she understands the tried-and-true reasons that SI JCC Camp has thrilled children for 85 years, and why so many campers, like herself, return year after year: Nurturing staff, the natural, outdoor wonders of the 75-acre site, activities for all interests from sports to drama and arts-and-crafts, a lifelong education in values, and, of course, the amazing day trips (and overnights for the teens) across the tri-state area. ‘I loved the sand art, the necklaces, the lanyards that never changes.”
In fact, she said, not much has changed.
“The directors Glenn and Stephanie were the directors when I was a kid,” said Deena, ticking off the names everybody she connected with year after year at Camp.
“My mom would sign up for six weeks, but then I’d always beg for the two extra weeks,” she recalled. “You don’t realize how important camp is until you sit at home doing nothing.
It’s the best way ever to spend your summer. I think JCC will always be a part of me.”
If you want to give Camp a try, you can enroll your child for just a few weeks. Our pro-rated long-term rates still apply if you should decide to extend their experience.
This year, with new non-member rates, there is even more reason to bring your family into the Staten Island JCC Day Camp family, and see why we are so loved and why we were voted best Day Camp in the 2015 Reader’s Choice Awards.
Come take a tour of the campgrounds and meet our staff during our last Open House on June 5, from 2 to 4 at the Henry Kaufman Campgrounds, 1131 Manor Road, Staten Island. Even if you can’t make it, you can schedule a tour by calling (718) 475–5231 or visit www.camp.sijcc.org
Check out Deena discussing growing up at Staten Island JCC Summer Camp in the below video.
