EBR Camps Blog

Max Seibald will be hosting a Summer Lacrosse Camp On August 16-18th at Camps Equinunk & Blue Ridge! More details were delivered to CECBR Family INBOX’s earlier today! 

The following blog post originally appeared at The Camp Blog, an online resource for Summer Camp Directors and was written by our very own Program Director – Scott Rosenbluth. Check It Out:

If you are a staff member at a summer camp or a child development expert – you have most likely come across a Bob Ditter video, book, article, philosophy or something along those lines during your tenure. For me, I have seen it and heard it all – from “good touch, bad touch” to the importance of head-counts and how incredibly important your co-counselor is during the course of a summer. But, through everything I have ever read, watched or learned from Mr. Ditter, the thing that made the most impact on me than anything else I’ve heard was his session at this year’s EPIC (Emerging Professionals In Camping) Pre-Event at the 2011 Tri State Camp Conference – “Understanding Today’s Children and The Big Picture for Camp Professionals”.

It is no secret that today’s children are glued to screens; computers, tvs, cell phones, iPads, iPhones, Blackberrys, you name it. The real question is how do we stop analyzing the numbers and statistics – develop a plan -and utilize this knowledge over the course of a summer.

We all know what camp can do for children, but the kids that will be arriving at our camps and youth programs about 100 days from now are different then those who joined us twenty years ago or even last summer. The key to a successful camp season in 2011 will be educating our leadership staff and counselors to understand our campers and communicate in a way that will make sense for kids but also ensure they are comfortable within our efforts to communicate.

Here are four simple suggestions from Bob Ditter that we as camp professionals can teach to our staff and apply to our conversations and communications with our campers:

• CHARITY – Don’t underestimate the importance of “small talk”. Our kids should know that we know who they are, we know what they like, and we can relate to them in one way or another.
• CLARITY – Talk in bullet points, be clear, and give examples.
• BREVITY – Understand that kids focus and attention spans are dwindling. Be sure to keep it brief.
• LEVITY – Tone and body language is everything. Regardless of the “type” of conversation you may be having, keeping your cool and keeping the conversation light is crucial to successful communication.

The reason I am sharing this information with you is simple. This is something we need to do as camp professionals. In an industry driven by children we need to be sure that we understand TODAY’S CAMPER and quite frankly – TODAY’S STAFF. Applying those four simple items to our everyday communications will make a big difference within our programs – but even more importantly, to today’s campers.

Thank You to EPIC and Tri-State 2011 AND Thank You to Bob Ditter – it took a while, but I have officially been Ditterized.

Are you one of the many who still don’t know what Twitter is? That’s OK! Check Out this Video for some additional insight! 

The American Camp Association is proud to announce a special event designed for teens working at camp this summer! The conference will provide teens with leadership skills they can use at school and in the community, as well as camp skills they can use throughout the summer. Teens can add this Conference to their resumes and will have them reevaluate camp as the life changing experience it truly is.

The event will take place on Sunday, April 3rd, 2011 from 9:30AM-3:30PM at Bank Street College of Education located at 610 West 112th Street. New York, NY 10025. We highly endorse this event for our CA’s, CITs, Upper Seniors, and PC’s.

Members of the Equinunk/Blue Ridge Team will be on hand and our very own Director Adam Baker and Program Director Scott Rosenbluth will both be leading sessions for teen attendees! We value this experience so greatly that CECBR will cover the registration cost for the day. For more information AND to register click the link below to download the PDF Flyer & Registration Form! 

Click Here To: Download PDF Flyer & Registration

All materials should be sent back to the Equinunk/Blue Ridge Office so we can RSVP your Teen for the conference through ACA, NY-NJ. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Scott Rosenbluth by emailing scott@cecbr.com. 

– The CECBR Team

95 days from today busses will be rolling through our gates and we will be getting set to kick off the best summer Camps Equinunk & Blue Ridge have EVER seen!

You too can be a part of the Summer 2011 magic by joining us for Mother/Daughter Weekend. Registration forms have been pouring in so be sure to get your application into our Winter Office by the May 15th deadline! We hope to see you there! 

Download Our Event Flyer & Registration Form Here!

Dear CECBR Alumni & Staff,

We are excited to let you know that Camps Equinunk and Blue Ridge will have a team for the first annual Camp Games for a Cause fundraising event sponsored by the American Camp Association, New York and New Jersey on Saturday May 21^st at the Columbia University sports facilities in New York City.  We want you to join our team as we compete against hundreds of other camp alumni, staff and friends in this mega “camp color war/camp Olympics” style event, filled with games, food and of course, plenty of camp spirit! Events will include activities such as basketball shootouts, tug-of-war, sing-offs, wacky relays, dance competitions and much more! No need to start training for the day – it will be a day of friendly competition and there will be plenty of activities for non-athletes. 

The event will raise money for a wonderful cause; providing low income children with a positive camp experience through scholarships, trainings and program support.  As past campers yourselves, I’m sure you can agree that a positive camp experience has immeasurable benefits. This is a wonderful way to help provide low income children with the opportunity to be a part of that very special experience.  Even if you cannot join the team, you can still help by donating to the cause and spreading the word about the event.

Join our Camp Team:

Anyone over 18 years of age can join our Camp Games team.  To join us for this fun event, visit www.campgamesforacause.org and join our camp’s team!  This is a great way to see old camp friends too – we encourage you to reach out to all of your old camp friends and register together! Upon registration, you will immediately be able to create your own donation page and start raising money to help this momentous cause. 

Donate to the Cause:

If you cannot make the event, any donation you could make to the cause will help other children have the same positive camp experience that camp gave you each summer. Just go to

www.campgamesforacause.org to make a donation. In the spirit of healthy competition, we would ask that you click onto our Team’s page through the Team rank on the right side of the website and make a general Team donation. We want our camp’s team to have either the greatest number of donors or to raise the most money.

Spread the Word about the Cause:

Help us spread the word by liking Camp Games for A Cause on Facebook, writing about the event on your wall or reaching out to friends who you think might want to provide support.  If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us, or by emailing our Program Director – Scott Rosenbluth at scott@cecbr.com. We know you understand the importance of this cause and we hope you will consider being part of this groundbreaking event!

Warm Regards,

– The CECBR Team

Open publication –

Greetings from East Hampton, NY!

You are invited to join Camps Equinunk & Blue Ridge in our NCAA March madness Challenge via CBS Sportsline! To join the group and fill out your bracket click the link below (or cut and paste the link into your browser’s address bar). You’ll be asked to enter the group’s password before you can join. The group password is included below:

Link: http://cecbr.mayhem.cbssports.com/e?ttag=11_cbsinv

Our Group Password is: summer2011

The winner of our NCAA March madness Challenge will win a very special prize and be mentioned in our next issue of the BUZZER – Good Luck! If you have any questions please email scott@cecbr.com

As I look towards the Summer of 2011 so many wonderful thoughts race through my head.  There are so many that I am having a hard time choosing one of another and adequately describing each makes the previous one almost seem not as great as the next.  There are so many special and important times in one summer at CE.  First and foremost the moment the first bus pulls into camp and I have the opportunity to get on the bus and welcome everyone home, seeing everyone’s smiling face and reaction from those simple but very strong words is truly amazing, from the camper that is hearing that for the first time or the veteran who now truly feels like he has arrived at his summer home, it is special.  

The first time we lineup at the flag pole and I step onto the “ROCK” for the first time, is a very thrilling moment which only continues into the mess hall that very first evening when the upper seniors of 2011 take their place in camp by leading the singing.  All of the planning that has gone into the 2011 summer starts to be put into action and everyone is on the go enjoying themselves on the field, court, lake, POOL, hobby center and E-Rena.  This year in particular I have great anticipation to everyone’s reaction to the great additions to camp, the Pool and golf facility.  

The summer of 2011 seems so far away right now with temperatures in the 30’s here on Long Island, we all know that it won’t be long before we are all back at our summer home enjoying the greatest part Camp Equinunk has to offer it’s friendship to all.

– Gil

Blue Ridge Head Counselor, Lori Scheck Gives Us Three Things She Is Looking Forward To As We Countdown To Summer 2011!

~ Experiencing the awesome spirit in the mess hall

~ The new campers becoming part of the Blue Ridge family

~ Watching the campers and counselors sing and dance in the amphitheater