On Aug. 20, Eagle’s Landing Day Camp in North Brunswick finished its 2021 eight-week camp season.
Serving more than 700 campers this year, Eagle’s Landing was open for the full summer camp season COVID-free.
“We never wavered in our decision to open our doors last summer,” Director Ruth Ann Weiss said in a prepared statement, “and the same principles applied going into this summer. With children being stuck inside and separate from their peers, our goal in opening for Summer 2021 was even more important than last year. We saw a notable difference in both our campers and our staff after just a few days of being outside, socializing, and have the opportunity to just be ‘normal’ again.”
Working within the guidelines provided by the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) to open safely, Summer 2021 looked different than other summers. Campers were placed into groups where they were able to engage with one another. Elective choice programs were modified to be internal within a single group, and trips were adjusted to be at only outdoor locations, according to the statement.
“As the American Camp Association (ACA) says, ‘Camp Gives Kids a World of Good’, and we were able to see it this summer more than ever,” Director Barry Wasserman, who has logged over 32 years as a camp director, said in the statement. “We were still hyper-aware of COVID as we scheduled our campers. In many ways it did more for our staff and campers than it ever has in the past.”
Weiss added, “Many people were not at their best coming in to camp this summer and seeing everyone – including parents – stop and take a breath, reminded us why we put in the time to give people the incredible experience of camp. I save every thank you letter we receive from campers, staf, or parents, and the outpouring of gratefulness that we felt this summer is something we have never experienced before.”
Eagle’s Landing is already enrolling for Summer 2022. Call the camp office at 732-821-9155 or email [email protected] to schedule a camp tour.
Eagle’s Landing’s next open house will be the annual Pumpkin Palooza on Oct. 30.