By Andrew Hackmack
Children come back year after year, and many go on to become counselors as teenagers.
Tim McGrath, coordinator of this program, said having these "repeat customers" speaks volumes about the success of the village's annual summer camp. The price tag isn't half bad either, he noted. It's $140 for the six-week program and each additional child in the family can come for $90. "I don't think you can beat that anywhere," he said.
This year there are about 160 children registered and at least 120 are in attendance on a typical day. Camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon, five days a week, with field trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
An attorney by trade, McGrath will be starting in the fall with a new law firm but had his summer free. He said it was an honor to be asked by village Recreation Director Tom Roberts to lead the camp. McGrath greets all the children each morning with a high-five and said their smiles make the job worthwhile. "I've managed to know each kid by their first name," he said.
Christina Ristano went through the program as a child and became a volunteer at 13. That was a decade ago. She hasn't missed a summer since and now is a recreation supervisor. Ristano said that children are grouped by grade level and each day there is a full slate of activities including sports and time in the sprinkler.
Every Friday, Ristano explained, they have a theme day. Last Friday was a carnival which featured a bounce castle, dunking booth, games and Italian ices.
Jen Laxton, 11, said that she looks forward to carnival day every year. "We can dunk the counselors," she said when asked what her favorite activity was.
Laxton said this will be her last year attending the camp because by next summer she will be too old. But like Ristano, she plans to come back in the future as a counselor.
Emilio Punina, 9, has a few years left to come just as a camper. His favorite day of the summer is Wet and Wild Day, simply because it's always hot out. "Everyone likes to be cooled down," he said.
Ristano said another favorite day among campers this year was the Color War. The camp was divided into two teams -- blue and white. There was a variety of competitions including a soccer shootout and tug-of-war. It was similar to a school field day, Ristano said.
After all the children finished their events in the Color War, it was time for the counselors to square off, much to the delight of their campers. "That's the favorite," Ristano said. "We end the day with that and the kids really get into it."
There were also plenty of days in which children and counselors were encouraged to dress up including Halloween day, sports day and days for different decades. Ristano said parents are always invited to attend the theme days.
Tina Correa, who had a son and two nieces attend camp, participated in last week's carnival day. She likes the camp because it is only held in the morning so it gives her the afternoon to do other activities with the children.
This was her son's second year participating in the program and said he will come back every year until he is too old. "The counselors are really nice," she added.
Ristano said there are typically three counselors per group and they serve as role models for their campers. "The kids build a really good relationship with their counselors," she said.
McGrath said he hears nothing but positive comments from parents and children about Valley Stream's summer camp. "It's truly a great program," he said. "It's a wonderful thing that the village does."
