Frost Valley YMCA 2023 Partnerships Report

A NOTE FROM THE PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR

Hello! Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Partnerships Report. This summer, Partnerships sent a record-breaking 203 campers to Frost Valley through camperships. We were able to serve children across almost every program Frost Valley has to offer. For the programs we missed, we’re excited to share that even more Partnerships campers will be joining even more programs in Summer 24’. We surveyed 549 campers. Of those campers,156 were part of the Partnerships program. The survey allowed us to measure how our S.E.L. (social-emotional learning) efforts are enriching the summer experiences of our campers!

In addition to an increase in new families compared to last summer, we also had a big push for retention in returning campers. This summer, we had a retention rate of 70% of children who matriculated from 2022. We not only kept retention rates high, we also were enabled to bring back the dialysis program! This summer, we had three campers on dialysis after a five-year hiatus, in addition to 28 campers with varying stages of kidney health. This wouldn’t have been possible without the tireless work of the Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation. Furthermore, none of this would be feasible without the help of our partnership coordinators - from our partnerships to the families entrusting their children’s health and safety to us. Thank you to everyone who helped make these ambitious goals a huge success!

-Shawn Blagmon

WHY IS CAMP SO IMPORTANT?

Partnerships exist to not only create community at camp but also simultaneously create community with others for camp. This is the reason camp is so essential - it is within these communities that we can harness the potential for socialization on a global level. To that effect, we hire staff from all over the world in part because we want our campers to be able to see themselves in the people we employ. These practices have proven to have a strong positive impact on our campers once they leave camp. S.E.L. is enhanced by having campers from all over the tri-state area come to Frost Valley. They learn how to tackle hard situations and take healthy risks. This has been shown to help better prepare our campers to act autonomously and with confidence once they return to school. Putting children in natural environments for the first time is one of the practices that camp does best. We serve a lot of children from big cities. The moments when children do pond ecology and learn about salamanders, or when they see the night sky filled with stars for the first time, are in part what make up the magic of Frost Valley. Below you can read stats on what Partnership campers have said about these experiences from Summer ‘23!

Did you know 81% of Partnership campers agreed it felt great to unplug for 12 days?

81%

THE YEAR-ROUND IMPACT

Summertime is when we see the bulk of the impact of the work we do come to fruition. This past year, we introduced “Partnership Weekends.” We invited incoming and returning families to a number of open houses. These trips were free of charge and allowed families to join their children for a full day of camp. We started the program in January with only 11 people from 4 families. Our final trip in April had 86 people in attendance. These weekends worked because they allowed families to see the camp, participate in programs, and trust the process.

Did you know 87.3% of campers agreed that because of Frost Valley, they now want to explore new things?

WHAT ARE THE PARENTS

SAYING, AND WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS

Did you know, 88.5% of campers say that because of Frost Valley campers feel better at making friends who think differently than they do?

SHOWING?

“My daughter loves Frost Valley. Being in Mustang is her highlight, and working with the horses is all she talks about throughout the whole year!”

88.5%

“This place was very transformative for my son. The level of safety he has here is unmatched. He gets to just be a kid”

- Mom of a Slide Camper (10th grade boys)

- Mom of a returning Mustang Camper (3rd-5th grade girls)

Did you know that 86.4% of campers said because of Frost Valley, they feel more connected to the natural environment?

86.4%

Retention and growth are indispensable linchpins in the overall success of Partnerships - and that doesn’t just apply to our children. Our partners have had success in this area as well. Each partner we worked with in Summer ‘22 was able to once again send children to Frost Valley in Summer ‘23. Some were even able to increase their number by 10-15%. Additionally, we partnered with six new organizations that align with our mission! These new partners range from schools and community centers to other YMCA’s. Despite the huge strides we’re already making, this essential work is still in its infancy. Right now is such an important time for partnerships to capitalize on building momentum to continue serving our communities and situating Frost Valley as a leader in Youth Development!

STORIES OF IMPACT

“My son was there for 2 sessions and holdover, and all the postcards he sent me he rated his time an 11. However, during the holdover, he did rate his Friday a 7 because they had to move cabins. He rated Saturday an 11 because he was with his 4th session counselor Jahmar. My son thought the world of Jahmar. He let me know that Jahmar…had a way of making all the boys in his cabin feel special. Our last name starts with B and normally that means first on the bus home. My son begged to switch buses just so he could ride home with Jahmar on the Manhattan bus. I am truly thankful that he was able to create this bond.”

- Mom of an Eagle Camper (5th grade boys)

“My daughter has never been away from me, and I was incredibly nervous about sending her to camp because that isn’t something I’ve ever done before. I am so glad I did decide to send her because she’s come back so sure of herself. The stories she’s told me about meeting friends from all over and the diversity of her cabin were so great to hear. She credits the counselors Phie, Ada, and Ashley (VC) for making her experience great. They went out of their way to make first-time campers feel welcome, and that’s all I could ask for for her first experience. She’s already told me she wants to do two sessions next Summer.”

- Mom of a Graham Camper (9th grade girls)

Did you know that 83.9% of campers agreed that being away from their family was scary at first, but being at camp made them stronger?

“My son said he was nervous about the hike but wanted this hike to be his accomplishment of the Summer. He felt really great after making it to the farm, but he was told the hard part happens post farm so he started to sike himself out. When the rest of Slide started to hike my son ended up in the back of the group. His counselor Louis noticed this and came from the top of the line to the back to hike with him. My son said this meant a lot to him because Louis reassured him that being the caboose of the hike was just as special as being at the very top. My son also said that because Louis isn’t the most talkative person, his going out of his way to reassure him made accomplishing this hike all the more meaningful. That moment and achieving the hike was one of his highlights for the session. It also reassured him that he was ready to take on CIT next Summer.”

- Mom of a Slide Camper (10th grade boys)

PARTNERSHIPS SCRAP BOOK

A.B.C.

Abbott House

A.C.A.

Benjamin Banneker

Blue Star Families

Boys & Girls Club of Newark

Brilla Elementary Charter School

City of Newark

East Orange School District

Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation

La Casa Don Pedro

Liberty School District

LINK Community Charter School N.S.L.A.

YMCA of Greater NYC

Poughkeepsie School District

Prep for Prep

Summer Search

UA Gateway

Waste Water

Yonkers YMCA

Frost Valley YMCA