UPDATE 2/15/2012

Over the upcoming weeks we will continue to visit and spread the word about Camp Friendship at the following venues.  We invite all of you to come and get to know us better.

We are so excited to see you that if you come to one of the following events to see us we will give you a special one-day only discount.  Apply for camp with our staff at one of these camp fairs and save 10%* off of your tuition fees.  
*The 10% discounts are only available on the date and location of the camp fair.

Summer Camp and Activities Expo @ The Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, MD
Saturday, February 18th, 2012 from 11:00am - 5:30pm.  
Sunday, February 19th, 2012 from 11:00pm - 5:30pm.   

Camp & Education Fair @ Cary Academy in Cary, NC
Sunday, February 19th, 2012 from 12:00pm - 3:00pm. 

Camp Fair @ Garry J. Arthur Community Center in Cooksville, MD 
Sunday, February 19th, 2012 from 11:00pm - 5:30pm.  

Camp Fair @ T.C. Williams Minnie Howard Campus in Alexandria, VA
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 from 5:30pm - 8:00pm. 

Summer Camp Fair @ Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, VA
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 from 5:30pm - 8:00pm.

Camp Expo @ Dulles Town Center in Dulles, VA
Saturday, February 25th, 2012 from 10:00am - 4:00pm.
Sunday, February 26th, 2012 from 11:00pm - 4:00pm. 

Summer Camp Fair @ "Pit" Moyer Recreation Center in Annapolis, MD
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 from 10:00am - 2:00pm.

Camp Expo @ Carolina Place Mall in Pineville, NC
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 from 11:00am - 4:00pm.

Camp Fair @ UNC Wilmington in Wilmington, NC
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 from 9:00am - 3:00pm.

Camp & Summer Programs @ Crown Plaza Hotel in Timonium, MD
Sunday, March 4th, 2012 from 12:00pm - 3:00pm.

Fun Fair & Camp Expo @ Doubletree Hotel in Charlottesville, VA
Sunday, March 11th, 2012 from 10:00am - 3:00pm.

Summer Adventures Expo @ Peak Experiences Indoor Climbing Center in Midlothian, VA
Saturday, March 24th, 2012 from 10:00pm - 3:00pm.

Camp Fair @ Hotel ML in Mount Laurel, NJ
Sunday, March 25th, 2012 from 12:00pm - 3:00pm.

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The season is upon us and while it may seem to early to think about next summer believe me it's never too early. This year our directors will once again head out to attend a variety of camp fairs throughout the east coast and we hope to see you there.  I will be updating this post through out the month of February and March with any changes or updates to our scheduled dates. I recommend you go ahead and bookmark this page NOW! 

We have already visited Paris, France to meet new families and had a fabulous time and we can't wait to see all of you very very soon.  As always we will also be hosting an Open House in the spring right here on-site.  The Spring Open House will be held on April 14th, 2012 from 12pm - 3pm.   

The summer has come to a close and as we look ahead to a year of school and learning we hope our campers are putting to use those lessons learned over the summer.  As fun as camp is, we know our campers get a whole lot more than a fun get away during their time with us.  It’s the overall experience that truly means something and we expect our campers are changed for the better because of it.

At camp your children have stayed away from home, many for the first time, and they had to deal with life without mom and dad for a little while.  It’s sometimes a little scary at first, but, most pull through and realize they are stronger then they thought.  They still miss mom and dad, but, they know they will have a great time with their new friends and counselors who offer an alternative support system to the safety of home and family.

Now that your campers have returned home, I would highly encourage you to keep that momentum going.  Help your child believe in the power they have to choose and to think independently.  Of course our children still need their parents up until a certain age but at seven or eight years old they should start searching for a little independence.

Our campers get to try things and activities they probably would never do at home due to time and availability.  At camp if a camper wants to do it they will at least get to try it.  It’s an opportunity for them to choose their own path and to see through success or failure if it was the right path for them.

The summer has been a great one for campers and all the staff here at Camp Friendship. We have had a blast with the kids and enjoyed every week with them. We hope that this summer campers got everything they wanted out of summer camp and will remember this summer for the rest of their lives. Tonight we will be having our closing campfire for the summer and it’s going to be a great one to be at. We can’t wait until next summer to do it all over again. Tonight we will bid farewell to all of our summer 2011 friends and some that have been with us for years. It has been a pleasure spending our summer with all of you.

Thank you everyone for a fantastic summer, we hope everyone had a good one. Remember that next week we will be starting family camp. Can’t wait to see everyone again next summer. 

Down at the range the juniors were learning the most important thing when handling a rifle, SAFETY! Counselors went over the correct and incorrect ways to hold a rifle and also the proper protection to wear when operating a rifle. Once all safety procedures were gone through campers then learned the correct and accurate way of aiming at a target. After learning target aim, campers put up their targets and began practicing their aim. Each camper gets to shoot five rounds every time they’re up to their mats. Through out the rest of the week campers will keep practicing their aim and continue to improve their shooting techniques. 

After we got done at riflery with the juniors, we went up to the pool with our seniors for Pool Olympics during their evening activity. Now normally campers are divided up into four or five different teams with counselors but this week the campers wanted to take on the counselors, so we did just that. There were two teams, one team being mostly campers with a few counselors mixed in and then there was another team with mostly counselors with a few campers mixed in. Now I’ve been to quite a few evening activities but I have never seen one like this. Everyone that was in and out of the pool was involved and everyone was having a blast! The one challenge that was a treat to watch was the synchronized swim each team had to come up with. Each team had seven minutes to come up with a swim that would impress the judges and it was one of the funniest things I have every witnessed. This Pool Olympics will forever go down as one of the best Pool Olympics to ever happen at Camp Friendship!

Make sure to check out CampInTouch for a look at some photos from the week. Also follow us on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates on events at camp and updates throughout the year. Tune into our YouTube channel to view videos from the summer.

Lets make this last week count everyone! Oh and don’t forget Family Camp starts next week! 

We joined up with the class this week right when they were learning the great game of GaGa Ball. GaGa Ball is a camp game that requires players to only use their hands to hit a ball at their opponents but only able to take their opponents out by hitting their opponent’s feet. Let me quickly explain. The game consists of any number of people but it just has to be more then two in which its every man for themselves. The players’ enter the gaga pit and a ball or two, depending on the number of players, are thrown into the pit to begin the game. Players are only allowed to touch the balls with their hands and if a ball hits a player below the knees, directly or off the wall, they are out. They game goes until the last person is standing. It is quite an intense game and campers seem to love it.

Once the day was over with and Sports Variety calmed down we headed over to the gym to our weekly dance, this weeks theme being Halloween. Every week we have a dance here at Camp Friendship and have different themes for them this week I would have to say was one of the best for costumes. Campers had a blast using their imaginations to dress up as a variety of different things. Next weeks dance theme will be a toga theme that we are all looking forward to here at Camp Friendship, as we close out the summer.

To see pictures from the week here at camp go to CampInTouch and take a look. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates on what is going on at camp. Also tune into our YouTube channel for weekly videos.

This week was great so let’s take that momentum and make the last week of summer camp our very BEST!