On a cloudy Tuesday morning, about 125 youngsters attending the week long Camp Spring Lake run by the Hastings YMCA arrived by school bus at the shores of Lake Rebecca in Jaycee Park. After the bus emptied out, counselors divided them into small groups, instructed them where to put their lunches, then set about getting them into life jackets and out on the water in sturdy canoes. I had a brief window of time to find out more from Stretch, who informed me his camp nickname is well earned as he towers well above the 5-7 year old campers. Stretch shared an overview of the program which had to make some adjustments due to flooding.
One of seven leaders for the group, Stretch has spent 5 summers with the organization and this year is the Nature Coordinator. He shared his reason for continuing to come back to the camp.
Many kids have been involved in multiple camps and I asked what kind of feedback staff receives following their adventures.
Camps continue until late August for students ages 4-13. Contact the Hastings YMCA for a complete schedule
