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Campers all smiles during stay at YMCA’s Camp Chandler

By Catherine Bailey
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Camp Chandler entices kids from all over the South by offering a summer escape from lazy afternoons spent cooped up indoors.

The camp hosts children from as young as age 5 to as old as age 15 and makes sure to keep the campers on their toes for the duration of their stay.

We have a lot of day groups come to visit,” said Jennifer Smith, Camp Chandler’s year-round program director.

“We’ve had groups from Frazier in Montgomery, Briarwood in Birmingham, right now, the Armory Gynmastics group is here and we’ll have the Montgomery Country Club coming down before the summer ends.”

Camp Chandler sees about 550 kids throughout the entire summer, with many coming for two and three night programs, some for a three week stay and a few for as long as six weeks.

Once on property, the focus of the camp turns to the outdoors and campers log more outdoor hours during their stay than they normally would if at home.

“We try to keep the kids outside practically all day,” said Summer Program Director Justin Costanza.

“The campers sign up for different courses during the day, and then there’s an evening activity involving everyone.”

Camp Chandler offers a wide range of things to do to keep the kids occupied.

The most prominent feature of the camp is the fact that it sits on Lake Jordan.

When taking advantage of the activities the water has to offer, campers can use the water slide, take a flying leap off an elevated tower, use a rope swing and climb to the summit of an inflatable igloo.

“My favorite thing to do is go swimming,” said Travis Thompson, a 7-year-old camper. “I like jumping off the tower.”

Camp Chandler also has canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, fun-yaks (inflatable kayaks), water-skiing, sailing, fishing, swimming and a place for water balloon wars.

“The kids get to do things here at Camp Chandler that in no other setting would they be able to do,” said Costanza. “We get a lot of firsts.”

But if campers want to stay land oriented, it offers just as many opportunities for outside leisure.

The outdoor activities include archery, riflery, horseback riding, arts and crafts, sports and games, nature walks, a high ropes course, the climbing tower or a low ropes course.

The low ropes course is geared more towards team-building exercises.

While Costanza is only a short-timer at Camp Chandler during the summer season, Operations Director Art Mason and Smith serve as full-time staff and work year-round at the facility located just outside the Wetumpka city limits.

All other staff is hired out specifically for the summer months.

According to both Costanza and Smith, it usually takes about 25-30 staff members to run the camp. Counselors range in age from 16-years-old until college-aged.

“We usually have a 50 percent turnover rate,” said Costanza. “Ninety percent of those that leave usually do so because of graduation or have gotten new jobs.”

Costanza said that the staff becomes really close through the course of the summer, essentially developing into a tight-knit family.

“There’s a lot of sacrifices involved in working here for the summer,” said Costanza. “It’s a lifestyle change that we have to adjust to.”

Younger staff members find it hardest to adjust.

“The thing we push the most is responsibility,” said Costanza. “That’s the biggest thing for the younger staff. They’ve probably never worked as hard as they do here.”

Counselors at Camp Chandler are responsible for the day’s activities and for the most part, keeping groups of up-to 15 children focused and not thinking of home.

“It’s great,” said Shea Kelley, a 14-year-old LIT (Leader in Training) this year. “I’ve been coming to camp for nine years, and I just love camp.”

Camp Chandler will be doing camps all the way until the end of July.

One aspect of the Camp Chandler experience is that each week brings with it a different theme.

For example, this past week’s theme was “Blast to the Past.”

Past themes include “Beach Splash-tacular“ and “Western Week”

There’s still time for parents to register their children at the camp’s website www.ymcacampchandler.org.

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