Mayhew Moments add up to a Magical Summer Experience

It’s a simple math equation really: Tally all the moments, experiences, and interactions for one camper, multiply it by 42 campers for one session, multiply that by 2 for another session, capture that in parentheses, then put in another set of parentheses all the moments, experiences, interactions of 30 staff multiplied by 2 sessions plus one staff training, and for the final order of operations -subtract an indefinite number of shared experience, which all equals... Well, I certainly have no clue what it equals exactly, but I’m sure everyone understands and appreciates that it adds up fast. 

Overall, both sessions this past summer were a great success.

The foundation for Mayhew’s unique programming – a summer residential camp experience paired with school-year mentoring – truly lies in those first two formative summers. Throughout a camper’s three-week experience, they grow increasingly accustomed not only to what life at camp is like but also what it means to be a part of Mayhew.  One of the biggest things Mayhew offers is a strong sense of community, and a strong sense of belonging. Whether it’s a bunch of high-fives after a perfectly placed cross sets up a goal in Kickin’ Crayfish soccer, a thoughtful conversation during a Work Hour Debrief reflecting on giving it your full effort, a boy who refused to get in the water at the start of the summer who ends camp with his blue wrist band to show he can now swim out to the rafts, or an Outer Circle conversation late at night at the highest point of the Island, the boys at Mayhew not only work to improve themselves but strive to be better cabinmates, and better members of the camp community. Because when that boy was taking that swim test for the fourth or fifth time, rest assured all his cabinmates were on the docks and in the water cheering him on! Or when two boats were racing against each other as they crossed North Beach in the regatta rowing championship, all those campers were locked in.

Again, it all adds up fast... 

One of the most notable moments from this past summer isn’t from a camper, however. Mayhew has a handful of older boys who work in the kitchen each week camp is in session. While the bulk of their efforts include dish dogging, cleaning, lugging food orders across the lake, and prepping everything to make sure the waiter at each meal can do his job, the experience overall is worth much, much more. For example, Kitchen Links can learn valuable workplace skills in a supportive environment to give them the confidence to apply for a job back home, they can be role models to the young campers who literally and figuratively look up to them (most of the time!), and their weekly stipends even earn a dollar-for-dollar match to the Al Cantor Scholarship Fund, which can be used for post-secondary opportunities.  For one Kitchen Link this summer, it was a pinnacle moment in his Mayhew experience. While this young man has always valued Mayhew and stayed connected through the community outreach work, he’s always struggled with the summer residential part. In his first and second years as a camper and in his one summer Link-Up week, he went home early. Unsure of what a week in the kitchen would bring was on everyone’s mind. The camp director’s mind, mom’s mind, his outreach worker, and most importantly, his. Well, to make a long story short, he not only just made it through the whole week but did so as a hard-working, thoughtful, and important member of the kitchen staff team. When this Kitchen Link becomes a graduate of Mayhew, I hope he comes back to share his story.

Because having Mayhew Alums involved during the summer is always a boost! This summer we had five Mayhew Alums as staff members, one Alum who came out to give a Sunday Chapel Talk, two Alums from the 1980s who came out to see the Island for the first time in a long time, and one alum who visited to share his recent acceptance to a Physician Assistant Program. While he initially came to just share this great news with the office staff who helped him access his Al Cantor Scholarship funds to off-set the cost of the many applications he sent out, he ultimately decided a visit to the Island for the first time since he was a staff member in 2019 would be good. This alum had a big presence, a big smile as he walked around the Lodge. After looking at his boy and staff plaques in the Dining Hall, he ventured over to a game of Slap Shot Hockey. You could easily see all the campers sneaking looks wondering who he was. When a water break was called, all the boys filed past him. He dapped several of them up, kept saying good job to almost everyone, until one camper stopped and asked him if he knew his uncle. The camper impressively noticed his PSU basketball shorts and shared that his uncle played for PSU as well. While he shared that he did know of him but didn’t really know him, he looked at the camper, gave him a fist bump, and told him to hustle up and get some water, like any good staff member would do! 

Again, a Mayhew summer adds up fast, and then it’s on to the next one! It couldn’t have been possible without all the hard-work and dedication of the staff, the commitment and support of families, and it couldn’t have been possible without the effort, energy, and enthusiasm of the boys... Thanks to everyone involved, it was a blast!