How long have you been a part of Hillcrest JC Day Camp?
I’ve been at HJCDC since 2007. This will be my 8th year on staff!

What keeps you coming back year after year?
The warmth and friendliness of the Hillcrest Jewish Center Day Camp community – we really are a family!

Do you have a favorite part of camp?
The BBQ every Wednesday! It's the one chance each week where the Upper and Lower camps can be together to play, eat and have fun in the outdoors

What’s your favorite camp trip?
Adventureland rocks! But the Overnight is my favorite. You get to try things, like mountain-biking, zip-lining or banana-boating, that you've never done before, and hang out really late with your friends (until your counselor tells you flashlight time is over!). 

What are you looking forward to most during Summer 2014?
Color War! It's a blast! Not a single camper OR staff member doesn't get into the team spirit! Of course, when I REALLY think about it, it has to be the first day of camp! I just can't WAIT to see all my Hillcrest JC Day Camp friends again!

When were you a part of Hillcrest JC Day Camp?
I attended HJCDC from age 6 in 1987 until age 20 in 2001.

What did you like most about Hillcrest?
The best part of Hillcrest were the people - fellow campers and staff that came back year after year. It truly was "the camp where everyone knows your name."

Did you have any favorite trips? Activities? 
Splish Splash was the best trip, but I have so many great memories of our Wednesday cookouts at Valley Stream Park.

What have you been up to since your time at Hillcrest? 
I have been living in Los Angeles for the past 11 years, working at the cable network ABC Family.

Do you still keep in touch with anyone from your time at camp? 
I speak to Jessica Sherry the most and then a few others including former campers of mine less frequently on Facebook. I actually just reconnected with a friend from my camper days through Facebook, who recently moved to Los Angeles. 

How long have you been a part of Hillcrest JC Day Camp?
I was a CIT at Hillcrest in 2009, and have been coming back ever since!

What keeps you coming back year after year?
I honestly think that HJCDC has one of the best groups of staff and campers, and every day at the camp brings a new fun adventure—either at a trip or in the building. Hanging out with the Hillcrest family is always a blast.

Do you have a favorite part of camp?
My favorite parts of camp are the BBQs on Wednesday. It is so nice having a certain day where the entire camp can get together for fresh air and fun outdoors. The BBQ is a great way for campers of all ages to play and bond with each other.

What’s your favorite camp trip?
My favorite trip of the year was Rye Playland—all the campers loved the theme park and watching the kids have fun on rides and games was a great experience as a counselor. The best part of the trip was the sleepover at camp afterwards, where all the campers got to go swimming to cool off after the long day and then have a friendly pillow fight and movie night.

What are you looking forward to most during Summer 2014?
I'm most looking forward to getting to know all the new campers and seeing how the old ones have changed and grown up during the year! It's been great watching the kids I carried around in N/K growing up to become young adults in the Upper Camp.

When were you a part of Hillcrest JC Day Camp?
 I was a camper, CIT, and counselor at Hillcrest from 1999-2010

What did you like most about Hillcrest?
 The friends I made there. My best friends now are the people that I met when I went to Hillcrest.

Did you have any favorite trips? Activities?
Adventureland! And the overnights—both at the New Jersey Y camp and the In-Camp Overnight. I also loved swim and when we used to go to karate every week!

What have you been up to since your time at Hillcrest?
Besides school, during the summer, I spend time working on my dance career. I train every summer doing dance intensives at other schools or in NYC, and I have also interned at dance administration offices to learn about the business of the arts.

Do you still keep in touch with anyone from your time at camp?
Yup! My best friends now are the people that I met at camp years ago, and I can’t imagine what my life would be like if Hillcrest didn’t bring us together!

How long have you been a part of Hillcrest JC Day Camp?
I have been a part of HJCDC for 19 summers. I started as a camper when I was 6 years old and have been staff since summer 2005.

What keeps you coming back year after year?
The sense of community felt at camp is definitely what keeps me coming back. The staff is like one big family, we actually enjoy coming to work every day and even see each other on the weekends. It's truly wonderful watching campers you had when they were in 6/7s grow and become CITs and eventually staff.

Do you have a favorite part of camp?
My favorite part of camp is watching everyone be involved in activities. Group staff pitch in and help specialists, which makes the campers want to partake in the activities more.

What’s your favorite camp trip?
As a camper, my favorite camp trip was always Splish Splash, but as staff I really enjoyed taking the lower camp to the Long Island Children's Museum.

When were you a part of Hillcrest JC Day Camp?
I was a part of Hillcrest JC Day Camp from 1997-2009.

What did you like most about Hillcrest?
The thing I liked most was seeing a lot of the same faces year after year and growing up with a lot of the same kids every summer.  

Did you have any favorite trips? Activities?
I really liked the Q-Zar overnight, that was a ton of fun. Also the Museum of the Moving Image. And who doesn't love a nice trip to Sands Point?


What have you been up to since your time at Hillcrest?
Currently I'm a Junior at SUNY Geneseo and I'm a Geology Major. I'm looking to get a research position over the summer to start working on some projects with a couple of my professors. Last summer I interned at the New York Hall of Science doing science programming for children. 

Do you still keep in touch with anyone from your time at camp?
Of course! I still see some friends I made at camp when I'm home and every summer I always try my best to stop by the camp to visit my friends who are still working and my former campers.