Celebrating the Rites of Summer: YMCA Camp Marks Its Centennial

For 110 years, youngsters have spent their summers at camps run by local Y.M.C.A.’s. Today, more than 80 percent of the nation’s 2,400 Y’s offer some type of camping program.

In Connecticut, the Greater Hartford Y.M.C.A.’s Camp Jewell this week will start its 100th summer session for youngsters. Located on 540 wooded acres on the shores of Triangle Lake in northwestern Connecticut, Camp Jewell serves 16,000 children, teenagers, and adults who participate throughout the year in traditional overnight camp activities, environmental-education programs, leadership training, and outdoor activities specifically designed to help corporate executives build teamwork among their employees.

More than 160 staff members oversee the 340 youngsters who attend summer camp; the counselors are selected from colleges around the country, and often include students from overseas in an attempt to make sure that young people are exposed to a diverse group of role models.

To celebrate its centennial, Camp Jewell has invited all of its former campers to a Labor Day celebration. And Peter Glass, a professional photographer who spent his summers at Camp Jewell as a youngster, has produced a photo essay to commemorate the anniversary. To see the photo essay, go to Mr. Glass’s Web site at http://www.peterglass.com/camp_jewell_photo_essay.htm.