Aug 26, 2011 4 min read

CARMICHAELS — The Greene County Day Camp program ended its six-week run of providing free activities for county children during a pizza and pool party Friday, July 29, at Wana B Park in Carmichaels.

Nearly 700 county children ages 5 to 15 years old participated in the program, which started June 20. The county’s department of recreation employed 69 individuals as camp counselors and site supervisors.

With the exception of some rainy days, Day Camp ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at five locations in Greene County: Jefferson Township Park in Jefferson, Lions Club Park in Waynesburg, Mon View Park in Greensboro, Ryerson Station State Park in Wind Ridge and Wana B Park in Carmichaels. Bobtown Elementary School in Bobtown and Morris Township Community Center in Nineveh served as drop-off and pick-up locations for children attending the Mon View and Ryerson camps, respectively.

Each day, campers enjoyed a variety of activities, including arts and crafts, games and educational programs, as well as swimming each afternoon at any of the three county pools for only $2 per day. All campers received a 2011 Day Camp T-shirt that they colored and personalized.

For the last day of Day Camp, the Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Rotary Club of Waynesburg sponsored the pizza and pool party, which included an inflatable “4 in 1 Fun House,” obstacle course and wrecking ball, courtesy of Elf Entertainment. Lunch was provided by Domino’s Pizza of Carmichaels.

This summer, campers ages 5 to 15 years old were once again able to participate in Camp Challenge, which is administered by the Washington-Greene County Job Training Agency, Inc. The mission of Camp Challenge is to educate the youth of Greene County about positive lifestyles and career choices, while providing a fun, interactive approach and environment. During the last week of Day Camp, campers ages 5 to 8 took a field trip to the Greene County Historical Society Museum in Waynesburg, and campers ages 9 to 15 took a field trip to Carnegie Science Center and Olive Garden in Pittsburgh. Camp Challenge and the two field trips were funded by the Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation.

New to Day Camp this year were programs presented by Penn State Cooperative Extension and Creative Industries of Greene County. Cassie Coates, 4-H youth development educator, led a program on geocaching, and local artists Sarah Rizzi and Dara Puskarich instructed art classes for children ages 5 to 8 and ages 9 to 13. The art classes were made possible in part through grants from the Community Foundation of Greene County, Creative Industries of Greene County, Nathanael Greene Historical Foundation and the Monon Center, Inc.

For the second consecutive year, lunches were provided to campers at all sites through a partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The Carmichaels Area, Central Greene and West Greene school districts prepared the meals daily as part of the Greene County Summer Food Program, an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the state Department of Education. The school districts also provided afternoon snacks.

All meals, supplies and activities were provided free of charge to campers. The Day Camp program is funded through sponsors and Department of Recreation fundraisers such as the Miss Greene County Pageant, held in March, and the Dock to Lock 5K Run/Walk & 10K Run, held in May.

Major sponsors of this year’s Day Camp included the Greene County Commissioners, Alpha Natural Resources and CONSOL Energy, as well as Community Bank, Cornerstone Care, First Federal Savings & Loan of Greene County, Greene Alliance for Development, Greene County Historical Society, Greene Waste Services LLC, Pathways of Southwestern Pennsylvania, SCI-Greene and Waynesburg University.

Providing additional support were the American Judo-Hapkido Institute, Domino’s Pizza, Girl Scouts of the USA, Greene County Human Services, Greene County Library System, Michael’s Auto/Lewis Limousine and Rohanna’s Golf Course & Restaurant.

For more information on the summer Day Camp program, call the Department of Recreation at 724-852-5323.