Hye Camp - Day 1

A record number of campers arrived at Hye Camp this Sunday afternoon, kicking off a week of fun, fellowship, and spirituality. When registration opened, there were already a lot of eager children anxious to see which cabin they would be in and who their counselors would be. By 4:00 the big bus from Detroit had arrived, the customary signal that the picnic was about to start.

First, everyone congregated in the Fr. Haroutiun Dagley chapel for parent orientation. The Hye Camp board of directors, the Hye Camp Godfathers and Godmothers who will be with us all week, and the staff members for each cabin were all introduced to the parents and the children.

Hye Camp Director Fr. Aren Jebejian, along with Fr. Tavit Boyadjian, Fr. Paren Galustyan, and Dn. Levon Kirakosyan performed the Home Blessing ceremony, blessing the bread, water and salt, in commemoration of the Diocesan theme of Church & Home – One In Spirit.

At last, everyone went out to the main field where Camp Hickory staff had prepared an abundant picnic.

As evening came and the sun began to set, parents tried to get in one last hug while their children were catching up with old friends. With the parents departed, all of the campers gathered for further orientation followed by some time with their cabin. One more evening snack of watermelon brought the opening day of Hye Camp to a close and everyone got some rest dreaming about the exciting week ahead.

All of the coordination that goes into running a smooth and efficient registration process couldn’t be accomplished without everyone acting as a team. To achieve that goal, the staff gathers the day before Hye Camp starts for special training and orientation.

Saturday afternoon and evening was spent getting to know each other, learning about the different roles and responsibilities everyone would have during the week, and preparing the camp for the arrival of the campers.

Fr. Aren stressed to the staff two main questions that should always be considered. How can I transform my campers? How can I transform myself? These are fitting questions, not only as motivation for the staff to be at their best every day, but also to help tie in the theme of Hye Camp 2007; The Feast of Transfiguration.

Saturday evening, the Hye Camp staff had the pleasure of being hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Ohaness Korogluyan, parishioners at the St. James Armenian Church of Evanston. The Korogluyan’s offered an extensive selection of Armenian foods, the perfect start to what promises to be a fun and exciting week.

We look forward to another successful Hye Camp season and we can’t wait to share it with you.