Happy Campers at North Salem's Camp Morty

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - The summer months can bring glorious fun or oppressive heat and humidity,  depending upon where you live. Thanks in part to the Friends of Westchester County Parks, more than 300 needy kids will have a chance to swim, hike, canoe, play sports, climb ropes, sit around the campfire singing, and sleep in yurts with other kids.

Camp Morty at Mountain Lakes Park is now hosting groups of summer campers, 70 boys and girls ranging in age from eight to fifteen. There is one counselor for every eight campers and the counselors come from near and far, some as far away as England. There will be six week-long sessions during the summer.

Camp Director Andrea Gaviria, who is in her third year at the job, said the best thing about it is “to see children come together from various backgrounds. It extends their lives and gives them a way to shine and push themselves [through sports and other activities].”

Campers are divided into groups named after colleges. For example, the CUNY Queens team might play ball against the SUNY Canton team. The purpose is to promote the value of education.

“We don’t want to change them in a week,” Gaviria added. “We want to expose them to what life can be like, apart from what they have.”

Camper Zabdiel “Pie” Cruz, 11, who described himself as being from “Puerto Rico, Mexico and Yonkers,” is at Camp Morty for the third time. The best thing is “being with my friends and the counselors. We keep in touch during the year by email and on Facebook.” 

On the contrary, Sarah Brown, also 11, said, “I have a lot of fun here and I get to meet new people and new friends. But at the end we’re having so much fun that we forget to switch phone numbers.”

This is Camp Morty’s fifth year of operation. Many of the campers have been back several times. The camp is named for Morton Hyman, the late Supervisor of Camping for County Parks.

The Friends of Westchester County Parks raises funds through membership fees and donations. All donations are tax deductible.

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