Day 3

We had another wonderful day at Malta Camp USA! With another day of record breaking temperatures in Albany, we headed to Zoom Flume for a day of water park fun! People spent the morning and early afternoon playing at the splash pad, swimming in the wave pool, and riding waterslides. Despite a hot day, the water kept us cool and comfortable. Many people enjoyed the sensory input of water from waterfall rocks and giant mushrooms, while others celebrated their bravery trying a new waterslide. Our time together was marked by lots of laughs and high fives, as well as solidifying lots of new friendships– with people choosing to spend time on activities with the friends they’ve made over the last few days.

After lunch (featuring ice cream sandwiches!) and a little more water fun, we headed back to Siena College, ready to get out of the sun. I have never seen such a quiet Malta Camp bus ride — full of people napping after such a high-energy morning. But we didn’t slow down… after some quick showers and power naps, we got ready for our talent show.

With so many people at camp, our annual talent show, a hallmark camp event, has gone from an hour or two to a full dinner-and-a-show, with many karaoke acts performing during dinner and those requiring a bit more space taking place after a brief intermission and room reset. From the beginning, people were up out of their chairs, dancing and cheering along to their friends’ performances. We saw acts that ranged from singing to dancing to magic, pushups, ventriloquism, and Kung Fu! The longer the night went on, the more audience participation there was — what started as a few back up dancers, eventually included almost everyone up out of their seats dancing, clapping, and singing along! A first time volunteer commented, “You can tell people care — just look at them. They all look so happy! It’s like Christmas!”

Camp is a little bit like Christmas — anticipated all year, it’s a time we come together with our whole Malta Camp family, partaking in old traditions and starting new ones. It is a time when joy abounds, if for no other reason than that we are together. It is my favorite week of the year!

Our talent show, among so many other things, reminds me of the unique value, talents, and joy each member of our community brings — whether a performer or a cheerleader, our community, like each of our participants, is wonderfully made because of each of its unique members. And I am so thankful for each and every one of them! It’s very clear that our Malta Camp magic is alive and well at this year’s camp!

Day 2

It is so hard to believe that today was just our second day at Malta Camp USA — our group, strangers yesterday, already feels like family! Though I suppose that is a feeling I have every year about how quickly and cohesively this group comes together.

Today was filled with choices… and a few unexpected challenges, each of which everyone in the group handled with tremendous poise and grace. With a high temperature of 95 degrees and a heat index over 100, the morning started off with the news that one of our vendors, a local farm, had to cancel our scheduled visit. Recognizing that many of our Guests struggle with unexpected changes, this was not the best news to wake up to… but what could have gone wrong, what could have gone wrong simply didn’t, with everyone adjusting to the news more easily than expected.

With a new plan for the day, we headed out to Apex Entertainment, where we bowled, played laser tag, rode bumper cars, and more. A repeat of a camp favorite from last year, Apex did not disappoint. There was something for everyone, and nearly everywhere you looked there were people cheering each other on. The bowling alleys were filled with chants encouraging them as they prepared to take their turn, and high fives and hugs celebrating successful rolls. Each laser tag round finished with congratulations to the rounds’ winner and asks to play with them again and again. The bumper cars had a few cars down, and still remained a popular activity, and the arcade was filled with friendly competition, many with a cheering squad in tow. It was further confirmation of how unique this group is — those who were strangers yesterday were now so genuinely filled with joy to see those around them succeed.

The afternoon featured the first of this week’s “choose your own” activity slots, with campers pre-selecting from several different activities: a dance class with the NYC Ballet and Paint N’ Sip, Mini-Golf, Go-Karts, and Paint N’ Sip, a visit to a local farm and Paint N’ Sip, or a Tree-Top Ropes Course. With the news of the heat, those assigned to the farm joined the NYC Ballet activity to begin the afternoon.

Each activity offered something different — an artistic outlet, an athletic outlet, a sense of adventure — as well as an opportunity to connect in a smaller group setting with our friends for the week. On the bus ride to Go Karts and Mini-Golf, I sat next to a new camper and asked him about his experience so far. He came to camp not knowing anyone, but immediately fit right in. When I asked what his favorite part was so far, he replied, “I love everything. I love everyone. This is the best place ever!”.

The NYC Ballet class was tons of fun! After decking everyone out in tutus, the activity started with some stretching and warm up. The ballerinas from the NYC Ballet performed a piece of a dance for our group, then taught everyone a modified version, helping the full group to bring the piece to life. After we’d mastered the first dance, we learned a second, before our cool down stretches. A number of campers had been looking forward to this activity most all week, and it certainly did not disappoint — and even better, those unexpectedly re-assigned to this activity in the morning had a great time too!

Meanwhile at All4Fun, our group was offered opportunities to ride Go-Karts, play Mini-Golf, and hit the batting cages. With the extreme heat, we arrived to a nearly-empty location, giving our group free reign to participate in all of the activities. The Go-Karts were by far the most popular — offering a unique opportunity for freedom for many of our Guests — driving! While some drove their own go-karts and others were passengers, nearly everyone who rode in go-karts, got out of their go-kart and immediately got back in line to go again! Meanwhile a few baseball fans spent all their time at the batting cages, while a few others got in a round of mini-golf while cheering on those who raced by in Go-Karts. It was a blast! But after an hour in the heat and sun, we decided to head home a bit early to cool off. On the bus ride home, I sat next to a second year camper and her Helper, a new volunteer. The Guest offered, “Malta Camp is the best — I can’t wait to come back next year!”, a sentiment that was immediately echoed by a “me too” from her Helper. I sheepishly asked, “Really?”, and was immediately reassured “Yes, I’m having so much fun!” — a testament to how special this community is to each person in it, Guests and volunteers alike.

Those from the NYC Ballet activity and the Mini-Golf and Go-Karts activity reunited at Snyder Hall to Paint N’ Sip. After choosing between some flavored still and sparkling water “sips”, we were led through the steps to paint a tropical sunset. Our instructor, Jennifer, stopped after nearly every step to hold up someone’s work as an example to the group, and each was met with applause and cheers! While some people took the opportunity to learn how to paint the sunset seascape, others took a more free-form approach, allowing their imaginations to run wild on their canvas.

Meanwhile, our final group made their way through a tree-top ropes course, climbing ladders, balancing on different obstacles between trees, and taking a zipline. Upon their return, many participants remarked on how proud they were of themselves — taking on a new challenge or trying something they were scared of!

After a much-needed rinse off for many participants and some dinner, we headed out to watch Mulan, a lower-energy conclusion to a busy (and hot!) day. Several Guests recited along as we watched, knowing every word to the movie, verbatim. Though the highlight for sure was the impromptu sing along when everyone, as if rehearsed, started singing “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” alongside the movie.

After a long day, people were tired and ready for bed pretty early — the heat really did take it out of us! As we headed to bed, everyone spoke about their excitement for tomorrow, recognizing that a water park sounds like a perfect remedy for the extreme heat!

Day 1

It is hard to believe that it is already time for camp again — after months of planning, hundreds of Amazon orders, and dozens of Guest and volunteer interviews, Malta Camp USA kicked off today at Siena College with 150 participants — including 48 young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This is Malta Camp’s largest program yet, with participants from 22 US states and 5 counties (including, among others, a dozen volunteers from Colombia). I am so filled with gratitude thinking about the volunteers from every corner of the world who have joined us to bring this incredible program to life!

After some final set up and decorating, Guests began to arrive at 10am. They were greeted by balloons and banners, colorful costumes, and cheers as they drove in. Guests were greeted by their helpers for the week, with returning campers stopping to give everyone hugs before getting moved in. I was overwhelmed this year as I watched the reactions of people arriving — the Guests so filled with joy — but this year for me it was the parents. I saw a number of parents, both new and returning, holding back tears as they was the joyful cheers and warm embrace that they and their Guests were arriving to.

Once everyone got settled in, we had some lunch and headed to our Opening Mass. Celebrating both the Feast of Corpus Christi and the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, the homily focused on the perfection of all God’s creations, using the Eucharist as the example. It beautifully wove into our theme — that we are all “wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and perfect just the way we are. A particular highlight was the post-Communion meditation, in which one Guest who is particularly musically gifted sang “Wonderfully Made” by Leeland. There were many teary eyes as the moving song ended. But the tone changed quickly as we began our closing hymn, “This Little Light of Mine”. Many Guests participated in the celebration of our Mass, including lectors Kristi, Antonio, Casey, Lauren, Kim, Joe W, Martina, Max, and Kimberly, cantors Ryan M and Nicole, and altar server Joe K.

Following Mass we did some orientation activities, playing a game in which we learned about things we had in common with each other, and taking some time for Guests and Helpers to get to know each other and talk about how they could support each other to have an awesome week. We finished by learning the secret camp handshake before heading back to our home base of Snyder Hall. There we painted mugs, plates, bowls, and piggy banks, bringing imagination to life with lots of beautiful creations! While the pottery painting itself was fun, the highlight of the activity for me was watching friendships form — new Guests began to feel more at ease, comfortable in the new routine that is camp. Returning campers were eager to greet everyone and catch up on life updates since they’d last seen each other. You could feel the joyful camp spirit come to life!

After a (very popular) dinner of chicken fingers, the evening concluded with Spa Night. Guests rotated through several stations — tie-dying tshirts, putting together toiletry kits for camp, clipping in fun hair, getting nails painted, or getting temporary tattoos, building a terrarium to take home with them, and enjoying a relaxing sound bath. The sound bath in particular was incredible to watch, with a palpable sense of calm coming over many of the Guests. As the day wound to a close, many Guest were ready for bed early — tired from an eventful day of fun!

Reflecting upon the day, one volunteer shared — “I have all of these people who already feel like best friends… and then I realize I still have to look at their name tags to know their names”. Today was filled with both big, loud moments of joy and small, quiet moments of beauty. The day the Guests arrive has once again taken its spot as the highlight of my entire year!

As a think about the joy of today and anticipate the week to come, I am filled with profound gratitude — for the planning team who work tirelessly year-round to bring this program to life, to the generous donors who help fund our week together, to the families who entrust us to care for their Guest for the week, to the Guests who show us what unconditional love and joy truly looks like — the Malta Camp family is a truly special one, and I am so honored to be a part of it!