Camp Cranberry set to wrap up another successful summer
Hunter Berneburg spends an entire year planning 10 weeks of summer fun for hundreds of school-age children living in and around Cranberry Township.
“I’m actually already starting to plan for next year,” said Berneburg, who has been the full-time director of Camp Cranberry — a theme-focused day camp — for the last three years. “It’s a lot of moving parts, but a lot of fun times, too. I have a lot of great staff, and the families here are pretty amazing to work with.”
Since the camp is on a week-to-week basis, Berneburg estimates she welcomes between 175 and 200 children each week across several camps separated by age group. Mini Movers Camp is for ages 3 and 4, and Little Achievers for ages 5 and 6. Youth Camp is broken into two age groups — ages 6 and 8 and ages 9 to 12 — and Future Leaders is for ages 13 to 15.
While the program focuses on opportunities for children to have experiences, a built-in benefit is its ability to keep them engaged during the summer months by continuing to learn and grow.
“It’s so crucial for them to have that,” said Berneburg. “These kids need socialization without the tablets and internet. Their entertainment is playing kickball and playing capture the flag. With the gaga pit being inserted into North Boundary Park, that’s a huge asset, as well as the playground and water park. The kids have so much fun with their friends being out there.”
The advertising Berneburg and her staff create and promote helps to extend the camp’s reach.
“We do social [media] posts [on] Facebook and Instagram. We have our annual program guide that goes out. But honestly most of our people are returning, so word-of-mouth is a big thing for us as well,” added Berneburg. “From where I started to now,” she said, the number of participants “has grown tremendously in all camps.”
Mini Movers coordinator Megan Wise is one of the many staff members who have helped shape Camp Cranberry for its youngest attendees.
“I like being able to be a part of the community and help out,” said Wise, who is heading into her fifth year of teaching at the Cranberry Township Early Learning Center. “I’m a teacher here as well, so I think it’s very helpful that we have crafts, we can take them outside and we can get them running in the gym.
“It makes a difference in their lives and you can see the difference with how little they are. If they’re here with us throughout the whole summer, they grow and get used to being away from home. It’s a lot of fun.”
This summer’s Camp Cranberry wraps Aug. 16
