You are more than where we spend our summers. You are where we become who we’re meant to be and learn the most important lessons – about ourselves, about friendship and about what it means to really belong.
You are our place. And you are where we find our people.
And all of that happens in moments, big and small, that make up a summer. While they may seem ordinary at the time, or just part of camp, they are the moments that stay with us. Shape us. Define us. And keep us forever connected to our best WAHA selves.
It’s going from activity to activity, arm in arm with your besties, smiling, laughing and be silly just for the sake of it.
It’s getting ready for Friday night procession in the afternoon, putting on your best whites and walking in the camp-wide procession to the dining hall. It’s that feeling of being part of something special, legendary and meaningful.
It’s sharing those gorgeous bright orange sunsets on Bunny Beach with your cabin, knowing it’s the end of one awesome day and looking forward to the next.
It’s the absolute rush of Air Bands – the energy of everyone dressed in their unit colours, cheering and waiting to watch what everyone created.
It’s the special relationship you build with that one staff member. The one who sees you, encourages you and celebrates you just for you.
It’s opening night – with unit colours, costumes and cheers – and how excited everyone is to be back in their favourite place, with their favourite people, ready for the best summer ever!
It’s the BB/BE and LTP service, listening to stories of special bonds formed and experiences shared. And it’s knowing that for so many of those kids, those relationships are going to be their core memories of camp that mean the most.
It’s gathering together on the last night of camp, singing the W song, watching the burning W – and knowing that you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else – this place, these people, this moment.
It’s in these moments, and so many others, where you really come to understand what it means to belong. You just feel it. In the laughter, the traditions, the friendships, the growth and being accepted for exactly who you are.
That’s what WAHA gives us. Summer after summer. Our place. Our people. And a part of ourselves we never lose.