Camp Ockanikon and Bob Meyer Communities join together to send under-privileged children to camp
In Medford Township, there are a handful of recognizable names and places that conjure an image of this bucolic community in the Pines: Think the red barn at Kirby’s Mill, the sledding hill across from Pinelands library or the many charming lake communities. Recently, two very longstanding and iconic Medford organizations — YMCA Camp Ockanickon and Bob Meyer Communities — decided to partner up to help children from under-served areas.
Camp Ockanickon has a rich history in Medford. Established in 1906 and named in honor of a chief of the Mantas Lenape tribe, Ockanickon has been operating a boys’ summer camp off Stokes Road in the township since 1926. (In 1937, a girls camp was established on the property, named for Ockanickon’s wife, Princess Matollionequay. In 1990, Lake Stockwell Day Camp was started; Stockwell was the name of the attorney who was responsible for acquiring the land.) Today, the camp is comprised of 800 acres and offers not only summer camp but year-round programs, including retreats, school trips and family friendly events.
Likewise, Bob Meyer Communities has been a thriving business here for generations. Literally dozens of developments in the town (and in nearby towns) have been built and sold by this family owned Medford institution over the past five decades. The founder and namesake of the company even served on Medford’s township committee back in the 1980s.
“Our family grew up in the area, dating all the way back to our grandfather, who started the business in the 1960s,” said Julie Meyer, a marketing manager at Bob Meyer Communities. “As kids, we loved coming to the lakes and would go to Ockanickon for summer camp. We would also visit the camp during a middle school field trip to participate in fun activities and attend a school dance. It was definitely the highlight of our childhood!”
Julie said that after a recent tour of the camp, company officials decided they would partner with Ockanickon as a way of supporting the camp’s ambitious scholarship fund, which helps send about 600 kids from under-served areas to camp each year. Bob Meyer Communities has agreed to donate a percentage from each home sale in Medford to Ockanickon’s cause. The plan is to send a child to camp for each home sold.
“The staff at Ockanickon is not only providing kids with a fun place to go for a week in the summers, they’re changing lives,” Julie said. “Many of these children haven’t seen anything else besides the streets where they grew up in Camden or Atlantic City. By partnering together, we’re able to assist in sending underprivileged kids to camp to make friends, explore nature and experience something they would never have been able to do without the help of the YMCA sponsorship program. It’s a good feeling.”
Ockanickon’s CEO, Mark Dibble, is committed to making the non-profit camp accessible to as many children as possible, and he’s been focused on that objective since he arrived at the YMCA camp in 2015. “Our goal is not to turn anybody away who wants to come to camp, and in order to do this, we need a lot of support,” Dibble said. “We’re thrilled to partner with such a well-known and respected family run business. This generous contribution by Bob Meyers Communities will provide many children with the opportunity to come to camp.”
Julie’s brother, Kohl Meyer, also a manager at Bob Meyer Communities, said the family enjoys supporting worthwhile projects in their hometown. “Our roots are in South Jersey, and Medford is our home,” he said. “We care about the community, especially because many of the residents are our friends and neighbors. There is a warm nature about Medford that feels like home.
“It’s been enlightening to see how the camp experience can truly have an altering effect and change the course of a child’s life,” Kohl added. “To be a part of that is incredible; our team is very excited for what’s to come with this new partnership.”
This year, YMCA Camp Ockanickon, Inc. has a goal to raise $325,000 for its scholarship fund. To find out more, contact Suzette Belz, vice president of development and major gifts, at suzette@ycamp.org.
