In Brief

• Beginning June 19, the Healthplex^® Sports Club will offer 10 week-long summer camps, running Monday to Friday. Full-day sessions run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for children ages 7-12; half-day sessions are available from 9 a.m. to noon for children ages 4-6. Extended hours are available for an additional cost.
  
  
• The Healthplex^® also offers camps for specific sports, including cheerleading, tennis, basketball and volleyball. These half-day camps will take place August 7-11.
  
  
•  For more information and to register for these camps, call (610) 328-8869. The Healthplex^® will also host its annual Asthma Camp on June 26-30. The one-week camp, held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for children ages 8-13, features sports and education about living with asthma. For more information, call (610) 595-6491.

Need to fight off the summertime blues for your child?

The Healthplex^® Sports Club will once again offer numerous camps during the summer to provide children with daily doses of fun and excitement in a setting with friendly, experienced professionals. Beginning June 19, the Healthplex^® will offer 10 week-long camps, running Monday to Friday. Full-day sessions run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for children ages 7-12; half-day sessions are available from 9 a.m. to noon for children ages 4-6. Extended hours are available for an additional cost.

Campers can expect a load of activities to keep them busy, says Liz St. Martin, program coordinator at the Healthplex^®.

“There’s a new activity theme each week, with day trips to museums, theaters, outdoor sports centers, amusement parks and golf courses,” St. Martin says. “Campers are introduced to all types of unique sports and fitness activities including badminton, squash, tchoukball (a new game that combines elements of cricket and soccer), wallyball, yoga, Pilates, as well as basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis and golf. There’s never a dull moment.”

The camps do not just appeal to the sports-minded child, St. Martin adds.

“We’re more than just sports. We cook, make ice cream, produce and film skits, create objects of art, hike, picnic and invent.  Our campers discover new interests every week,” St. Martin says. “We love working with our campers. Activities are organized and planned with the campers’ fun and safety as a first priority.”

To guarantee placement in a camp, parents must register their children no later than June 10. The deadline for registration is one week prior to the desired camp week. For parents who register their children with full payment by May 15, the Healthplex^® will give them a $20 discount off the rate of a full-week, full-day registration per child.

The Healthplex^® also offers camps for specific sports, including cheerleading, tennis, basketball and volleyball. These half-day camps will take place August 7-11. Healthy snacks will be provided during the camp.

“Every day is an adventure, rain or shine, and even in extreme heat, with our indoor racquet courts, swimming pools and activity centers,” St. Martin says. “Our campers develop character through friendships, teamwork, partnerships and development of healthy habits. We want the camp experience to be a wonderful childhood memory.”

In addition to the return of the summer camps, the Healthplex^® will also offer its annual Asthma Camp on June 26-30. The one-week camp, held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for children ages 8-13, features swimming, tennis, kickball, basketball and more amidst an educational atmosphere.

“We teach the children to manage their own asthma and how to live with it so that it doesn’t control their lives,” says Eileen Censullo, manager of respiratory care at Taylor Hospital and director of the Asthma Camp.

The camp costs $15 per child, and includes giveaways, lunch, snacks and a gym bag filled with trinkets. Camp counselors teach the children about asthma medication and check the children’s breath sounds and peak flow during the day. Gerald Kolski, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, visits the camp all week to interact with the children.

A guest speaker and entertainment round out the last day of camp. The last day also gives counselors the opportunity to discuss with campers’ parents what the children learned all week, and what the parents should know when caring for an asthmatic child.

For more information on the summer camps and sports-specific camps, please call the Healthplex^® program office at (610) 328-8869.

For more information about Asthma Camp, call 1-800-CK-HEALTH (1-800-254-3258).