Sunny Days Camp Creates Lifelong Childhood Summer Memories
By Analisa Venolia
As I walked through the Student Recreation Center last week, there were children climbing the rock wall, chasing each other in a game of Sharks and Minnows and playing basketball. In the East Conference Center, kids were happily crafting turtles out of paper bowls in artfully thematic rooms. Sunny Days Camp was clearly in session. Watching the campers run around the University Student Union brought me back to the summers I spent at Sunny Days.
Sunny Days Camp has been a summer childcare institution on California State University, Northridge’s campus since 2003, when camp director Jeremy Hamlett and his team created the program. Over the years, the camp earned a reputation in the local community for providing quality childcare and creating memorable summers for all children, whether their parents worked at CSUN or not. In fact, only about 45% of campers enrolled this year are campus-connected.
Some of the best summers of my childhood were spent at Sunny Days. I attended the camp from 2003 through 2009, back when the camp was located where the Oasis Wellness Center is now. I learned how to craft lanyards, got comfortable swimming in the deep end of the pool and participated in talent shows with my fellow campers. I made friends, built bonds with counselors and had a blast every summer. Looking back on my time at Sunny Days, I realize that the camp helped me enjoy being a kid to the fullest.
Since I attended the camp and there were only 120 campers in total, Sunny Days has grown to host around 240 campers a day and 500 campers over the course of the summer, with numerous possible activity tracks for a range of ages, including Sports, Swim and Rock Climbing. For campers aged 12–14, there is the Skills of Leadership (SOL) program, which fosters leadership skills. For campers aged 15–17, there is the Junior Counselor program, through which campers can develop leadership skills while assisting with camp activities and earning community service hours. Despite the expanded programming, some of my favorite Sunny Days staples still remain, like the annual talent show and the daily Opening Circle, during which all the campers and counselors gather in the morning to kick off the day by singing camp songs.
“The thing about summer camp is that every summer is different,” said Hamlett. “What we do here, aside from signature events and theme Fridays, is what the counselors program. They’re the ones coming up with the activities. So, even though this is my 23rd summer, every summer is different because the programming is different. It keeps the camp fresh.”
While I didn’t realize it as a camper, it is clear to me, looking back, that Sunny Days provides valuable experience for the counselors. In addition to doing things like leading Opening Circle and guiding campers through various activities, the counselors learn about themselves and what they want from their future careers.
Victor Duran Cedillos, known as “Frito” by the campers, is one such counselor. Working at Sunny Days was instrumental in his life path.
“When I first started at CSUN, I was a mechanical engineering major,” said Duran Cedillos. “After working at Sunny Days, I switched to psychology because I realized I wanted to keep working with children.”
Duran Cedillos graduated this May with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a minor in child development.
Counselors like Duran Cedillos had positive impacts on my time at camp, and it’s clear that the same is true today.
Wanting to learn what current campers have to say about Sunny Days, I spoke to ten-year-old Sophie Sakoda.
“Sunny Days is really cool,” she said. “The counselors are really funny and I like their nicknames a lot.”
Sakoda told me that she wants to keep coming back to Sunny Days and eventually become a junior counselor.
What would her counselor name be?
“Fried Rice!”
Sunny Days has given Sakoda more than just a fun summer—it’s also helped her conquer a fear.
“I thought I was scared of heights, but then, when I [rock-climbed], I didn’t feel scared,” she said.
Although the location and campers have changed since I attended, it’s clear to me that the heart of Sunny Days is the same. There is still the same care put into making each summer memorable and helping children grow while having lots of fun. Twenty-three years after I first attended, I’m glad to see Sunny Days continuing to provide kids with the best summers of their childhoods.