My son attended his first season at Camp Adventurewood in 2023 - it was his first experience at a…read moresummer camp and he was a little nervous and shy but all his counselors made him feel so welcome and comfortable and after the first day he was hooked! He loved the variety of activities and made so many new friends. He came home with fun stories each day. I loved that they offered a variety of options from 2 days/week to 5 days. We returned last summer and an unexpected and sudden medical event threw our summer for a loop. They were beyond kind and accommodating. Michael, the owner, personally made sure we were taken care of at a very scary time and was just incredibly kind and communicative. I can't thank him and his staff enough for the support. I would recommend this camp for any family. Its like a classic, old-school summer day camp experience!

My son attended Adventurewood camp for the first time this week. For the most part he enjoyed…read morehimself -- particularly the characters they introduce throughout the week. However, we decided to pull him out for next week because of a very disturbing situation. He shared that a counselor had pushed him with both hands on his shoulders during a capture the flag activity. He had dropped his flag and was putting it back on when a counselor (he didn't know her name) pushed him back hard enough to make him lose his balance and fall. She also barked "you need to reset!" She didn't ask if he was ok or help him up. You'd think if this was an accidental push and he fell over she would say something like "sorry bud are you ok? Here let me help you up" but nope, not a word. A friend he's attending camp with witnessed the whole incident. Since I pick them both up in the afternoons they both recounted this situation to me and both of them noted how inappropriate her behavior was. I immediately reached out to Michael, the owner of the camp. He said he wanted to identify this counselor and get her side of the story. Understandable. My son felt uncomfortable going back the next day but I reassured him it would be handled and offered to drop him off in the morning and stick around to talk to Michael and the counselor. I wanted him to feel safe. Michael identified her (her name is Carson) and said he wanted to talk to her first, which he did a few feet away from me. I heard her say she didn't push him. They then walked over to me and she again denied everything. So we asked both kids to come over and recount what happened. They both did -- in front of her -- and reiterated she pushed him. She denied even touching him. So Michael suggests at this point that perhaps it was an accident and my son responds by saying "how do you push someone like that by accident?!" No response. So I ask her, are you saying these kids are lying? She again said she didn't touch him and at this point we send the kids away. I'm incensed because not only does she gaslight both of them to their face but tells this bold faced lie to her boss in front of the campers and me. I tell her I believe them and I think she's the one lying. At this point she gives me this dirty look - angry, irritated and almost rolls her eyes at me. I turn to Michael and say "and now she's giving ME an attitude?!" Unbelievable. In a follow up call, he tells me how good of a person she is and that this is shocking for him to hear but that she doesn't seem like someone who would do something like this...that she's getting her teacher credentials and he knows her really well. I am getting the vibe he doesn't actually believe any of this and he sounds very skeptical. I respond by telling him that it's almost always surprising when people exhibit bad behavior and that even teachers do bad things...that doesn't make her any more credible in my eyes. He acknowledged that. In fact, it's worse because I would be really concerned to have someone like that teaching a kid. Lack of empathy, accountability, and integrity. I mean, I think it's great he's trying to have her back but there are moments in life when you need to draw a line and act swiftly...these are one of those moments. Because ultimately, this impacts the reputation of your camp. I told him that it would be good to offer training to his staff in case this ever happens again in the future and honestly he sounded baffled and asked me to clarify...I said well maybe tell your staff not to give dirty looks to a mom who's clearly upset that her son just got pushed by a grown adult at summer camp?? I told him that the response to this situation could've resulted in a totally different outcome. Had she said something like "I really don't recall pushing you but if I inadvertently did and made you feel bad I'm sorry - I didn't mean to do that" - I would've went home that morning feeling fine about the situation. When I told him this he said that he's not going to police all her reactions, that she's still young, that she's still learning and made all kinds of excuses for her. Exhausting. Apparently she got a "warning" and will sit out of the flag activity (umm, ok...). He seems like a smart guy and wish him nothing but success in the future and I was earnestly trying to offer advice for how to handle a situation like this better but it fell on deaf ears. I really hope that some kind of learning comes out of this for both of them. Oh and to top it off, my son's friend told her mom that Carson was giving her looks several times throughout the day today and when she asked what kind she said "side eye" looks. NOT COOL. My son also said she was kind of mean to him but wondering why they were even in close proximity when Michael said they'd absolutely be separated and would not see each other? Validates we both made the right choice by pulling them both out. He offered a refund but I'm still pissed about the situation.

Janet and her team are fantastic. My son had the most perfect party. Not only did we make potions…read morebut they were customized for my son's interests and each child got a necklace with the potion to bring home. You will not be disappointed with PLAYful Designs so sign them up for your next birthday party!

I'm not sure words can capture the immense appreciation I have for Janet. Every step of the way,…read moreshe made my daughter's 4th birthday an absolute delight. She was so easy to communicate with, she completely got what I was wanting, and the party turned out better than I could have imagined (and my expectations were pretty high) My daughter basically didn't stop making potions the whole time. All the kids loved it with ages ranging from 2 to 10. And it went above and beyond my own wildest fairy world, enchanted garden dreams. I have a strong aesthetic and I'm quite picky. Janet set up the most beautiful area, with such amazing attention to detail. Again, words could never do her justice. She will be the best birthday party decision you've ever made. I can't wait to work with her again.

We have been participating in the Laurel Foundations activities and services for about 3 years. We…read moreare so happy with the quality of the activities (summer camp/meet ups/informational zooms). We are so grateful for the community.

Thank you so much to everyone at the Laurel Foundation for Camp Mulberry! My 15-year-old just got…read moreback from camp - it was her first time away from home without one of us with her, and it was her first camp experience. She had what I can only describe as a transformative time. She came home so much more self-confident, joyful and the most comfortable I've ever seen her in her body. After years of suffering from depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, seeing this kind of change and growth in my child in such a short amount of time made me teary eyed. I'm forever grateful.

My boys just got home from Camp Nawakwa and had the time of their lives!…read more My older son was homesick and his cabin counselor, Squirrel, did amazing calming him and getting him involved. There was lots of activities and they had options so they could choose the things that interested them. Swimming, crafts, archery, drama, rock climbing. They had a dance and camp fires, they performed skits. When I went to pick them up my little one had lost his voice from singing and cheering so much. My homesick boy didn't want to leave... He even asked to go back for the next weeks session. Days later they are still singing their cabin songs and telling stories about what they did while they were there. I know my kids can't wait to go back and I'm so thankful they had this experience. And I'm going to make sure they return to Camp Nawakwa because they have made memories they will cherish for a lifetime...and they'll make even more in the summers to come

Camp Nawakwa-Angelus Forest Site I went on a camping trip…read morewith our church Agape Christian Center on June 5-7, 2015. I wanted to take a moment to compliment you on the cleanliness of your camp! I was pleasantly surprised. Your staff were all very friendly,courteous, and helpful. I specially wanted to thank your head chef, (I hope I have the name right, Shawn?)I have a gluten free kid and he was so nice, and helpful. He completely went out of his way, his food was delish!He made my job of having to pack gluten free food obsolete! I am so thankful! All in all had a great time, we Will definitely be back!!! See you soon! Delia Ybarra

Amazing surf school. Both my daughters learned to surf in one three hour lesson. Bella became very…read morecomfortable and nearly independent after her second lesson. The staff is very friendly and spot on. I opted for the Will Roger's State Park location over the Venice Beach option and was very happy I did. In fact I recommend you try Will Roger's State Park.

We did a one day camp with Sunrise just to see if my son would like it. He is six, and I wasn't…read moreready to drop him off and leave him as he LOVES to run to the biggest wave. So I wanted to keep an extra set of eyes on him and ended up hanging around out of site so we wouldn't be distracted by me, but close by so I would feel comfortable knowing how he'd respond to the instructors. I think they were fine with me being even closer but I stayed a little further away so my child would really focus on them. Also, it was his first surf lesson so I didn't want to miss it! What I saw had me grinning the entire time. When my son wanted to push the limits and travel a little too far out where I was ready to run in after him, instructors were pulling the kids back. They had their eyes on him. And there was a dedicated staff member standing on the beach keeping their eyes on the entire group whenever they were in the water. And it was amazing to see my kid stand up on the board for the first time ever. And the way he jumped and kept going - it was clear he was SO happy the entire time. Not my kid, but there was clearly a little one who was not comfortable with the waves. I don't know the full story, but what I saw was an instructor holding that child the ENTIRE camp in the water. That kid got to be as close to the water as they were comfortable, the instructors never sat her aside to play in the sand, they were clearly trying to get her comfortable and making sure she had some water experience. Props to you all for investing in every child at every level. Props to the instructors, we hope to return if schedules allow this summer. The only request I have is to put kids in bright orange/yellow/green rash guards instead of the blue ones. It was easy to see the instructors in the orange, but I would feel better if we could REALLY see the kids from the sand in water safe colors. That's it - THANK YOU again for a great day. My son really loved it and was so proud of what he accomplished in that short time with you.

We enrolled our 4 year old son in the stage 1 swim class & we've been very happy with it! The 1st…read moretwo classes, he wanted nothing to do with it & mostly clung to the glass (which I had a feeling would happen). The lifeguards & instructors were still so great & patient with him. By the 3rd he was a little better, & from then forward; wow what a difference! He's so excited to participate & always eagerly jumps into the instructors arms when it's his turn to practice. We definitely plan to continue him into the stage 2 class! We're so impressed by the facility that we joined as a family. My husband & I utilize the gym & open swim. Equipment is new, the facility overall is clean, & the staff has been great since day 1. Always smiling, always friendly. Definitely a good experience here so far.

YMCA is did not open today. Employee is here in front and he does not even know why they are not…read moreopen.

Little Hands & Flourishing Minds is such an amazing preschool. My child has special needs and a…read morelist of sensitivities. Mrs. Bricia was so helpful and patient with both my son and our family in guiding us on how to parent our ASD son. Multiple times my son would have "episodes" and Mrs. Bricia would help teach him how to self regulate. She taught him emotional control that he never had before and helped him learn not only social skills, but educational skills as well. I never thought my son would be able to go to a public elementary school, but after 3 years enrolled at Little Hands & Flourishing Minds he was taught the social and emotional skills he needed to thrive and be successful at a public school. I am so grateful and thankful to Mrs. Bricia for helping my son.

My daughter has been going to Mrs. Bricia's school for over two years now. We've had the most…read moreamazing experience and I have recommended it to a few of my friends and relatives. It is clear that teaching and guiding little humans is her true calling and she executes it flawlessly. She's very responsive to all inquiries, a great communicator, very flexible and always puts kids needs first. My daughter is thriving at this school and although it is time for her to move on to kindergarten in fall, she keeps saying she'll still be coming to Mrs Bricia after school haha The incredible amount of love and care my daughter has received at this place made her confident and ready for kinder and beyond. Thank you, Mrs. Bricia!