A Wonderful Place
Written: Aug 19 '01
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Pros: Warm, non competitive place. Amazing nice group of campers. Everyone gets an opportunity to shine!
Cons: Not enough time in a lifetime to get it all in!
The Bottom Line: Ballibay a great place! Campers aren't just talented-they're the kindest, greatest kids. Staff is amazing, Jannone's know what is takes! Ballibay -better every year-it's hard to improve perfection!
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| gerih's Full Review: Ballibay |
am probably more qualified than most to give my opinion on Ballibay as my three children were campers there and I worked in the office. So, I know first hand what Camp Ballibay is like on a day to day basis. I can tell you that the brochures don't do it justice. There are so many great opportunities from theater to voice to instrumental music to dance to art to rock and roll to tennis to riding to technical theater and on and on. The only real complaint my 3 children had was there wasn't enough time to do all the things they wanted to do in the 7 weeks they were there. The staff is a fabulous group of extremely talented people who really enjoy what they do. And,the fact that many return year after year says a lot. Several are even established college and high school teachers. What a great opportunity for the campers! My youngest turned 8 at camp. He has suddenly developed an interest in several musical instruments that he never knew existed prior to camp and can even play songs on several of them! The art barn offers so many opportunities in developing and refining talent. The theater areas give so many so much. OK, I'm starting to sound like a paid brochure myself, which was not my intention. I found the prior review on Ballibay disturbing and not true at all. The Jannones are wonderful people. I worked in the same office with them every day. I saw first hand how they treated campers and know what went on when no one else was around. They truly love Ballibay and care deeply about every camper. Each child's situation is handled with care and kindness. Bottom line is they want every camper to have the greatest time and it is not about making money for the Jannones - all 3 of them. It's about the campers and the staff. They work harder than anyone else at camp 24 / 7! Ballibay has been a successful camp for 38 years because of the love and dedication of the Jannone family. They are giving and generous and from what I saw first hand, no expense is barred. No reasonable request is turned down. When they say it's about the Journey, they mean it and each camper's success means a great deal to them. I can also tell you that I was the one this summer who was responsible for the email and not one was ever censored and not sent. While the system does not allow mail in that contains bad language (which as a parent, I applaud), no mail was ever withheld as the previous reviewer stated. I wonder about the former staff member who made many mistakes in their review including the age range which goes to 17 (not 16). I wonder what their motivation was. The internet is a powerful tool and the fact that they did not have the courage to use their real name to me makes it questionable in and of itself. I also find it curious that they wrote this review on July 19th which is right in the middle of camp. Perhaps this was one of the staff members who walked off the job, not fulfilling their obligations and have some personal axe to grind? I would hope if they can substantiate their allegations, that they would respond to this review with their actual name. Something tells me they will not.
The fact that so many campers from all over the world return year after year and that highly qualified, highly motivated staff return year after year says it all.
Also, regarding the comments on the cost - Ballibay is less expensive than similar camp programs.
In any case, Ballibay is a wonderful place. And for this I thank the Jannone family for 38 years of hard work and commitment to the children. They I am sure are responsible for many, many success stories and great impact on many lives. I will easily send my children back for many many years to come.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1475 - 4475
Type of Camp: Arts
Camper to Counselor Ratio: Fine mix of campers and counselors
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Epinions.com ID:
gerih
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 1 member
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