Dropping off the children

We send our children off to school and hope we are leaving them in a safe place. We trust that the teachers and staff are capable of protecting them and keeping them nourished in a variety of ways and that we will see them later in the day.

For generations parents across our nation have done this and it has been fine. Sometimes there was a storm or a blackout or a hurricane or something like that for the educators to deal with and there were drill systems set up, like in case of fire, to help evacuate if needed. When I was growing up in the Midwest we had tornado drills and air raid drills. It was scary sometimes, but we grew used to it and nothing happened. We were safe.

Suddenly, we have crazy stuff to deal with. We have people stealing airplanes and steering them into skyscrapers and we have other people outrageously armed with a cache of weapons who commit genocide and then suicide. We have seen a day care center in Oklahoma City blown to bits and now yet another school mass shooting. It is unbearable to all of us, as citizens and as parents. It is unbearable to think of the mindset that made that young man shoot his mother and then the innocent victims in the elementary school.

We don’t have all the answers. There are massive amounts of weapons throughout our country and we are told that after the shooting, more assault weapons were sold than ever before. My contention is to stop manufacturing and dispensing ammunition. Who then would care if the guns were there? They would be rendered largely harmless. But even if we could accomplish that and get anyone to agree to anything anymore within a consensus, there is still the matter of the disturbed minds that would do such a thing. We still have to deal with that issue and that’s a biggie.

As a parent and as a neighbor, I know we can’t just forget about this. We can’t just wait a few weeks and move on without doing some things to set a plan in motion. We need to continue the dialogue, the outrage, the mourning so that we don’t forget, so we don’t get complacent and it becomes business as usual. We need to seek out answers from professionals and we need to identify the troubled souls among us and try to help them before they strike.

We need to act and continue to act before any more children are lost. This must be our highest priority. We must put politics aside and find answers before more lives are snuffed out in the horror of these violent acts. We all need to listen to each other and find a way to keep the children safe.

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Frost Valley YMCA Camps

<p>Frost Valley YMCA offers traditional overnight summer camp, teen and pre-teen adventure trips, horse camps, and an adventure survival camp. Children and teens grow in a safe and engaging environment, spending their first nights away from home, gaining skills as young leaders, and bonding with new friends on mountain hikes, swimming and boating in Lake Cole, ziplining, sleeping beneath the starry Catskill sky, and more. Frost Valley offers 1- and 2-week programs from July to August for grades 2-10. Attend an open house or schedule a tour.</p>

Sports Academy at the Park Slope Day Camp

<p dir="ltr">Sports Academy is the perfect camp for athletes of any experience. Drills & skills are supplemented with team and individual sports. Traditional camp activities, theme days, sports on the beach, trips and the pool add spirit and variety.</p> <p dir="ltr">Each week is an action-packed experience. From soccer to volleyball, baseball, karate, fencing and more, Sports Academy’s coaching team will help your child develop their confidence, skills, and value effort over outcome.</p> <p dir="ltr">Options to mix and match with Take the Stage and Traditional Camp.</p> <p dir="ltr">Extended hours & transportation from most Brooklyn neighborhoods available.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-2494f89e-7fff-d5f4-e66b-31c43dadf084">For campers entering grades 1 - 6.</span></p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2494f89e-7fff-d5f4-e66b-31c43dadf084"><strong>Register while discounts are at their highest.</strong> </span></p>

Magic Day Camp

<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Magic Day Camp is a privately owned summer day camp that has successfully operated for more than 40 years.</span></h4> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Magic Day Camp is conveniently located in Bayside, Queens. We provide door-to-door transportation to families EVERYWHERE in Queens at no additional cost. We also offer camping options for children residing in New Hyde Park, Elmont, Valley Stream, Floral Park, and Garden City.</span><strong id="docs-internal-guid-c31bba51-7fff-8629-e1e7-39a7806ca021" style="font-weight: normal;"></strong></p> <h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Magic Day Camp has given generations of children a safe and rewarding environment to explore new and enriching experiences that foster both mental and physical growth</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></h4> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We believe all children need a safe and supervised environment to develop into well-rounded youths and eventually adults. With daily swimming, daily trips, sports programs, dance programs, parks, state-of-the-art facilities, celebrations, and incredible summer days, "every day is truly magical!"</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Open Houses are held every month Jan-June - visit the website to learn more! </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Email [email protected] with any questions!</span></p>