Counselors are all set for this year’s YMCA summer camp.

COUNTY — Summer is here and more than 400 children are enjoying their break from school by attending Camp Takoda Summer Camp.

The Pickens County YMCA offers a summer day camp in the Easley, Pickens and Powdersville/Wren areas. Camp Takoda is for children ages 4 to 13. The YMCA also offers a Leaders In Training program for ages 14 and 15.

Children enjoy a wide range of activities such as daily devotions, fitness activities, swimming, arts and crafts, field trips and more. Some of the field trips planned this summer include; the Greenville Zoo, Roper Mountain Science Center, Clemson Botanical Gardens, Hollywild, Duke Power’s World of Energy, Table Rock, Clemson Athletics, Fox News, ice skating and geocaching.

The YMCA has given out around $41,000 in scholarships for more than 100 children in the summer camp program this year. Scholarships are made possible through generous donations from Y members, staff, board of directors, individuals and businesses in the community to Share the Spirit.

“The staff and I have been hyped up for the start of camp for weeks now,” said Ryan Lemere, program director for the Pickens branch. “All of the trainings and meetings to prepare and now we finally get to put it all into action. The first day of summer camp started with a lot of rain so I was eager to see how the campers and counselors would respond as the day started. It was no surprise to see everything fall into place as the counselors made adjustments to the weather without skipping a beat. You can’t help but notice the kids coming in with huge smiles on their faces as they see campers and counselors they had met at camp last year. It just goes to show the kind of relationships that can be built at camp. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the rest of summer.”

Registration is going on now for summer programs. You can sign up by going to either YMCA branch in Easley or Pickens or register online at www.pcymca.net. Call 855-9622 or 878-8380 for more information.