Westchester’s Camp Morty Receives Achievement Awards and $10,000 Grant
Westchester County’s Camp Morty summer program, serving underprivileged boys and girls, won two prestigious awards this summer, one from a national organization, and a $10,000 gift from Hudson Valley Bank.
The 2014 Achievement Award for “Children and Youth” from the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the “Special Program Award” from the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation (WMPF), acknowledge the superb outdoor and educational programs provided by Camp Morty at the Mountain Lakes Park in North Salem.
“The children get to enjoy typical camp activities, such as swimming, boating, hiking, arts and crafts, camping, and nature study, many of which are life-changing experiences,” said County Executive Robert Astorino as he presented the awards last week.
Each summer, Camp Morty offers 300 children and teens from Westchester the opportunity to experience the outdoors and develop valuable life skills through activities and instruction designed specifically for them. Kids that visit the camp each summer come from homeless shelters, the foster care system, or are on public assistance. Additionally, Camp Morty hosts a “sibling week,” where brothers and sisters who are separated in the foster care system are reunited for their experience at the camp.
The county’s departments of Parks, Social Services, and Community Mental Health, as well as Friends of Westchester County Parks work cooperatively by providing the park facilities and maintenance, recruiting, selecting, and funding campers, and reviewing and screening the candidates. Friends of Westchester County Parks provide oversight of the day-to-day operations and finances.
The Camp Morty campus is the 1,081-acre Sal J. Prezioso Mountain Lakes Park in North Salem, which is located in the northeast corner of Westchester County. The park boasts five lakes and a spectacular overlook which makes for breathtaking hiking destinations. It is named in memory of Morton Hyman, who touched the lives of thousands for nearly 20 years as Supervisor of Camping for county parks.
Prior to 2008, the Department of Social Services used to send adolescents in its foster care program to camps outside of the county. Since its inception, Camp Morty has provided more than 2,000 underprivileged children with a valuable camp experience that is close to home, while at the same time keeping all camp funding within the county.
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