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BT Camps Wants to Know...
For the first summer in nearly 80 consecutive years, it looked like kids would miss out on having the time of their lives at Beth Tfiloh Camps due to COVID-19. “We considered numerous scenarios that might allow us to safely open BT Camps this summer,” said Director Sam Bloom. “We rigorously monitored recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the American Camp Association (ACA), as well as Maryland State, and Baltimore County government guidelines. We also consulted with local medical professionals as well as Beth Tfiloh’s Executive Committee.”
Ultimately, staff and lay leadership concluded that there were still too many unknowns about the spread of COVID-19 to safely open camp without risking exposure to our entire BT Camps community. “That was a risk we could not take. Our camp family’s health and safety come first.”
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SWITCHING GEARS FOR THE SUMMER
“Once the decision was made to cancel the regular summer camp program, we began to discuss the possibility of safely opening our beautiful camp facilities and pools to the Beth Tfiloh community,” recalled Craig Friedman, BT Camps chair. Led by Sam, the camp committee put together the Family Camp program in just a few weeks, which was open to all shul, school and camp families. Activities included swimming, boating, slides, gaga, and basketball, and even some private birthday parties. “The program followed all CDC and Maryland safety protocols, and fees were intentionally kept low to make it accessible to as many BT families as possible. Based on the response, the Family Camp program was an unqualified success,” remarked Craig. Here is what some of the Family Program participants had to say about their experiences:
“BT Family Camp was a lifesaver for us this past summer. With so many swim clubs not being open, the option to take our children to BT Camps to swim and run around was a great alternative. We even had a little birthday party for our daughter there – she loved it! It was comforting to be able to enjoy ourselves in such a warm and welcoming environment in these most challenging times.” “Family Camp was a great way to escape our COVID-19 reality and enjoy the simple pleasures of summer with swimming, boating, and relaxing with our friends (social distancing of course). We were grateful that BT offered Family Camp as an option for something fun to do this summer!”
“BT Family Camp was probably one of the best parts of our summer. With the options of swimming in the pool, relaxing on a float, canoeing on the lake or playing archery, we had fun. Each week, we looked forward to spending the day at BT camp, enjoying a picnic lunch and bonding as a family. Thanks BT Camp for offering family camp!”
Are You Ready for the Summer?
LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER 2021
Although things are still uncertain for summer 2021, Sam and his crew are already thinking about how to make this the best summer ever, whatever the circumstances are. “Every summer, our camper’s debate which of our activities are their favorites: Ga Ga, sports, arts and crafts, theater, the lake slide, ropes course, zip line, or all the water fun in our three swimming pools and splash pad. This summer, we’re adding a few new activities that I think will make that debate even more intense: Stand up paddle boards at the lake, a foam machine, 9 Square In The Air, pickleball…and a few more, but I’ll leave some surprises for the summer!” Sam is also excited to welcome back key staff members who make BT Camps the best camp ever: Larry Brash, Lisa Brodman, Emily Eisner, Sheryl Foreman, Lindsay Gaister, Rob Hiken, Ashley Himelfarb, Doug Kotula, Melyssa Manhoff, Jen Postal and Joe Zaccaggani.
SUMMER 2021 STARTS NOW!
Registration for summer 2021 is already underway, and easier than ever, thanks to CampMinder, a cloud-based camp management platform that offers online camp registration, camp staffing, integrated health care forms and much more. “We reinvented the parent experience at BT Camps,” said Sam. “CampMinder is flexible and robust, it’s quick, easy, and the information will all be in one place. Parents and staff can access their own personal camper information, get real-time notifications, and track financial information and health records.” Best of all, CampMinder’s mobile app puts the campers’ daily adventures at parents’ fingertips. “Through Face Finder, microposts, photos, letters and a personalized stream of content, parents will be connected to camp like never before,” Sam explained. “It will become the one-stop-shop for how they interact with camp on all levels – from mobile registration, forms, payments and more.” Sam also wants parents to feel confident about registering their kids for camp now, even though the summer season is still a few months away. “Of course we plan to have camp in person this summer,” he said, “but if the plans should change, anyone who has registered will receive a full refund.”
