Camps Guide 2016

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 19

JANUARY 29, 2016

CAMP GUIDE 2016

Read more camp guide at cjn.org/camp

A Cleveland Jewish News Special Section

Chagrin Valley Athletic Club Sports and Junior Camps in Bainbridge Township

20 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

January 29, 2016

Camp guide

Heights man wants to put mark on Camp Roosevelt-Firebird CARLO WOLFF | STAFF REPORTER cwolff@cjn.org

T

here’s a picture of Joe Mendes on the “about us” page of camprooseveltfirebird.com, the website of his new venture. Mendes looks pretty rugged for a former schoolteacher, standing in front of a decidedly rustic building at Camp Roosevelt-Firebird in Bowerston, a speck of a village some 95 miles southeast of Cleveland.

Mendes is ready to go to work “reviving a camp from the ashes of despair,” a camp that at its peak in the 1980s hosted 200 girls and 50 to 100 boys each summer. By the time he bought it last fall, enrollment had dropped to 28 – over six weeks. It was on a steep decline, and Mendes is determined to change its course.

“I need kids to make it work,” Mendes said in an interview at the Cleveland Jewish News office in Beachwood. “I need kids and basically, positive word-of-mouth.”

He also needs volunteers and he’s willing to visit the homes of families interested in sending their kids to camp.

The Cleveland Heights native bought Camp Roosevelt-Firebird in November, realizing a dream that took seed more than 40 years ago. The camp, on a 104-acre site in the Allegheny Mountains, has become his life work, and he intends to be there 24/7, especially between mid-June and mid-August, when it is open for 10 weeks, eight of those exclusively to boys and girls aged 7 to 15. The first week is for counselors, the last for families. Cost starts at $900 a week, decreasing the longer the attendance, and scholarships are available.

Mendes knows his summer camp.

Between 1973 and 1985, he spent eight weeks each summer at Northstar, a camp in northern Wisconsin 90 miles southeast of Duluth, Minn. He was a counselor there for the last five years.

There, he was friends with Andrew Schwartz, an Illinois man who bought Camp Roosevelt-Firebird 12 years ago.

Mendes also “met this network of Jewish kids from across the country” at Northstar and learned “everything I know about education.”

Camp is in Mendes’ blood. He has friends and family in the business.

He has a file cabinet called Camp of Dreams in his Cleveland Heights home.

Camp Roosevelt-Firebird is his laboratory – and his home away from home.

“It’s got that nice history,” he said

of the Bowerston campsite. “In the tradition of camps, you tell stories, you have an opportunity to develop in microcosm a positive culture, which is exciting to me. As a schoolteacher all these years, in your classroom, you had an opportunity to do that.”

The camp borders Leesville Lake, an artificial lake created under Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s National Youth Administration program. It is the amalgam of two camps, one there and one formerly located in Perry that was moved, building by building, to Leesville Lake in 1987. Its history dates back to 1918.

A 1980 graduate of Cleveland Heights High School, Mendes earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Until now, teaching has dominated his varied career, which also includes work in a Cambodian/ Vietnamese refugee camp in Thailand, directing a teen pregnancy program in Denver, and operating a Conservation Corps program in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. He also served on the board of Camp for All Kids, a St. Louis nonprofit promoting racial diversity through summer camp.

Mendes sees camp as an opportunity to set examples and an ideal place to teach kids. These impulses come naturally to him.

Mendes taught elementary school at both Coventry Elementary School in Cleveland Heights and Gearity Professional Development School in University Heights for a total of 15 years. He resigned from the Cleveland HeightsUniversity Heights School District at the end of October and closed the deal for Camp Roosevelt-Firebird days later, at the start of November.

Familiar with “largely very urban, very stressed, super-poverty, underperforming violent communities” characterized by racial tension and low student test scores, Mendes wants to bring out the best in kids.

“I guess I have a passion for the underdog, for challenges, for people who are largely ignored or misrepresented in society,” he said “I think some of that relates to my Jewish background and, for lack of a better word, for facing discrimination. If you work in a place where you’re the only Jew, where they’re putting nativity scenes…” His voice trailed off.

Cynthia Larsen, Mendes’ wife, is curriculum director at Lake Erie Ink, a writing program for youth. They met in

Joe Mendes clears debris at Camp Roosevelt-Firebird in preparation for this summer. | Photo / Grant Gulden

A view of Leesville Lake, on which Camp Roosevelt-Firebird borders. | Photo / Joe Mendes

Oakland, where he taught in the early 1990s.

Larsen suggested to Mendes that after years of teaching in stressful schools, he should instead focus on camp. So years later, Mendes jumped on the chance to buy Camp RooseveltFirebird after the unexpected death of its owner Andrew Schwartz, his old friend from Northstar, that camp in Hayward, Wis. “I believe that camp is a life-changing experience,” Mendes said. “It is not how the media portray it, as a fun place to play pranks on someone. This can positively affect the world, making it a

more just and equitable society, a more humane place.”

Is there a place for fun in it? “Of course. It’s also a joyful, fun, whimsical place where learning happens through serendipity and relationships. Kids are empowered at a young age, are respected and listened to.”

Mendes, who attends Kol HaLev in Pepper Pike, vows to parents that he’ll take care of their children, “keep them safe and promise to provide a positive experience.”

Camp guide

January 29, 2016

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 21

Background checks required for all camp employees JULIA FAIR | SPECIAL TO THE CJN

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s summer approaches, local camps are making sure all employees, new and old, go through background checks.

Day camps at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood as well as Camp Wise in Claridon Township have new and old staff members join every year. The American Camp Association and Ohio law requires camps to conduct background checks to ensure the campers’ safety.

“The vast majority of our staff pass, but very occasionally an employee may not pass the background check based

on prior unlawful actions or activities,” said Sara Hodgson, director of human resources at the Mandel JCC said.

In the event that a background check brings a concerning aspect of a camp counselor to view, Hodgson said they would have a discussion with the employee to determine the best court of action.

“All of our staff goes through high level, FBI background checks,” said Rachel Felber, assistant director at Camp Wise.

Camp Wise rarely receives concerning information that would lead to not hiring someone, Felber said. In fact, most of the Camp Wise’s staff used to be

campers themselves.

A lot of campers turn into staff members because of Camp Wise’s staff in training program, Felber said.

“We feel that if we train our staff we know that we’re going to get the kind of candidates that we want on our team,” she said, adding that those who complete the program are more desirable job candidates than those who did not.

Among the campers who return as staff members, Camp Wise welcomes international staff members every year, too. Those staff members go through background checks through their own country, with the support of the hiring agency that brought them to Camp Wise,

Felber said.

“The people that we bring on through those agencies the candidates have already been vetted by those agencies and then we meet them at a hiring fair,” Felber said.

No matter where an applicant is from, or how many summers they’ve spent at Camp Wise, they all fill out an application and go through an interview process, Felber said.

The application process is similar for the day camps at the JCC.

Julia Fair is a sophomore in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens.

Running camp all about mission, passion JONAH L. ROSENBLUM | STAFF REPORTER jrosenblum@cjn.org

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unning a summer camp is as mission driven as it gets, according to local camp directors.

Given the amount of responsibility they take on, legal and social, it would almost have to be. They say that summer camp, and their jobs, have never been more important than they are in 2016, given a generation of children that tends to remain cooped up inside otherwise.

For Mike Rubin, in his 21st year as the director of Park Day Camp in Pepper Pike, running a camp was not originally part of his game plan.

A teacher at Aurora High School and a football coach at Orange High School, Rubin was plenty busy when he got the call about running Park Day Camp. Still, he was intrigued and decided to at least entertain the idea with a meeting.

“That was 21 years ago, and it really changed my life for the better,” Rubin said.

Ultimately, he decided to give it a couple of years and see how it went.

He’s still there.

“I thought it was a wonderful way to spend the summer,” Rubin said. “As someone who works with kids for a liv-

ing, it was a no-brainer for me.”

Karen V. Edwards, director of afterschool and summer at Laurel School in Shaker Heights, also didn’t start out in the camp business. She was in education, but at a very different end of the spectrum, teaching art history for institutions of higher learning like the University of Akron, Cuyahoga Community College and the Cleveland Institute of Art. “This combines my love of education and my love of recreation,” Edwards said. “I was ready for a change.”

Edwards mentioned her camp experience as the daughter of educators.

“Summers were special,” Edwards said. “Camps are very special opportunities for children to be inspired, and I think that’s something I think about on a daily basis.”

For Rabbi Hillel Drazin, head of Camp STEP in Cleveland Heights for 13 years, it was a similar motivation, a mixture of personal and professional ambition. On the personal side, his son was entering first grade at the time and would be camp-bound.

“I really like working with kids, connecting with the kids, that was really my main motivation,” Drazin said.

The reward for Drazin is in hearing a child come up to him and say, “I had the

best day of my life.”

“There’s nothing more rewarding,” Drazin said.

Perhaps that connection has never been more important in an age in which kids don’t necessarily play ball in the neighborhood anymore, often choosing a game system or the Internet instead.

That’s why at Park Day Camp, Rubin makes his counselors put away their cell phones and keeps his campers outside, whether it’s learning how to swim or kicking a soccer ball around.

“It’s so important that kids who usually sit idly by, inside air-conditioned, and watching television instead of being outside playing and learning about sportsmanship (go to camp),” Rubin said. “I don’t think that goes out of style.

“It’s a different kid. It’s not their fault. It’s technology that has supplanted playing Frisbee, throwing a football and kicking a soccer ball. Today, everyone is inside where it’s safe and air-conditioned.”

To some extent, the choice is made for them as some parents are loathe to let their children out into a dangerous world – and that’s where again the camp director comes into play.

Safety comes first, according to Rubin, who noted the “social contract” between a parent and a camp that for those

seven to eight hours a day for those 39 days a summer, in Park Day Camp’s case, “that kid will go home safe.”

At camp, children can be safe without being overly confined. As Drazin puts it, kids can “let go,” unlike school, while still receiving proper supervision.

“It’s a necessity for kids in the summer to make sure they have a productive program that they can enhance their learning and their recreation,” Drazin said. “There are many other ways of shining (than school), and that’s what camp offers a child, whether it’s through arts or sports or something different.”

At camp, according to directors, children have the opportunity to learn teamwork and perhaps pick up a new hobby or lifelong passion. For example, Laurel offers a camp program where children get to go to the Cleveland Museum of Art – “a very unique opportunity that could spark lifelong learning in a particular subject,” according to Edwards.

That lifelong impact is what Drazin said he seeks with his profession.

“It’s the future of the Jewish people, that ultimately is what I want to have an impact on,” Drazin said.

22 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

JANUARY 29, 2016

CAMP GUIDE

Loss of camp directors has little effect, official says ED WITTENBERG | STAFF REPORTER ewittenberg@cjn.org

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il Rubanenko, chief operating officer at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood, said he expects the impact of the recent loss of two camp directors to the JCC’s camps will be “nil.”

Sean Morgan stepped down in December as camp director of Camp Wise, an overnight camp in Claridon Township, to be closer to family in Detroit. Ari Golub resigned as director of day camps to become director of Camp Laurelwood in Madison, Conn. His last day at the JCC is Jan. 29.

“We have a phenomenal leadership team in place right now, both at Camp Wise and the day camps,” Rubanenko said. “They have a tremendous amount of camping experience, they know how to hire the right staff and how to develop amazing programming, and they have experience doing their jobs for many years in our camps as well as Golub other camps.”

Rachel Felber, entering her fifth year as assistant director of Camp Wise, will be the lead person for that camp, Rubanenko said. Felber, who has served on

DISCOVER SUMMER FUN. 20 NEW CAMP EXPERIENCES FOR 2016

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Camp Wise’s summer staff for 13 years and is an alumna of the camp, also spent five years as assistant director of the youth and teen department at the Jewish Community Center of Austin, Texas.

Heading the day camps will be Abbey Henkin, who was hired Jan. 4 for the new position of assistant director of day camps. She will also Morgan serve as site director of the JCC’s Anisfield Day Camp, for children in kindergarten through fifth grade in Burton.

Henkin served as assistant director at Park Day Camp 10 years. The past two years, she was director of youth, teens and family at the Siegel Jewish Community Center in Wilmington, Del. Morgan served as assistant director at Camp Wise for three years before being named camp director in November 2011. Golub has worked at the JCC since 2009.

Rubanenko said a national search is underway for both director positions. He said there is no firm timetable to name replacements for Morgan and Golub.

“We will hire the right people at the right time,” he said.

Registration is open for the JCC’s summer day camps, which serve children ages 2 through 10th grade and run from June 14 through Aug. 12. For more information, call 216-831-0700, ext.1349.

Registration is also open for Camp Wise, for children entering grades two through 11. Session I runs from June 14 through July 10, and Session II goes from July 13 to Aug. 2. For more information, call 216-5936250.

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CAMP GUIDE BEACHWOOD RECREATION

25325 Fairmount Blvd.

Beachwood, OH 44122 216-292-1970 Fax: 216-292-1976 recreation@beachwoodohio.com beachwoodohio.com Want a summer filled with art, sports, games, music, swimming, field trips and crafts?

We offer up to seven weeks of great summer camp. Beachwood Recreation offers camp experiences for children ranging from K through Grade 8.

Choose from: KIDZ, Bison, Sports, Youth Theatre or Teen Adventure Travel Camp. Plus, we have over 40 great specialty one-week camps running throughout the summer.

B’NAI B’RITH BEBER CAMP

Winter: 4930 Oakton St., Ste. 4019 Skokie, IL 60077 847-677-7130 Fax: 847-677-7132 Summer: W1741 Highway J Mukwonago, WI 53149 262-363-6800 Fax: 262-363-6804 info@bebercamp.com bebercamp.com Director: Stefan Teodosic Beber Camp is a coed residential camp with a kosher kitchen located in Mukwonago, Wis., only 90 minutes north of Chicago. Beber offers two-, four- or eight-week sessions for campers ages 7 to15, and over 80 different activities for campers to choose from. Sign up today and experience the magic of Beber Camp.

JANUARY 29, 2016

CAMP GAN ISRAEL OF BEACHWOOD

25400 Fairmount Blvd.

Beachwood, OH 44122 216-282-CAMP (2267) camp@cgibeachwood.com cgibeachwood.com Director: Rivky Friedman CGI is offering 10 weeks of Jewish Summer Fun. Choose your own weeks.

Our Pre-Camp Trip Week, eight-week Day Camp and August Horseback Riding Camp are all infused with the Jewish overnight camp energy and spirit.

Low staff/camper ratio allows each camper to feel welcome and included.

CGI has curbside drop-off and pick up and offers hot lunches as well. Sib discounts. Early-bird pricing ends March 15. Have questions? Call 216-282-2267 or email camp@CGIbeachwood.com

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 23

Park Preschool Summer Camp June 14 – August 5 Welcoming campers ages 2 years to Pre-K

Hang out with us this summer!

CAMP GAN IZZY SOLON

5570 Harper Road Solon, OH 44139 440-498-9533 ganizzy@solonchabad.com ganizzysolon.com Director: Mushkie Galperin Camp Gan Izzy in Solon offers day camp for grades K to 4 and Explorers program for grades 5 to 7. New for this year, campers can choose a track of drama, sports or art. All tracks enjoy swimming in our heated swimming pool, field trips and a wide array of activities.

Our beautiful campus includes a swimming pool, shaded playing fields, and air-conditioned facility. We offer four sessions from June 6 to July 29, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Hot buffet lunch is available as well as extended care from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call us for a tour.

EVAN NATHANSON Q: What is your favorite thing about camp?

A: Learning new songs Q: What will you miss most about camp when you go back to school?

A: My friends and counselors Q: Will you come back to camp next year: A: Probably Q: What is something new that you learned from camp?

A: I don’t know

3 or 5 days per week * 6-week or 8-week sessions 9:00 am - 1:00 pm * before & after care available hot lunch option * special guests * fun Shabbat program 27500 Shaker Boulevard • Pepper Pike (216) 371-2244, ext. 203 • parksynagogue.org

JUNE 14 - AUG. 5

24 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

JANUARY 29, 2016

SPORTS BROADCASTING CAMP IS COMING TO CLEVELAND FOR OUR 3 YEAR

CAMP GUIDE

LOUIE ELIA

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Q: What is your favorite thing about camp?

A: Swimming

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Q: What will you miss most about camp when you go back to school?

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Q: What is something new that you learned from camp?

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CAMP ROOSEVELT-FIREBIRD

camp Wise

Linked in

4141 Dublin Road SW Bowerston, OH 44695 216-321-9711 joe@camprooseveltfirebird.com camprooseveltfirebird.com Director: Joe Mendes Only 90 miles away, coed, with a variety of sessions.

Campers develop confidence, leadership and appreciation for the environment. All the expected exciting activities on a beautiful lakefront site of 103 acres of forest and fields. A few special twists: farming, wilderness adventure trips and community service.

Come experience fun and personal growth.

CAMP S.T.E.P.

You do all You can to help Your kids grow up to be happY, independent & confident. one of the best things You can do is give them an amazing experience at camp wise.

A summer at Camp Wise is filled with kayaking and jet skiing on our private lake, horseback riding, archery, mastering the high ropes course, creating pottery, performing and singing and ending the week with beautiful Shabbat celebrations. Without even realizing it, your kids are learning new skills, gaining

confidence, making life-long friendships, and strengthening their Jewish identity.

We know that sending your child to overnight camp is a big decision. At Camp Wise our experienced and caring staff are there every step of the way to help campers – and their parents – make the transition to overnight camp a comfortable one. el mand jcc of

(216) 593-6250 • wisekids@mandeljCC.org

eland clev

register today Campwise.org like us on faCebook

A division of Hebrew Academy of Cleveland 1860 S. Taylor Road Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 216-321-5838 ext.176 Fax: 216-321-0588 hac1.org Director: Rabbi Hillel Drazin The S.T.E.P. Summer Torah Enrichment Program is a recreational experience that enhances the educational goals of The Hebrew Academy in a fun environment. The highly successful camp provides children of all backgrounds an opportunity to learn and grow.

From preschool through eighth grade, campers are availed an opportunity for spiritual and emotional development. Trips to various places of recreational and educational interest follow daily shiurim. Camp S.T.E.P. has become a Cleveland tradition in reaching out to the entire spectrum of the Jewish community.

CAMP WISE

26001 S. Woodland Road Beachwood, OH 44122 216-593-6250 Fax: 216-831-7796 wisekids@mandeljcc.org campwise.org Located in Chardon, Ohio, on 350 beautifully wooded acres, award-wining Camp Wise offers exciting overnight camp options for girls and boys entering grades 2 to 10. Archery, high ropes course, water skiing, horseback riding, lake activities, sports, arts, drama and zip line are just some of the amazing activities campers experience while making lasting friendships and memories of a lifetime.

CAMP GUIDE

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 25

JANUARY 29, 2016

CHAGRIN VALLEY ATHLETIC CLUB SPORTS AND JUNIOR CAMPS

Bainbridge Township, OH 44023 440-543-5141 info@cvaclub.com cvaclub.com Weekly day camps are fun – something the kids will beg to come back to. Fitness activities, water awareness lessons, tennis and daily lunch. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Group rates and multiple-week discounts available.

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAM

11610 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH 44106 216-421-7460 Fax 216-754-4089 tberger@cia.edu cia.edu/precollege Director: Tom Berger Experiment with new media. Build your portfolio.

And focus on your art at the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Pre-College Program. During our two-week residential program, you’ll use the tools and processes available only to our students and experience the life of an art student at a premier college of art and design. Live in our new residence hall in University Circle, or commute to school each day.

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Hiram House Camp

Q: What is your favorite thing about camp: A: Having fun

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Q: What will you miss most about camp when you go back to school?

A: Friends and counselors

Exciting Hands-On Outdoor Activities & Attractions

Q: What is your favorite memory of camp?

A: Helping the younger kids in electives Q: Will you come back to camp next year: A: Probably, I’ve been going here since I was 6.

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Q: What is something new that you learned from camp?

A: Friendship

Join Us for Summer Fun!

J-Day Camps –

Voted Best & Better Than Ever!

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART YOUNG ARTISTS CLASSES

11610 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH 44106 216-421-7460 Fax 216-754-4089 tberger@cia.edu cia.edu/ceco Director: Tom Berger Give your child the edge – participation in the arts has been proven to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, nurture motivation, and add to overall academic achievement and success. And it’s fun.

CLEVELAND METROPARKS ZOO SUMMER DAY CAMP 3900 Wildlife Way Cleveland, OH 44109 216-635-3391 programregistration@clevelandmetroparks.com www.clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo Children ages 3 to 14 can spend their summer days at the zoo participating in fun and educational activities with experienced camp counselors. Nature Play Camp allows campers ages 3 to 4 to enjoy connecting with nature and playing outdoors in Nature Discovery Ridge. Ages 5 to 10 can choose from three different camp themes that alternate for each age group. The Wildlife Biology program is for ages 11 to 12. Ages 13 to 14 can participate in the “Counselor in Training” camp, and Emerald Necklace Camp allows ages 11 to 14 to explore the zoo and go on field trips to other areas of the Metroparks. Camps run June 6 to Aug. 12. Space is limited. 216-635-3391, clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo

Voted Best Day Camp • NEW! Debra Ann November Aquatics Center at Halle Park – Fabulous pool with zero entry, slides & spray elements • NEW! Anisfield goes to Camp Wise program • NEW! J-Sports Academy – intensive sports track program • NEW! Snapology Camp • Expanded Hebrew Immersion option – Grades K–3

Mandel Jewish Community Center

Six Amazing Camp Options for Kids Ages 2-Grade 10 • Playland Day Camp, Ages 2 – 4 • J-Sports Camp, Grades 1 – 7 • Anisfield Day Camp, Grades K– 5 • J-Teen Camp, Grades 6 – 9 • Performing Arts Camp, Grades K – 9 • SIT (Staff in Training), Grade 10

J-Day Camps

26001 S. Woodland Road, Beachwood

(216) 593-6249 • daycamps@mandeljcc.org • mandeljcc.org/daycamps We welcome all children age 2 – grade 10.

26 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

January 29, 2016

Camp guide

2016

SUMMER of

ADVENTURE boys & coed camps and programs

REGISTER AT WWW.US.EDU JUNE 13 - JULY 29 DAY CAMPS SPORTS ENRICHMENT

Hathaway Brown

Cuyahoga Community College Summer Camps

216-987-3075 tri-c.edu/summercamps Fran Tomba Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) summer camps are available for ages 4 and up, and include camps for science and nature, film making, culinary,

basketball and performing arts. Tri-C summer camps are fun, educational, affordable, and conveniently located at our campuses and the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. Visit tri-c.edu/summercamps or call 216-987-3075.

Coming soon to the CJN and CJN.org: MORGAN GOLDSTEIN

Camp guide Fairmount Early Childhood Center Camp

24601 Fairmount Blvd.

Beachwood, OH 44122 216-292-2344 ● Fax: 216-292-4174 kml@beachwoodschools.org beachwoodschools.org/fairmount.aspx Director: Karen Leeds Fairmount Early Childhood Center Summer Camp accommodates children entering preschool to entering second grade (ages 3 to 7). Weekly themes, outdoor activities, guest performers, field trips, art and use of the Beachwood Family Aquatic Center are some of the highlights. For more information visit the website at beachwoodschools.org/fairmount.aspx

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 27

January 29, 2016

Falcon Camp

4251 Delta Road SW Carrollton, OH 44615 216-991-2489/800-837-CAMP info@FalconCamp.com falconcamp.com Director: Dave Devey Celebrating 59 years as one of Ohio’s premier summer camps. Wide variety of activities, outstanding staff, excellent food, great time. Daily program separate for boys and girls with planned coed events. “Fun for now, skills for life” is more than a motto. It embodies what a unique experience Falcon Camp really can be.

Metro Park Camp

Jake Katz

Q: What is your favorite thing about camp?

A: Art and the other activities Q: What will you miss most about camp when you go back to school?

A: My new friends Q: What is your favorite memory of camp?

A: Learning how to swim for the first time two years ago.

Q: Will you come back to camp next year?

A: Probably Q: What is something new that you learned from camp?

A: To try new things even if you think you won’t like it.

Fairmount Early Childhood Center

SU MMER CAM P

Camp Gan Izzy - Solon • Day Camp (K-4)

Summer camp is for children entering preschool (Age 3) through entering second grade (Age 7).

Camp highlights include: guest performers, field trips and the use of the Beachwood Family Aquatic Center.

• Explorers (grades 5-7)

Registration is currently open for residents and non-residents.

Includes: 2 trips per week and professional cooking instruction.

CAMP RUNS JUNE 13 - JULY 29 Call Karen Leeds today for more information

216.292.2344

Camp Dates June 6 – July 29

Fairmount Early Childhood Center

SUMMER CAMP Summer camp is for children entering preschool (Age 3) through entering second grade (Age 7).

Camp highlights include: guest performers, field trips and the use of the Beachwood Family Aquatic Center.

Registration is currently open for residents and non-residents.

CAMP RUNS JUNE 13 - JULY 29 Call Karen Leeds today for more information

216.292.2344

8 Weeks of Camp 9am-3:30pm

Extended Care Hours 8am-6pm

• Inground heated swimming pool • Shaded Playing Fields • Hot Lunches • Field Trips • Drama, Sports & Art specialties

440.498.9533

Call Mushkie Galperin www.ganizzysolon.com • ganizzy@solonchabad.com

28 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

JANUARY 29, 2016

CAMP GUIDE

make something this summer Cleveland Institute of Art Young Artists Classes for students grades 4–12 June 13–24

216.421.7460 continuinged@cia.edu cia.edu/continuinged

Summe r

P r og r a ms

at Lawrence School Enhance Skills Have Fun Explore! Create!

Make New Friends Build Confidence

n Ready, Set, Grow!

Kindergarten Readiness

Prepare your child for a successful kindergarten experience, and start building skills that support requirements under the 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee! June 13 - July 8

JCC Camp Wise

GAME ON! SPORTS CAMP 4 GIRLS

For program details, visit

Hathaway Brown School 19600 North Park Blvd.

Shaker Heights, OH 44122 Western Reserve Academy 115 College St. Hudson, OH 44236 1-84-GO-GAMEON info@gameonsportscamp.com gameonsportscamp.com Director: Chanel Smit Since 2007, Game On! has been committed to empowering GIRLS of ALL abilities through sports. Learn and play multiple sports daily. Warm, fun and spirited environment. Confidence-building. Programs shaping valued teammates and high achievers. Two locations: Hathaway Brown and Western Reserve. Flexible Week Options #BuildingStrongGirls #GirlsCan

www.lawrenceschool.org/summer

GILMOUR DAY CAMPS

n Lions Leap

Academic Enrichment | Grades 1-6 Experience academic success and reinforce organizational skills. Supports requirements under the 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee! June 13 - July 8

n Cubs Camp

Summer Fun for Grades 1-6 Cubs Camp is all about FUN! Get active, explore, create and play. June 13 - July 8

440.526.0717 admissions@lawrenceschool.org Lower School 1551 E. Wallings Road Broadview Heights, OH 44147

34001 Cedar Road Gates Mills, OH 44040 gilmour.org Discover Gilmour Summer Camp. With more than 20 new offerings, including web design, entrepreneurship, leadership, fly fishing, CSI Gilmour and more, Gilmour Camps have something for everyone. We offer camps for children ages 3-plus as well as summer classes for course credit. Camps run from June 6-Aug. 12. For more information, visit gilmour.org/ summercamp.

CAMP GUIDE

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 29

JANUARY 29, 2016

Imagine summer, think Hawken!

Summer programs for boys and girls ages 4-14.

Day Camps

Far-out adventures close to home.

Passport Camps Park Day Camp

MANDEL JCC DAY CAMPS

26001 S. Woodland Road Beachwood, OH 44122 216-593-6249 daycamps@mandeljcc.org mandeljcc.org/daycamps Voted Best Day Camp-Mandel JCC J-Day Camps have something for all kids ages 2 to grade 9. From boating to archery to sports, theatre and arts, The J has a camp for every kid and interest.

One-week sessions for fun and creative explorations.

Athletic Camps

Get in the game and have fun.

Summer Studies

Academic enrichment and refresher courses for grades 6 –12.

Travel Camps

Visit exciting locations and make lasting memories.

Register now for summer programs: www.hawken.edu/summer • 440 . 423 . 2940 summerprograms@hawken.edu

LAWRENCE LOWER SCHOOL SUMMER PROGRAMS

1551 E. Wallings Road Broadview Heights, OH 44147 440-526-0717 Fax: 440-526-0595 admissions@lawrenceschool.org lawrenceschool.org Director: Douglas Hamilton Worried about the Third Grade Reading Guarantee?

Lawrence School’s Ready, Set, Grow! and Lion’s LEAP Summer Programs can help! Perhaps you are just looking for a FUN experience? Then, the Cubs Camp is for you! All three of our programs run from June 13-July 8. Visit LawrenceSchool.org/Summer to learn more.

PARK DAY CAMP

27500 Shaker Blvd.

Pepper Pike, OH 44124 440-543-8802 Fax: 216-321-0639 parksynagogue.org Director: Michael Rubin Park Day Camp offers convenient and affordable four-, six- and eight-week sessions from June 14Aug. 5 for children entering kindergarten to grade 6.

Enjoy daily swimming in our private pool, Judaics, sports, arts and crafts, music and nature activities.

Daily kosher hot lunch and afternoon snack included.

Extended day option available.

Space is limited! Register today (children ages 3-14) at clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo or call 216-635-3391

30 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

JANUARY 29, 2016

CAMP GUIDE

SKYCAMP

FIT & FUN!

this Summer!

Monday through Thursday

Great Lakes Science Center

Ages 6 to 12 * $40 a day or $149 per week!

844-CLE-JUMP 31500 Viking Parkway Westlake, OH 44145 skyzone.com/westlake

750 Alpha Drive Highland Heights, OH 44143 skyzone.com/highlandheights

C H A G R I N VA L L E Y AT H L E T I C C L U B S U M M E R C A M P S

Great Fun and a Lifetime of Memories!

PARK PRESCHOOL SUMMER CAMP

27500 Shaker Blvd.

Pepper Pike, OH 44122 216-371-2244, ext. 203 parksynagogue.org We provide many opportunities for exploration, investigation, experimentation and discovery. Our program nurtures all areas of a child’s growth and development in a fun, camp-like environment. Camp includes thematic units, water play, special guests and programs, all ensuring a safe, funfilled summer experience! Before/ aftercare and daily hot lunch are available. June 14-Aug. 5, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

RED OAK CAMP

SPORTS CAMP CO-ED AGES 6-12

beach-lined lake swimming tennis

fun games gaga ball lunch daily

BEFORE & AFTER CARE AVAILABLE

JUNIOR CAMP CO-ED AGES 4-6 CHOOSE ONE OR BOTH:

FUN & GAMES 10am to noon

SWIM CAMP 12:30 to 2:30

GROUP RATES AND MULTIPLE WEEK DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE

440.543.5141 ext.108 or visit cvaclub.com .com/cvaclub

9057 Kirtland-Chardon Road Kirtland, OH 44094 440-256-0726 director@redoakcamp.org Director: David Faulstich At Red Oak Camp our mission is simple: To develop childrens’ inner strengths through outdoor adventure.

Our trained counselors provide campers with structured activities, including archery, riding, canoeing, swim instruction, sports, fire building, science and nature study, and many more designed to build their confidence and independent thinking skills.

SOLON JEWISH PRESCHOOL CAMP

5570 Harper Road Solon, OH 44139 440-248-7766 solonjewishpreschool.com Solon Jewish Preschool presents a “Zoo Crew” summer packed with animal fun. Our program offers developmentally appropriate activities for children 2 to 5, plus a variety of “Mom and Me” classes. Mystery guests, nature walks, wading pools, music, weekly Shabbat parties and much more are planned in our air-conditioned classrooms. Children have access to an indoor muscle room and a variety of outdoor activities daily. Our spacious playground is fenced in and includes an adjacent extended space that enables preschoolers to ride their cars and tricycles. We also have nice shaded grounds and gardens for children to plant and discover the world around them.

SUMMER DAY CAMPS

Great Lakes Science Center 216-621-2400 GreatScience.com Science comes alive during summer camp season beginning June 6 at Great Lakes Science Center. Choose from six different locations and 80 different weeklong camp themes that offer amazing challenges and unforgettable adventures for kids in preschool through high school. Camps sell out quickly, so register soon. To register: Call 216-621-2400 or go to GreatScience.com.

CAMP GUIDE

JANUARY 29, 2016

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 31

Great Lakes Science Center Summer Day Camps

Solon Jewish Preschool

HATHAWAY BROWN SCHOOL

19600 N. Park Blvd.

Shaker Heights, OH 44122 216-320-8085 216-371-1501 jhabig@hb.edu hb.edu/summer Director: Jason Habig At Hathaway Brown in Shaker Heights, campers from preschool-age through college have an array of options, many of which are coed, to create their own summer adventures filled with fun, learning, and memories to last a lifetime. Flexible scheduling available.

Register today at hb.edu/summer or call 216-320-8085 to learn more.

HAWKEN SUMMER PROGRAMS

5000 Clubside Drive Lyndhurst, OH 44124 440.423.2940 summerprograms@hawken.edu hawken.edu/summer Hawken School has developed a summer program full of exciting adventures to interest boys and girls ages 4-14. Explore all five camp programs and register early as camps have limited enrollment and fill quickly.

Offerings for 2016 include day camps, passport camps, travel camps, athletics camps and summer studies.

HIRAM HOUSE CAMP

“Ohio’s Oldest Camp–Enriching the Lives of Children Since 1896” 33775 Hiram Trail Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 216-831-5045 info@hiramhousecamp.org hiramhousecamp.org Join us for summer fun at Hiram House Camp for boys and girls. Enjoy hands-on outdoor adventures, open new horizons and create great memories that last a lifetime, all amid 172 wooded acres in Ohio’s scenic Chagrin Valley.

New for 2016. High Ropes Course at the camp’s Teambuilding Adventure Center.

Register now for best selection! Enrollment is on a first-come basis. All 2016 enrollments include preferred early registration option for next year as well. Register and pay online by credit card. For more information, call 216831-5045 or visit our website.

THE MUSIC SETTLEMENT

11125 Magnolia Drive Cleveland, OH 44106 216-421-5806, ext. 100 TheMusicSettlement.org/camp In addition to its popular Music Builders (three- and six-week sessions) and Music Safari camps for young children and tweens, The Music Settlement’s summer music camps will immerse your child in instruction of instruments/genres of his or her choice, including jazz, piano, hip-hop, chamber, orchestra, rock and blues, a cappella, Suzuki, and more. Register online before April 1 for a 10 percent discount.

REGISTER AT

GreatScience.com or 216-621-2400

Great times inspire great minds.

32 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

JANUARY 29, 2016

CAMP GUIDE

FREE t o BE mE !

YABI NURSERY & CHILD CARE

84666

Ages 6 weeks to 4 years

s p a ccam mps 216-932-7664

Linda Bensoussan, Director 2308 Warrensville Center Road University Heights

S U M M E R

S U M M E R 2016

Hiram House

Science | Tech Kids | Photography and Film | Performing Arts | Sports

2016

SUMMER RUFFING IT

Ruffing Montessori School 3380 Fairmount Blvd.

Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 216-932-7866 Fax: 216-321-7568 julias@ruffingmontessori.net ruffingmontessori.net/camps Children work with professional artists, musicians and trained educators who provide a joyful, quality experience in small, student-centered groups.

Classes in academics, art, athletics, drama, media, music and science are fun, engaging and productive.

Six weeks: June 20-July 29. Ages 18 months to grade 9. Register online and call or email with questions.

Science | Tech Kids | Photography and Film | Performing Arts | Sports

SKY ZONE INDOOR TRAMPOLINE PARK: FIT AND FUN SKY CAMP

Eastside location 750 Alpha Drive Highland Heights, OH 44145 skyzone.com/highlandheights Westside location 31500 Viking Parkway Westlake, OH 44145 skyzone.com/Westlake 1-844-CLE-JUMP Sky Zone’s Fit & Fun Sky Camp is awesome, healthy and FUN. Our four-day camp focuses on FUN, health and wellness. Participants will engage in active play and learn basic athletic skills on an endless sea of trampolines! Campers will improve their social skills through team building activities, 3-D dodgeball; play that includes skill instruction, open jump time and crafts. Youth fitness classes and nutrition discussion will encourage healthy lifestyle choices. A snack and Sky Zone giveaways will be provided.

tri-c.edu/summercamps 216-987-2333

Where futures begin

SM

tri-c.edu/summercamps

15-0039

CAMP GUIDE

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 33

JANUARY 29, 2016

ARIEL VILENSKY Q: What is your favorite thing about camp?

A: Electives like origami and rainbow loom Q: What will you miss most about camp when you go back to school?

Our 35th Year

A: Everything

Out of Town Trips Overnights • Ruach Swimming Arts & Crafts • Sports

Q: Will you come back to camp next year?

A: Yes Q: What is something new that you learned from camp?

A: Learned how to play the game “Mafia”

SPORTS BROADCASTING CAMP

800-319-0884 info@playbyplaycamps.com playbyplaycamps.com Camp Directors: Steven Goldstein and Jeremy Treatman Boys and girls 10-18 years old will learn from the pros. Meet sports celebrities. Make play-by-play, sports anchor and reporting tapes. Host a sports talk radio show and much more. Day/overnight options.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL

Hunting Valley Campus 2785 SOM Center Road Shaker Heights Campus 20701 Brantley Road Director: Debbie Linich 216-831-2200 ext. 7366 summer@us.edu us.edu University School offers boys’ day camps and coed sports and enrichment camps. Programs are led by experienced US faculty and coaches. The boys’ day camp and sports camps teach skills, foster sportsmanship, build confidence, and create lasting friendships. Enrichment camps are offered in space, art, robotics, rocketry, videogame programming, debate, theater, songwriting, and entrepreneurship. Visit us.edu/summer.

YABI NURSERY & CHILD CARE

2308 Warrensville Center Road University Heights, OH 44118 216-932-7664 lindaben@ameritech.net Director: Linda Bensoussan YABI Nursery & Child Care specializes in infant, toddler and preschool care from 6 weeks to 4 years of age and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. We will accommodate your part-time and full-time schedule needs. Summer session includes creative crafts and outdoor waterplay in our adjacent fully equipped playground, combined with developmentally appropriate programming. Fully licensed by the state of Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. YABI has been under the directorship of Linda Bensoussan since its establishment in 1986 offering quality care with a Jewish flair.

Create your own SUMMER adventure.

March 21– April 1 August 1–19

VACATION CAMPS

June 20 – July 28

DAY CAMPS

Co-ed, Preschool – Grade 8

Broad Horizons Beginner Co-ed, ages 3 & 4

Broad Horizons

Girls, Kindergarten – Grade 5

Broader Horizons Girls, Grade 6 – 8

HB offers a wide array of summer programming for boys and girls ages 3–21, with dozens of offerings to choose from. Visit www.hb.edu/summer to browse through academic, athletics, adventure, and specialty camp options to create your own one-of-a-kind experience.

Flexible scheduling available. Call 216.320.8085 for details.

HB.edu/summer

19600 North Park Boulevard Shaker Heights, Ohio

34 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

Summer Ruffing It! Summer Camps for ages 18 months - Grade 9

June 20 - July 29, 2016 For more information or to register go to: ruffingmontessori.net/camps 3380 FAIRMOUNT BOULEVARD : CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH

MUSIC CAMPS FOR AGES 5 & UP

SAVE 10% ON CAMP WHEN YOU ENROLL ONLINE BEFORE APRIL 1ST Music Experience Not Required for: Music Builders.....Ages 5-12.......6/20-7/8 & 7/11-7/29 A unique and exciting 6-week summer camp!

Music Safari ........... Ages 6-9 ........6/27-7/1 & 7/25-7/29 Welcoming Many Levels of Experience: Suzuki Camp .......Ages 4-12............................. 7/31-8/6 July Music Camps Hip Hop, Orchestra, Jazz, Piano, Rock & Blues, A Cappella, and Chamber Music AM & PM sessions for a full-day of music, enrichment, & fun!

Before & After care, Financial Aid, & Special-Needs Inclusion Opportunities

www.TheMusicSettlement.org/camp 216-421-5806 xt. 100

Other Summer Classes Available: www.TheMusicSettlement.org/all

JANUARY 29, 2016

CAMP GUIDE

Summer nights: dating, marriage as byproducts of Jewish camp MAYANNE JAFFE | JNS.ORG

E

ighteen-year-old Bernie Kozlovksy spent from sundown to sunrise on a boat with 16-year-old Sonia Rosenbaum in the summer of 1972.

“We talked until dawn,” Kozlovksy recalled about that summer at the Orthodox Jewish NCSY overnight camp in northeastern Maryland.

Kozlovksy worked in the camp kitchen. Rosenbaum was a camper. From that summer forward, neither dated another individual. Forty-three years later – including 39 years of marriage, six children, and seven grandchildren – Kozlovksy attributes his successful relationship to the spark that formed during his summertime experience.

Not much has changed.

Today, the (camp) fire is still burning at Jewish summer camp. Dating and marriage are byproducts of summers spent banging on the table during birkat hamazon (grace after meals), engaging in loud and intense games of color war, and celebrating Jewish culture with Hebrew plays and folk-music campfire singalongs.

No one is pushed to date at Jewish summer camp, explains Lauren Ben-Shoshan, who met her Israeli husband, Alon, as a counselor at URJ Camp Harlam in Kunkletown, Pa., in 2004. The couple now lives in Israel.

“Camp is a positive place for Jewish learning, physical activity, and connecting with the outdoors.

No one wants campers to feel bad because they didn’t find their spouse when they were 15, 19, or 22.

But there is a covert understanding that (marriage is) a nice byproduct of Jewish summer camp, when it happens,” said Ben-Shoshan, who is also a Jewish educator.

It occurs more often than many realize. According to “Camp Works,” a report released in 2012 by the Foundation for Jewish Camp, Jewish adults who attend Jewish overnight camp are on average 10 percent more likely to marry within the Jewish faith than their peers. The 2000-01 National Jewish Population Study found that number to be higher, with 78 percent of individuals who attended Jewish summer camp in-married, as opposed to 62 percent of their non-camper peers.

What’s the secret sauce? Is it that romantic Shabbat at sunset by the lake or in the secluded woods?

That’s part of it, but it is more likely a result of the “intensity” of the camp experience, Ben-Shoshan said.

“You’re living with everyone. … The days last forever, but camp feels like it only lasts a minute. So even if camp is only two months, these are two very intense months,” she said. “You see the campers and counselors in stressful situations, how they interact with peers and with the kids, the meals, how they interact with co-workers. It is all these things that happen in life, that could take several months in the ‘real world,’ you see within a week at camp.”

Jewish summer camp focuses heavily on community-building, notes Aaron Bogage, who attended the BBYO International Leadership Training Conference for several summers and now works at the overnight BBYO Chapter Leadership Training

SUMMER | 35

Bernie and Sonia Kozlovksy, who have been married for 39 years, met in 1972 at the NCSY overnight camp in northeastern Maryland. | Photo / Kozlovksy family

Jen and Dan Silber met at Camp Moshava. | Photo / Silber family

Mollie Gansky and Corey Bass met at Camp Ramah in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. | Photo / Mollie Gansky

CAMP GUIDE

JANUARY 29, 2016

SUMMER | 34 Conference. He says there are always “quite a few couples per session,” explaining that these relationships form because everyone is “extremely open” with each other and open to meeting new people.

“Everyone is genuinely excited to get to know the rest of the teens. … There is a sense of community that comes from camp,” Bogage said.

One can start to pinpoint new couples, according to Bogage, by looking at who sits where during meals and what campers do during free time. Bogage has not met his significant other through camp, but his good friend met a girl last summer from another state. They are still together despite the physical distance between them.

Jen Silber, executive director of Habonim Dror Camp Moshava in Street, Md., said there is a focus at camp on building healthy peer relationships.

“We want (campers) to learn about communication, how to express their needs in relationships, feel confident being themselves and develop trust,” she said.

Silber, who met her own husband as a camper and then staffer at Moshava, said that friendships and romantic relationships that people form at summer camp tend to be “deeper” and more authentic than those forged at school or in other environments.

Campers and counselors feel accepted for who they are, she said.

Likewise, people who attend Jewish summer camps tend to share similar values. Through the camping experience, they come to learn how they hope to celebrate Shabbat or even raise their children.

“My husband and I come at life from a similar place of what is important and what we want for our children in terms of Jewish identity and connection to Israel,” said Silber. “And it’s fun. Camp is really fun and that playfulness, that energy or ruach (spirit) is still there in our relationship today.”

That’s exactly how it has gone for Mollie Gansky, who met her boyfriend, Corey Bass, at Camp Ramah in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. She spent seven summers as a camper and five as a counselor.

She knew her boyfriend since she was young, but they only started dating as staffers. Now 23, she said

she and Bass are on the same page about the role of Judaism in their lives, which makes the relationship stronger.

But Gansky also described the pressure at camp to “hook up” or at minimum, have your first kiss.

She had hers in 2006.

“I had a boyfriend at camp for two years as a camper,” Gansky recalled. “Within my age group, there were at least seven or eight relationships each year. Those were the serious relationships, but there were just hookups, too.”

As a counselor, Gansky said she observed that campers engaged in relationships starting as early as fourth or fifth grade, with campers “coupling off ” for dates to the annual fireworks displays or other events. In seventh or eighth grade, the pressure grows, and by ninth or 10th grade, she said, “campers have a lot of pressure to find someone, to be with someone at camp.”

Camp Ramah walls are adorned with plaques with kissy faces on which people etch their name and the date of their first kiss. More than 3,000 couples have their plaques featured on “shidduch walls” at Ramah camps around the country (Wisconsin, the Berkshires, and California). At Ramah in the Poconos, a gazebo called Gazebo Zugot (Hebrew for “matches”) celebrates couples that met at camp.

Ramahmarriages.org, a page on the Reshet Ramah website, is dedicated to couples who met at summer camp.

This summer, Reshet Ramah is launching “RamahDate,” a new partnership with the Jewish online dating giant JDate. RamahDate members will subscribe to JDate through a co-branded portal and receive an identifying Ramah “badge” on their online profile. Then, they can choose to either “meet” only other Ramah members or search more broadly within JDate’s 750,000 members worldwide.

Aaron Bogage said the online portal makes sense for keeping those camper connections going.

“Campers create relationships and bonds they will have for years,” he said. “Jewish camps can help kids marry Jewish when they grow up.”

“It’s possible to find happiness in so many Jewish situations,” added Lauren Ben-Shoshan. “Camp happens to be a very good one.”

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 35

Joe Mendes— new owner, camp director and long-time teacher.

CH A NGI NG LI V E S FOR 97 Y EA RS

KIDS HAVE DREAMS

Camp helps them get there.

WHO Boys and girls: ages 7-15 WHEN 2- to 8-week sessions: June 19 to August 13 FUN & MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES • • •

Sign up for BREAKING NEWS ALERTS Local. National. International.

Be the first to know what’s going on in the world!

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Field sports, tennis, arts, music Camping, adventure trips Climbing wall, zip line, mountain biking Boating, swimming, fishing, sailing

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Campfires, silliness & peace

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ABOUT US • Highly-trained, caring staff • Building life skills, friendships, community •

International campers & staff presence

•

90 miles southeast of Cleveland

•

103 acres on lovely Leesville Lake

FAMILY CAMP August 14-20

cjn.org/breakingnews CAMP ROOSEVELT-FIREBIRD Schedule a home visit today with camp director, Joe Mendes. joe@camprooseveltfirebird.com 216.321.9711

camprooseveltfirebird.com

36 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

JANUARY 29, 2016

⋄Close to home⋄

CAMP GUIDE

Initiative helps Jewish camps secure the funds behind the fun SEAN SAVAGE | JNS.ORG

F ⋄Traditional, overnight, co-ed⋄

⋄Great fun!⋄

Be an artist this summer

make something this summerJuly 11–August 5 Cleveland Institute of Art Pre-College Residential Program For high school students interested in pursuing art and design, this program allows you to earn college credit while building your portfolio.

cia.edu/precollege

or those who attended the Jewish camps of the previous generation, summertime likely invokes memories of smelly old bunks and rickety dining halls. But now, in what has been described as a new golden age for Jewish summer camps, those camps have received a massive facelift.

What has allowed for this transformation? One of the players behind the scenes of the process has been JCamp180, a philanthropic organization dedicated to helping Jewish camps meet modern challenges.

“Jewish camping is a life-altering experience and JCamp180 is dedicated to transforming Jewish summer camps into a firm financial and business situation,” said Mark Gold, director of JCamp180.

Founded in 2004 by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation as the Grinspoon Institute for Jewish Philanthropy, and later renamed JCamp180, the initiative matches funds that are raised by the camps themselves and also provides camps with consulting services from mentors, who focus on areas including fundraising, governance, strategic planning, and technology.

Gold said that philanthropist Harold Grinspoon’s inspiration to support Jewish camps came from a visit several years ago to a Jewish camp near his home in western Massachusetts. During the visit, Gold explained how Grinspoon was disgusted by the camp, even going as far as saying that he would “never send my kids to this dump.”

“Harold told the camp director that if he could raise $50,000, he would match that amount. However, when the camp director came back to him and said he raised just $15,000, it quickly became apparent that these camps were going need to be run like professional organizations with a strategic plan, fundraising, and capacity building,” Gold said.

According to JCamp180, over the past nine years, the organization has contributed more than $13 million in matching grant funds and $11 million in consulting services, helping to boost Jewish camp attendance from 43,000 in 2004 to 70,000 campers nationwide today.

“Harold Grinspoon is a visionary,” said Stefan Teodosic, executive director at the Beber Camp in Wisconsin and the Perlman Camp in northeast Pennsylvania.

“His commitment to the field of Jewish camping, both at a personal level and at large, are staggering. When Jewish camping wasn’t the cool thing to fund, Harold was putting the big dollars in when others were just thinking about it. … JCamp180 has been a driving force behind the professionalization of the field,” Teodosic said.

Teodosic, who has worked with JCamp180 for several years, described its work as “transformational” for his camps, allowing them to use the matching grant programs for infrastructure improvements like bunks, pools, and health centers.

Jewish children today have a growing number of options each summer, with for-profit summer camps

INITIATIVE | 37

CAMP GUIDE

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 37

JANUARY 29, 2016

‫ב“ה‬

TRIP WEEK ACTION PACKED DAILY FIELD TRIPS SPORTS, SPIRIT & LOTS OF FUN

JUNE 14-17

8 WEEK DAY CAMP SWIMMING, TRIPS, MUSIC, MAGIC, THEME DAYS, OVERNIGHTS, SPORTS, CRAFTS, COOKING, WEEKLY SHABBAT PARTY OPTIONAL HOT LUNCHES

JUNE 20 - AUG 12 A campfire at Webster, Wisconsin-based Herzl Camp, a JCamp180-supported summer camp. | Photo / Herzl Camp

INITIATIVE | 36 specializing in a wide range of areas such as sports, science and technology, and summer school. Alternatively, some families simply want to spend more time with their children during the summer in a noncamp setting. Nonprofit Jewish camps, therefore, face stiff competition.

“If you look at the camps we have worked with the longest, most of those have fully renewed their camps.

They realize they have to compete with the for-profit camps and others,” Gold said.

He said, “It is no longer acceptable to say we have 1940s World War II surplus cabins. That’s not going to attract kids.”

Teodosic said the Jewish camping world was unorganized before Grinspoon’s foundation became involved.

“It was a fractured experience, with various different movements running their own camps,” he said. “If you had a strong system around you, you got the kind of support you needed to be a successful camp. But there were a lot of independent camps that didn’t really have their act together in the way that they do now with the help of JCamp180.”

Michelle Koplan, executive director of B’nai B’rith Camp in western Oregon, said that JCamp180 and the Grinspoon foundation have helped grow “our tiny summer camp into a formidable agency.”

JCamp180 worked with B’nai B’rith Camp to improve fundraising, strategic planning, and professional development for staffers. Koplan said a JCamp180 mentor helped implement two strategic plans that have helped “transform” the camp.

“Our first strategic plan helped us purchase the camp from the Portland Jewish Community Center, and now our second strategic plan is helping us to become a yearround agency and not just a summer camp,” said Koplan.

As the Jewish community becomes more diverse, with rates of intermarriage and unaffiliated Jews increasing, summer camp can also play a role in helping some Jews maintain religious values and practices.

“B’nai B’rith Camp is serving more unaffiliated and interfaith families than anywhere in the country,” Koplan said. “Our work is important because it helps the kids continue to have Jewish values and practices in

their home, continue to give tzedakah (charity) and to contribute to our community.”

“JCamp180’s ability to continue to support us in our growth to serve these communities is really important to us,” she added.

Indeed, studies have shown that Jewish summer camp plays an important role in shaping a child’s Jewish identity throughout life. A 2011 Foundation for Jewish Camp study titled “Camp Works: The Long-Term Impact of Jewish Overnight Camp” headed by Steven M. Cohen, a sociology professor of American Jewry at Hebrew Union College, concluded that Jewish overnight camp leads to “an increased inclination to practice Jewish behaviors in their lives” and “an increased inclination to value and seek out the experience of Jewish community.”

“What we find is that for young Jewish millennials, they think more highly of their Jewish camps than even their university. There is a strong recognition and bonding with the camp experience. Most kids go to camp longer than they go to college,” Gold said.

Moving forward, according to Gold, one of the biggest issues Jewish summer camps face is affordability, something JCamp180 is seeking to address.

“Camp is expensive and we know it. We provide incentive grants for first-time campers. But even so, for many families (paying for camp) is a real challenge,” Gold said.

Families can expect to pay anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000 per summer (eight weeks) for overnight camp. One of JCamp180’s programs is called PJ Goes to Camp, an extension of the Grinspoon foundation’s highly successful PJ Library literacy initiative. That program provides funding to first time campers through the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s One Happy Camper program. PJ Goes to Camp provides incentive grants of $700 or $1,000 for firsttime campers. Additionally, JCamp180 focuses on boosting camps’ endowments to provide their own scholarship programs.

“One of things we have been working on is how to help these camps develop sufficient endowments to subsidize campers going forward,” Gold said. “Our biggest concern is that camps will end up pricing some people out of the system. So we want to work very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

INITIATIVE | 38

RIDING CAMP DAILY HORSEBACK RIDING @ IN THE WOODS FARM ALL LEVELS WELCOME HORSE TRAINING GROOMING, PICK UP & DROP OFF @ CGI AUG 22 - 25

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38 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

Camp guide

January 29, 2016

Sports at a JCamp180-supported summer camp. | Photo / JCamp180

INITIATIVE | 37 B’nai B’rith Camp’s Kolplan said JCamp180 “has given us a really strong foundation to create an infrastructure that allows us to be better for kids.”

“When you have more fundraising dollars then your programming excellence rises, and most importantly, we are able to give children more scholarship dollars, so it becomes more affordable for them and

grows our camp attendance,” she said.

Teodosic of Beber Camp and Perlman Camp feels that in the future, many will look back at this current era of investment in Jewish camps as a replicable and successful model.

“In a couple of decades, Jewish camping will be looked at as a real lever of success in the Jewish world that will help drive the continuity of the Jewish life, and not just a place to send your kid for a few weeks to have fun,” he said.

Falcon Camp

Looking to recruit more campers?

CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 19

JANUARY 29, 2016

Advertise in these upcoming 3 CAMP sections:

CAMP GUIDE 2016

Read more camp guide at cjn.org/camp

A Cleveland Jewish News Special Section

February 26th March 25th April 29th Chagrin Valley Athletic Club Sports and Junior Camps in Bainbridge Township

Contact Sherry Tilson at 216-342-5204 or stilson.org