camp
Camp isn’t Just for Campers Part 2: Saying Goodbye to Camp
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| First Day of Camp |
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But as it turned out, the hard part was even harder than I had anticipated.
Part of my job this summer was to help our Interim Camp Director have a successful summer. “No problem” I smirked, as I thought to myself, “I’ll spend the summer outside at camp, play and have fun! I can do that.” And that I did. But what I didn’t realize was how hard my last, last day of camp would be. The reason I got into the Jewish Communal field was to be a Camp Director so the idea of never being part of camp again was truly the end of an era. In my role as the Associate Executive Director of my JCC, I was never far from campers singing and cheering, and I could always take a break from what I was doing to go play outside. This was fate though — my last summer at the JCC — and I got to do what I got into this field to do one last time.
As my last week approached, I thought “what about this am I going to miss the most?” Here is my list:
10. Screaming “Boker Tov Camp!” to all of camp and, in unison, them screaming back “Boker Tov Donna!”
9. Watching a camper pass the deep water test on her last day of camp when she could barely swim on the first day of camp.
8. The amount of enthusiasm campers and counselors have for their team colors during the Maccabi Games.
7. Bringing Israelis to our camp and letting them show campers how amazing Israel is.
6. Watching a group of 11 year old boys not only accept but totally incorporate a boy with Down syndrome into their group.
5. Campers and counselors who will do anything to win the Ruach Stick for the week.
4. All of camp singing the Hatikvah
3. Watching scared campers cry on the first day of camp knowing that 8 weeks from now they will be crying on the last day of camp because they don’t want it to end!
2. Hiring counselors who were your campers since Preschool and them being the most amazing staff.
1. Friday afternoon at Shabbat watching the whole camp saying the prayers over candles, wine, and challah and singing Bim Bom.
On Monday morning of my last week of camp, I declared to everyone that I was going to enjoy every moment and fully embrace the last week of camp craziness. In years past, the last week has always been so hectic and I often said “I don’t have time to participate in (fill in the blank)”. But I was determined to make this year different as I knew there would not be another opportunity like this. Below is just a sampling of the fun that occurs at Camp JCC on the last week of camp.
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| Campers pay to Pie the Counselors in the face. All proceeds go to our Camp Scholarship Fund. |
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| We dig a Mud Pit for the Maccabi Games final relay |
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| Shaving Cream Fight on the last day of camp: a Camp JCC tradition! |
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I’m a true believer in fate — and this summer was fate. Ok, well maybe I should thank Jeremy, the previous camp director who moved to Memphis to be the Program Director (thanks Jeremy!) but either way I can’t imagine ending my 20 year career in the JCC field any other way.
Camp isn’t just about the campers!
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| Jessica & Eden back in the day |
About a month ago I boarded a plane from Philly to Ft. Lauderdale excited to be going to a wedding of a close friend. Close is probably an understatement. See I met this beautiful young lady when she was five and I was 15. It was the summer before my sophomore year in high school and she was in my very first camp group at Camp Maccabee. I was a young Junior counselor and she was a nervous first time camper. I immediately connected with her and the entire group of 5 year old girls. I remember getting paid something like $300 for the entire summer but it didn’t matter, I was having a blast. One day at pick-up the camper’s mom asked if I babysat as they were new to the area and were looking for someone to watch their 2 & 5 year old on an occasional Saturday night. Since my summer wage of $1.35 an hour wasn’t cutting it, babysitting seemed like a good way to supplement my income. What happened next changed my life. I met the entire family and fell in love. This family of 4 became my adopted family. They treated me as if I was their 3rd daughter and I loved them for it. Fast forward a lot of years, I’m still really close with this family.
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| All of us at Jessica’s Rehearsal Dinner |
As I reminisced with all of her friends at the wedding each one of them told me how many memories they have from those years at camp and they were surprised to hear how much I remembered as well.
As camp directors, we look at a variety of factors when matching counselors with groups: Personality, age, compatibility with co-counselor, etc. I’m sure Pattie, the camp director back then never thought “hey let’s put Donna with this group of 5 year old girls so that she can make a family friend for a lifetime.”
We always talk about all the reasons why children should go to camp but I think we should be talking about why teens should work at a camp also. There’s nothing like the friendships we make during the hot summer days. The bonding that happens while singing silly songs and covering yourself in paint to signify your loyalty to your color war team is unmatched by any other work experience. As camp directors it’s our job to teach young staff how to be a good employee. We teach them responsibility and work ethic. For so many young teens this is their first employment opportunity and the things we teach them will be with them for a lifetime. A teen who is willing to work very hard in the hot sun with campers hanging all over them while ensuring their safety will make a great employee in the future. You’re welcome big corporations of the world!
Most camps around the country are starting this week. Welcoming campers and getting ready to make memories of a lifetime. Take some time to get to know who is spending the next 8 weeks with your child, you never know if they’ll be part of your family for the next 20 years.
It is None of Your Business…or Is It?
During Memorial Day weekend, I had the opportunity to escort the Israeli Scouts (Tzofim) on their summer camp. This was my daughter’s first sleep away camp experience and I was not about to miss any of it. I still remember the strange looks of other moms questioning my sanity and why I would put myself (voluntarily) on a bus with 40 loud kids for a 9 hour drive to Camp Ramah in Ojai, CA. But for me, it was all about being there for my daughter and (subconsciously)protecting her from any harm that might happen to her while she was away from the safety of home.
