Summer Camp Round-up

Summer is in full swing … and Connecticut campers are enjoying lots of fun in the sun! Here are some scenes from Jewish camps around the state.

Extreme Makeover: Camp Edition
Camp Laurelwood, Madison

Henry Zachs and a Laurelwood camper cut the ribbon on the camp’s newly-renovated recreation hall.

To tally all the way back to its opening in 1937, the facilities at Camp Laurelwood have absorbed the impact of tens of thousands of kids and counselors and, as it approached its 77th year, Connecticut’s only co-ed Jewish overnight camp was ripe for refurbishing.

“It’s a true challenge to maintain a facility of this age and to do it well,” says board president Jay Korman of the 140-acre, 100-building property. “In addition to our regular maintenance, there are things that pop up – a broken water pipe and pool pump, issues with the wells.”

It was Hartford-area philanthropist Henry Zachs who offered to help fund critical capital improvements. Zachs, who knows first-hand from his granddaughter about the importance of the Jewish overnight camping experience and has long history of giving to Jewish organizations both locally and nationally, had been approached last year by Laurelwood’s then-director of development. He proposed a grant to the board in the fall.

This summer, campers arrived to find a newly renovated recreation hall, tennis and basketball courts and office, and fresh paving and paint throughout the main campus. Several other projects are in the works, with others planned for the fall.

Playing basketball at Camp Laurelwood in Madison.

While Laurelwood has updated its facilities on a regular basis, much of the funding raised over the past few years – from Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, individual donors, and Jewish camping organizations – has gone toward scholarships. The camp has seen a steady increase in enrollment since its 75th anniversary year, in 2012.

“We feel blessed by Henry’s generosity and continued support for Camp Laurelwood,” says Ruth Ann Ornstein, who has served as executive director since 2002.

The renovated recreation hall – newly air-conditioned and heated – has become the first-ever year-round facility on campus, providing indoor programming space for rainy or excessively hot days during camp, and a venue for the annual Thanksgiving-weekend camp reunion. The updated basketball and tennis facilities make Laurelwood an attractive option for potential campers considering increasingly popular sports camps, Korman says.

Children enjoyed PJ Library stories at the “Friday Night Live!” Shabbat dinner hosted by Camp Gan Israel of Greenwich.

“Henry has moved us so far ahead from where we would be on our own, and the property has never looked better,” Korman says. “When we give our tours and encourage Connecticut families to stay in-state for camp, our property says a lot about the support the camp receives from the community but also the care and pride we take in it.”

This summer, Laurelwood drew its 400-plus campers from all over the country, with some 20 percent from Greater Hartford. Korman says that camp leadership is working to establish relationships with all Jewish federations in the state.

“We’ve had multiple generations of the same families who have been a part of Laurelwood,” says Korman, who was a staff-member in the ‘80s and whose teenage daughter attended the camp for nine years. “People have made friends here for life.”

Camp Laurelwood is still accepting campers for its August sessions. For information call (203) 421-3736 or visit www.laurelwood.org.

Camp Laurelwood will host a cook-out to celebrate the 90th birthday of former camp director Norman Feitelson on Sunday, August 3, noon – 5 p.m. $36/adults; $18/children ages 5-18; FREE/children under 5. Reservations a must by July 30.

New kid on the block:
Camp Revach, Waterbury

Campers climb on a bouncy slide at Camp Revach in Waterbury.

Nearly 15 years ago, Orthodox Jewish couples and families began migrating from New York to Waterbury, home to a newly established yeshiva. The community has expanded steadily since then, adding resources to serve its growing families and population – schools, housing, kosher restaurants and supermarkets.

Last summer, the Yeshiva K’tana of Waterbury, an elementary and middle school housed on the former UConn Waterbury campus, launched Camp Revach, which runs this year from late June to mid-August.

The 250 campers enrolled this year range in age from three to 12. In addition to all-camp programs, each division has a specialized activity, ranging from sports to fine arts. One day’s schedule included a dunk tank and moon bounce. There is a month-long boys’ sports league that wraps up the season with a championship competition. Campers are treated to day trips, including Kids ‘N Action in Brooklyn and Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury.

“Revach is Hebrew for ‘spirit’ and we picked the name because we wanted camp to always be filled with an excitement in the air,” says director Rachel Shteierman.