Editorial

Dear Readers,

The summer has finally arrived. School has ended, and bungalow colonies, day camps and sleep away camps are in full swing. Good news: we are joining you, too! In addition to our usual delivery straight to mailboxes and 220 other locations in Brooklyn, the Jewish Echo will also be available this summer in over 40 Catskills locations; so you won’t miss out on any of our great content.

I remember working in the Catskills as a lifeguard and EMT at summer camps in my early twenties. The environment was always geared to making sure the children had an amazing experience, and the upbeat energy of the counselors and staff was always something to behold. I remember how we all looked forward to visiting day, to meet the parents, and yes, to receive tips. There are some camps which do not pay staff members at all, with the understanding that parents will show their appreciation in this way. So, if you have children in camp, don’t forget to tip them! I do also want to mention that there are a number of wonderful day camps and sleep away camps which give back to the community by reducing costs and offering partial scholarships. It does cost a lot of money to run a summer camp for two months and there is an extremely high overhead. That said, it is sometimes a necessity to send a child to camp. I would like to encourage the camps that do not currently offer scholarships to work with parents in helping to make payment affordable. We at the JCC have worked with a number of camps to provide additional scholarships. I am proud to say that, baruch Hashem, we have provided scholarship money for over 25 children this summer.

I’d like to wish all our readers a healthy, safe and enjoyable summer – wherever you may be.

Warm regards,

Shea Shea@jccmp.org