|
|
February 14, 2003/Adar 12 5763, Vol. 55, No. 25
Camp cost counts
Scholarships ease burden for many Valley Jews
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Cost prevents 28 percent of Valley Jews from sending their children to overnight camp, according to the 2002 Greater Phoenix Jewish Community Study.
While similar figures are not available for day camp, 16 percent of survey respondents said cost stops them from joining one of the Valley's Jewish community centers, and 23 percent say they can't afford to join a synagogue - both institutions that customarily operate Jewish day camps.
Kim Biggard, director of camp programs at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale, believes many families are not aware of the scholarship opportunities available to them.
"Either the parents feel like they don't want to take the money away from somebody who needs it even more, or they don't know we offer the scholarships," she said. "I don't think the resources are very public."
Jodi Woodnick, director of Camp Charles Pearlstein in Prescott - the only Jewish overnight camp in Arizona - worked with very low-income families at Jewish Family and Children's Service for more than three years before becoming director of the camp.
"When you are choosing between 'Are we going to pay the mortgage?' and 'Do we want to send our kid to camp?' you have to make these choices," she said. "(Some parents) don't even consider it as an option."
Woodnick said about half of camp applicants request scholarship money and that requests generally come from middle-income families. With the downturn in the economy, many families who regularly sent their children to camp now find it financially taxing.
"A lot of people who were formerly comfortable have been laid off or downsized," she said. "People who have sent their kids forever and ever (to camp) are now requesting financial assistance."
While conceding it is expensive to attend camp, Woodnick believes it is important to Jewish identity.
"It helps (campers) to feel more comfortable being Jewish because they're in a setting where everyone around them is Jewish and where they live a Jewish life. Praying after meals is the norm. Having a Shabbat experience is a weekly occurrence," she explained. "By the very nature of everyone being Jewish, you never have to feel you're different."
A 1997 study comparing alumni of Blue Star Camps in Hedersonville, N.C., to respondents to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey supports Woodnick's assertion that camp is an essential element of Jewish continuity.
- 66 percent of camp alumni say being Jewish is very important to them, compared to 44 percent of Jews nationwide.
- 63 percent of former campers are members of a synagogue, compared to 33 percent of all Jews nationwide.
- 23 percent of former campers have intermarried, compared with 45 percent of all Jews nationwide.
To offset high costs, there are many scholarship options available for prospective campers, Woodnick said. Camp Pearlstein has an in-house scholarship, The Friends of Camp Pearlstein Fund, administered by Temple Beth Israel. Additionally, the Jewish Community Foundation offers three scholarships administered by the Bureau of Jewish Education.
Lisa Edson, director the Tri-City Jewish Community Center summer camp, said the JCC offers scholarships and also encourages families to apply for the S. Jack Bromfield Camp Endowment Fund through the BJE.
The VOSJCC also offers scholarships for its camps, and, according to Biggard, will distribute close to $30,000 in camp scholarships this year.
Young Judaea, which operates six overnight camps in the United States, has its own scholarship program. Applications can be obtained at the local office.
The Phoenix Jewish Free Loan Association offers interest-free loans up to $2,500 to attend camp. And unlike the organization's other loans, camp loans do not require guarantors, according to Executive Director Selma Fiel.
Woodnick said she hopes that families will apply for more than one scholarship so that as many children as possible can attend Jewish summer camp this year.
"Our Jewish community depends on it," she said.
Contact the writer at beth_olson@jewishaz.com.
Scholarship opportunities
- Bureau of Jewish Education 480-634-8050 Deadline: March 28
- Camp Charles Pearlstein 480-951-0323 Deadline: Feb. 28
- Young Judaea 480-607-9411 Deadline: March 10
- Tri-City Jewish Community Center 480-897-0588 Deadline: May 23
- Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center 480-483-7121
- Phoenix Jewish Free Loan Association 602-230-7983
Other local and national camps may offer scholarships. Contact the camps directly for information and deadlines.
|
