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July 9, 2004/Tamuz 20 5764, Vol. 56, No.42
Repairing the worldMitzvah Corps programs continue to touch lives of participants, volunteers
BETH OLSON
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 More than 150 teens and adults volunteered this summer at Camp SWIFT, a camp for underprivileged youth from the Valley held at Camp Charles Pearlstein in Prescott. Pictured are Jared Lowy, Bryan McIntosh and Sammy Holaschutz. Photo courtesy of Whitney Jacobson |
They cry when they arrive, says Al Rashkow, executive director of the camp's parent organization Mitzvah Corps, because most of the campers in this program for underprivileged children have never been out of the city of Phoenix - they've never seen a pine tree or a lake, never slept under the stars or had all they want to eat.
When it comes time to leave, however, it's a different story.
"The end is difficult because you know that you must send your campers home to a place that is usually not as comforting as a home might seem," says Jackie Shapiro, a high school senior who has worked as a counselor for 10- and 11-year-old girls for the past two summers. "Many of the campers come from troubled backgrounds and plead to stay at camp. This is my greatest challenge, letting them go, because I have gotten to know the girls, connect with them and be a true friend to each and every one."
Camp SWIFT, which is held for two sessions each summer at Temple Beth Israel's Camp Charles Pearlstein, has been in operation for 25 years. It is run completely through donations and volunteer efforts of teens - most from NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) Southwest, the youth group of the Reform movement - and adults.
It costs about $27,000 to run the two sessions of camp, and this year there were 89 high school students who served as counselors, 40 college students and young adults who worked as support staff, and about 20 adult volunteers who mostly helped prepare food. In addition, there are a doctor and a nurse on staff.
The 276 campers, ages 9-11, came from the Boys and Girls Club, Homeward Bound, Palomino Elementary School, Wilson Elementary School, the Balsz Elementary School District, Whitman Elementary School and Guerrero Elementary School. Each sending organization determines its own criteria for sending children to Camp SWIFT - some use it as an incentive program and others use a first-come, first-served approach.
During their time at camp, the youngsters stay in cabins arranged by gender and age, with nine other campers and four counselors. Through the course of the session, they participate in each of 14 stations, which include swimming, rock climbing, ropes, sports, karate, art, a values program and more. Their favorite activities, according to Rashkow, are generally canoeing at Watson Lake, an end-of-the-session carnival and a slide show presentation of their camp experience.
"When the kids see themselves, they just go wild," he recalls.
For Mark Kaplan, an adult volunteer who spent Camp SWIFT running the ropes course, the best part of camp is seeing how much the campers enjoy it.
"Summer camp is very important because it's the first time in your life when you become a little bit independent. When you're at home, you're either someone's kid or someone's brother or sister," he says. "We make this opportunity for kids who would never have this opportunity. It's great to see them enjoy that."
Camp SWIFT, however, does not only impact the campers' lives, but also leaves an indelible mark on the lives of the volunteers.
Camp Director Whitney Jacobson gave 20-30 volunteer hours per week this spring in preparation for camp. Her devotion is not only to the campers, but also to the teen volunteers. Jacobson started as a high school volunteer herself about 10 years ago, and she says that Camp SWIFT "changed my life." The experience serving as a counselor is invaluable to the teens, she says.
"They grow so much in five days. They become a lot more mature," she explains. "(At) most camps, you can't be a counselor until you're about 18 and the difference with this is we put high expectations on the high school kids and we know they can rise up to the challenge. ... It's as much for them as it is for the campers."
Part of the dedication of the adult support staff at the camp, Jacobson believes, is their desire to pass along the positive experiences they had at Camp SWIFT when they were teens.
"All the support staff come back here year after year to support the counselors so they get the same opportunity we had," she says.
While Shapiro, who served as co-chairwoman of the programming committee for Camp SWIFT, is still in high school, she already recognizes the value of camp to her life.
"My work at Camp SWIFT has changed me in that in high school, one hardly knows their purpose, (but) through my work I have found that Camp SWIFT has become my purpose and main focus," she says. "It has helped me to develop who I am and what I care about. Camp has inspired me to reach out."
In addition to Camp SWIFT, Mitzvah Corps holds other programs during the year that also serve underprivileged students. The newest program is Camp CHUCK (Chuck Herring Uplifting Camp for Kids) - a month-long day camp program that began July 6. The camp is run by many of the same volunteers who work at Camp SWIFT and serves 50 students, ages 8-10 at Palomino Elementary School. The participants swim and play sports, and participate in an art program, values program and tutoring.
Throughout the school year, the Mitzvah Corps volunteers provide tutoring to students at Palomino and Crockett elementary schools, as well as take students on field trips to the theater, museums, ballgames and more.
And while Mitzvah Corps strives to touch the lives of more and more children, Kaplan, treasurer of Mitzvah Corps, says the organization, like many nonprofits, struggles with funding.
"We have the connection with all these high school kids and they're willing to come and (volunteer) and all we need is money. If we can get the money, we can do this - there's no limit to what we can do and stay in these kids' lives," he says. "The longer we stay in these kids' lives, the more that we can show them the path that they're on isn't the path they have to stay on."
For more information about Mitzvah Corps and Camp SWIFT, contact Al Rashkow at Temple Kol Ami, 480-951-9660.