Ilana & Mark Meskin - Camp Ramah
Ilana & Mark Meskin - Camp Ramah Ilana & Mark Meskin - Camp Ramah
Ezra & Camp Ohr Lanu PAGE 8 Camp Ramah in California Expands Special Needs Facilities, Programming “This dorm will radically expand and enhance each participant’s experience at camp and their impact upon camp as well.” Elana Naftalin Kelman, Director, Camp Ramah in California’s Tikvah program In Hallel – quoted from Psalms it says ‘even maasu habonim haita l’rosh pina’ – the stone that the builder refused has become the head cornerstone. This is what we have done at Ramah – we have taken the stone that the builder too often refuses and made it the cornerstone. The pride that we experience in watching our Ezra and Tikvah campers blossom in a Jewish setting has become an invaluable and irreplaceable part of the camp experience. It has therefore become our priority to offer these special campers and their families new and improved programs and facilities. New Ezra Dorm Summer 2008 Ezra campers will have a new space in which to learn life skills and discover newfound independence. Thanks to a $1 million grant from the Stone Family Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, the largest gift ever donated to Camp Ramah in California, a new dormitory to house the Ezra program is almost complete! The dorm will be ready for use this summer, and will include lounges for socializing, as well as a kitchen where basic cooking and clean-up skills will be reinforced in preparation for group or independent living the rest of the year. “To have a space of their own within camp where the Ezra staff members can learn to cook their own meals and host their friends and family, all while continuing to learn how to live Jewish lives, is an invaluable component of our program,” says Elana Naftalin Kelman, director of Camp Ramah in California’s Tikvah program. “This dorm will radically expand and enhance each participant’s experience at camp and their impact upon camp as well.” Camp Ohr Lanu Families with special needs children can now enjoy a week at Camp Ramah in California tailored especially for them. Funded by a $125,000 Jewish Community Foundation Cutting Edge Grant, Ramah’s new Camp Ohr Lanu will bring families together for a retreat of study, prayer, respite, support and fun. Children with special needs
ages four to fourteen, along with their parents and siblings, will experience specialized, therapeutic programming in a supportive environment at Camp Ramah in California. Camp Ohr Lanu offers something for each member of the family – special needs children, their parents and siblings – so that everyone comes away having gained much from the experience. Ohr Lanu’s staff will include trained special educators, behavior and family education specialists, and individual counselors paired with each family. Each special needs child will be given the opportunity to choose a focus within camp – dance, music, art or drama – facilitated by a trained therapist in that area. Siblings will participate in their own group activities, helping create long-lasting friendships in an environment of inclusion. Parents will engage in textual study, networking, and relaxation, and will meet other families with similar challenges. All of these activities will be enjoyed against the backdrop of a week at Ramah – with its breathtaking Ojai views, hiking trails, Olympic size swimming pool, ropes course, and of course, the spirituality of a Ramah Shabbat that brings with it unparalleled tranquility and communal closeness. Without our Ezra and Tikvah campers and their families, Ramah would not be the same. Their spirit and strength have become an invaluable and irreplaceable piece of this camp. It is our hope that their spirits will continue to soar at Ramah for many years to come. Families with special needs children can now enjoy a week at Camp Ramah in California tailored especially for them. Ezra & Camp Ohr Lanu PAGE 9
- Page 1 and 2: Camp Ramah in California vhbruphkec
- Page 3 and 4: Our Mission Camp Ramah in Californi
- Page 5 and 6: 2007 Expenses Dear Community of Cam
- Page 7 and 8: Albert Observatory in memory of Dav
- Page 9: Dear Camp Ramah in California Commu
- Page 13 and 14: Expanded Ropes Course to Enhance Te
- Page 15 and 16: Deborah Kattler Kupetz and David Ku
- Page 17 and 18: Marie Ellen Mazzone and David Israe
- Page 19 and 20: ROPES COURSE continued from page 11
Ezra & <strong>Camp</strong> Ohr Lanu<br />
PAGE 8<br />
<strong>Camp</strong> <strong>Ramah</strong> in California Expands<br />
Special Needs Facilities, Programming<br />
“This dorm will radically<br />
expand and enhance each<br />
participant’s experience<br />
at camp and their impact<br />
upon camp as well.”<br />
Elana Naftalin Kelman,<br />
Director, <strong>Camp</strong> <strong>Ramah</strong> in<br />
California’s Tikvah program<br />
In Hallel – quoted from Psalms it says<br />
‘even maasu habonim haita l’rosh pina’ –<br />
the stone that the builder refused has<br />
become the head cornerstone. This is<br />
what we have done at <strong>Ramah</strong> – we have<br />
taken the stone that the builder too often<br />
refuses and made it the cornerstone. The<br />
pride that we experience in watching our<br />
Ezra and Tikvah campers blossom in a<br />
Jewish setting has become an invaluable<br />
and irreplaceable part of the camp<br />
experience. It has therefore become our<br />
priority to offer these special campers<br />
and their families new and improved<br />
programs and facilities.<br />
New Ezra Dorm<br />
Summer 2008 Ezra campers will have a<br />
new space in which to learn life skills and discover<br />
newfound independence. Thanks to a $1 million<br />
grant from the Stone Family Foundation of the<br />
Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, the<br />
largest gift ever donated to <strong>Camp</strong> <strong>Ramah</strong> in<br />
California, a new dormitory to house the Ezra<br />
program is almost complete! The dorm will be<br />
ready for use this summer, and will include lounges<br />
for socializing, as well as a kitchen where basic<br />
cooking and clean-up skills will be reinforced in<br />
preparation for group or independent living the<br />
rest of the year.<br />
“To have a space of their own within camp where<br />
the Ezra staff members can learn to cook their<br />
own meals and host their friends and family, all<br />
while continuing to learn how to live Jewish lives,<br />
is an invaluable component of our program,” says<br />
Elana Naftalin Kelman, director of <strong>Camp</strong> <strong>Ramah</strong><br />
in California’s Tikvah program. “This dorm will<br />
radically expand and enhance each participant’s<br />
experience at camp and their impact upon camp<br />
as well.”<br />
<strong>Camp</strong> Ohr Lanu<br />
Families with special needs<br />
children can now enjoy a week<br />
at <strong>Camp</strong> <strong>Ramah</strong> in California<br />
tailored especially for them.<br />
Funded by a $125,000 Jewish<br />
Community Foundation Cutting<br />
Edge Grant, <strong>Ramah</strong>’s new <strong>Camp</strong><br />
Ohr Lanu will bring families<br />
together for a retreat of study,<br />
prayer, respite, support and<br />
fun. Children with special needs