Sep 21, 2021
Best Summer Ever!
Oh, man… What a summer! Best summer ever! Remix!
Coming off the back of Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, it has been a few weeks of reflection, planning, reflection, and more planning! It gave our team time to look back on what went well this summer and gave us some time to look forward to the future. It also was a taste of ‘normal’ in a year of absolute uncertainty. I am sure many feel the same as I do; that camp was an emotional anchor in a torrent of the crashing waves of the lives of both our kids and our staff. I look forward to a far more normal year (knocking on wood every time I say it) going into 2022. There is promising news on pediatric vaccination fronts that will help keep our community safe during their time at camp.
The amount of gratitude I feel for a community that banded together and supported camp this summer is truly heartwarming. Those of you who helped us find staff, donated on behalf of the exorbitant and ever-changing costs in COVID prevention, or just dropped off treats to help our staff get some sugar-happiness through the occasional doughnut and coffee, truly made an impact on having this summer be as successful as it was. We made it through the summer with zero COVID cases at camp – a claim that cannot be made nationwide, and a feeling of success that should be shared with all of you who helped make that a possibility. Thank you, sincerely, on the behalf of our full-time team, seasonal staff, as well as the campers we serve.
I am excited about our plans for 2022 and am thrilled to share next summers’ dates with everyone. Rates will be coming in early October, with priority registration opening for returning families right behind it. I am additionally hopeful that next summer will be even more normal than 2021. On the horizon for next summer is the return of specialty programs during Session 2. We are also looking forward to the return of Family Camp, Baktanna, and Pack and Ride, as part of our programmatic repertoire for next summer. Furthermore, we are excited to try out some new year-round opportunities for our campers, parents, and alumni to engage with camp in ways never done before.
I hope everyone is enjoying time this week, together, with family, under their Sukkah. Looking forward to opening our home-away-from-home at Ranch Camp, to everyone in our community, in the months to come.
Chag Sukkot sameach, stay safe, be happy and healthy, and have a great week!
Ryan Bocchino | JCC Ranch Camp Director