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A
new and exciting program, the Campership Program of Chicago is offering
scholarships to Jewish campers who are members of a Chicago-area synagogue
and who would like their children to enjoy the fun and fellowship of an
overnight camp that has a Jewish affiliation. Two scholarship levels are
available. Children attending a Jewish camp for the first time ever can
receive $1250, and those attending camp for the second time can receive
scholarships of $750. The program is not “needs based”, there is no
economic criteria. The “need” which we hope to make an impact on is
spiritual in nature and exists in all income brackets.
The
goal of the program is twofold.
First and foremost, to reinforce and strengthen the Jewish identity of our
youngsters, many of whom rarely have an opportunity to be in a Jewish
environment for an extended period of time, by providing an intense but
enjoyable Jewish experience in which they can bond with other Jewish
youngsters and be influenced by Jewish tradition, ritual, and culture-all
under the guidance of effective Jewish role models. No experience more
effectively achieves this end than an overnight Jewish camp; it is a total
immersion experience that hopefully will have a transformative effect
during the most impressionable years of a youngster’s life.
Second, the scholarship is also intended to strengthen the bond between
the synagogue and its members, to draw families closer to their Jewish
roots and also to attract new members to synagogues. By making the stipend
available to all qualified member families, synagogue membership becomes
more financially affordable and attractive. |