Dear Friends,

What an exciting few months we have had! Despite the days we lost due to Hurricane Sandy, our camp staff has been very busy this fall. You may wonder what we do in the “off” season – a true misnomer, as we are never off – so I hope this letter gives you a sense of some of our activities.

I just returned from a weekend in Atlanta for our Olim Fellowship, an exciting leadership program for first year staff. For those of you who are not familiar with this program, Olim Fellows are a select group of counselors who receive extra training and education at three retreats throughout the year. They commit to work at camp for two summers and, in return, they give back to camp in many ways. I am so proud that we have this type of program in which we can invest in our staff and help build strong leaders.

The fall (second) Olim Fellowship retreat always focuses on social action and social justice. This year, 13 Crane Lake counselors joined peers from Eisner, Harlam, Coleman, and Greene Family Camps. They visited Ebenezer Church where Martin Luther King III was pastor; met with Sandra Roberts, the teacher who created the “Paper Clips” project as a means to represent the magnitude of the Holocaust; and heard from David Long, the father of Tyler Long, the boy in the documentary “Bully” who had subsequently committed suicide. Each of these experiences was incredibly moving and meaningful, to all of us. The bullying theme was particularly relevant, and so our Olim Fellows will be bringing these ideas back to camp and all five of the camps will dedicate a special Shabbat to the subject this summer.

Back in the office, we have just received the results from the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Customer Satisfaction Index – the survey sent to parents from all Jewish camps at the end of each summer. I am happy to report that both Crane Lake and Eisner Camp did extraordinarily well and were rated among the highest in the country for parent and camper satisfaction. We always feel terrific when feedback is positive on our programs, facilities, and staff, but we also take parents’ constructive criticism very seriously and use it as input in planning for the next summer. Last year, many of the concerns we received focused the lake, bunks, and bathrooms. So we addressed them during the year, making massive improvements to the lake with new boats, docks, kayaks, and fun toys. And, of course, we fixed up many of the bunks and bathrooms, and will continue doing so in the coming year. This year, not surprisingly, the biggest issue raised was in regards to our dining hall. We hear you! We are in a capital campaign to raise funds to build a new dining hall for Summer 2014. And, we are meeting with a menu planning company to address concerns regarding our food and offer more healthy options this summer.

The best news is that we have the highest camper return rate that we’ve ever seen! We have waitlists in a number of units but we still have spaces available in our younger units for new campers. If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time! For the next few months, we’ll be out visiting congregations and giving presentations. We also have an incredibly high rate of returning staff and are interviewing new staff for Summer 2013 as well.

I wish all of you a very happy Hanukkah and look forward to seeing you when Greg and I are out on the road!

L’Shalom,

Debby