by Bobby Harris, Camp Director, and Bert Rosenthal, Camp Committee Chair
Last February, our Coleman Camp Committee defined two priorities: Scholarship Fund Development and Alumni Engagement. Both are intended to help Camp Coleman reach as many campers as possible and to continue Coleman’s longstanding tradition of inspiring generations of campers to be caring, committed and connected Jews.
On behalf of the Camp Committee, we are pleased to report on Camp Coleman’s 2017 accomplishments. We reached 862 campers in the summer-one of our largest ever, held our largest Family Camp ever (43 families), and had retreats throughout the year that served 14 Jewish groups, 15 total groups, and over 2,200 total people.
Our scholarship support from donors for summer 2017, totaled $133,000, yet Coleman provided more than $350,000 in scholarships and One Happy Camper Discounts.
Campers and staff led the 2nd annual ColorMe Coleman fun run, held the last week of camp, raising more than $2,700 for scholarships, thanks to 40 donors and participants. Special thanks to the leadership efforts of the 2016-2017 Olim Fellows (Hailey Kessler, Dylan Rice, Austin Rich, Max Harris, Eli Ziegler, and Ben Remer) for organizing the event.
Coleman Alumni
Coleman alumni continue to play an important role in the life of Camp Coleman and the impact it has on campers and our community.
In early August, nearly 140 alumni from the 1970s held a reunion at camp, remembering their time at Coleman, catching up with friends and learning about Coleman today. The 1970s Alumni Gift of $5,000 for scholarship support helps provide the Coleman experience to as many other campers as possible. We thank the reunion organizers, including Rabbi Micah Greenstein and Nancy Handler, for their leadership, and the 1970s alumni group for their support of Coleman’s scholarship program.
We are excited about the assistance provided by the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s initiative to help engage young alumni through partnership with OneTable. Thanks to Amy Warner, Perri Nitzberg, and Justin Levy for organizing and leading Shabbat Dinners in Atlanta and South Florida.
Coleman alumni, Hope Chernak and Ira Blecker, planned and held an Atlanta-area alumni event on January 16 at Kaleidoscope in Brookhaven.
Camp Scholarship Campaign
In August, we kicked off the Annual Scholarship Campaign for Summer 2018. Led by Development chair, Lynn Dictor, and the Development Committee, the campaign seeks scholarship support from the Camp Committee, alumni, families, congregations and foundations. The campaign, ongoing through March 31, has raised to date just over $80,000 of our $145,000 goal for summer 2018.
We thank and recognize 2017 donors to Camp Coleman: 2017 Scholarship Donor Honor Roll
To learn more about how you can join in making the lifelong impact of Camp Coleman and the Jewish camp experience on our youth, please contact Bobby Harris at bharris@urj.org.