By Melissa Grossman, Family + Community Engagement Director
We gathered on the plaza this morning for B’Yachad (joining together as a camp community) to raise the flags, sing our morning songs including Hatikvah and Modeh Ani and laugh at our shticky weather and sports report from some of our seasoned counselors. As I looked around, I couldn’t help but to smile watching our community ready to start their first official day at Capital Camps. I saw backpacks filled with towels, bathing suits and water bottles, sneakers ready for outdoor adventure and sports and watched many campers who arrived to the flagpoles early eager to get started, learning the 2024 camp dance (the song is titled “Lighter” by Galantis, take a listen on your own – your kids will be impressed when they return home!).
There is something about that eagerness of the first day that is very inspiring to those of us who work for Capital Camps year round. In my role, the “planning season” includes recruiting new campers, following up with returning campers, planning events like camper reunions and new camper Shabbat dinners and working with community partners at synagogues, day schools and JCCs to ensure their communities are aware that Capital Camps is the place to be! We have several prospective family days/tours as well as community partner days this summer. We can’t wait to show visitors our summer home, observing children as their best selves – where they will see your children as their best selves – playing sports, making mezuzot in omanut (arts and crafts), jumping off the trampoline in the lake and so much more with their best friends in their favorite place.