At one time Jewish summer camps were thought to be recession-proof, given the number of eager campers-to-be and parents who felt a Jewish camp experience for their kids was a necessity.
While both are still true, many camps around the Bay Area continue to struggle to meet the financial demands of all who wish to camp.
This summer, requests for camp scholarships are up 300 percent at the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay, which offers four sessions of Camp Tzofim at parks in the Oakland hills.
But without adequate funds to provide for everyone, some potential campers and their families have been hit with bad news.
“We have to tell parents ‘we can’t fulfill your needs,’ ” said Sally Flinchbaugh, executive director of the East Bay JCC. “I hear it from all of my colleagues and different agencies that everybody is up in scholarship requests.”
Flinchbaugh said her JCC received approximately $3,525 for camp scholarships from the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, with another $1,161 promised. In addition, the JCC has tried to add to its scholarship funds by doing some fundraising.
But with Tzofim’s brochure prices for its two-week camps listed from $460 to $695, the funds can only go so far.
A similar scenario is happening at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto.
Requests for scholarships to attend J-Camp — which expanded this year and now encompasses specialty, traditional, travel and sports camps — tripled over last year, according to Michele-Bridget Ragsdale, J-Camp executive director.
This year, families sought approximately $61,900 in financial assistance for camp, with the JCC granting about $27,800. The S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation Day Camp Scholarship Fund provided around $11,400, up about $2,000 from last summer.
Last year, the OFJCC registered 658 campers; this summer close to 1,400 kids are attending.
“Even though we’ve expanded, the money’s been tighter,” Ragsdale said. “We’ve been fundraising for our new site [on the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life], which means fewer people to give donations to help with camp scholarships.”
That said, J-Camp experienced “a surge” in participation from first- through third-grade campers, Ragsdale noted. Most of the camps are full, something she attributed to measures the JCC has taken to “help parents in this economic crisis and make camp more affordable for our families,” she said.
Those include not raising camp fees this year, reducing the fee for extended after-camp weekly care from $100 to $50, and offering free child care an hour before camp begins.
Camp Tawonga, located near Yosemite National Park, saw a 10 percent hike in campership requests over last summer. The camp, which has its office in San Francisco, handed out approximately $500,000 in financial aid, according to executive director Adam Weisberg.
He credited the S.F.-based Jim Joseph Foundation and the JCF with “continuing to be helpful” in securing funds for campers in need. In addition, the camp allocates money for scholarships in its general operating budget.
Scholarships to attend URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa “continue to be an enormous need,” said executive director Ruben Arquilevich. He said 30 percent of families used to receive scholarships, but now that number is up to 50 percent.
Some 650 families asked for financial assistance this year, compared with 425 in 2009. In terms of dollars, Arquilevich said approximately $475,000 had to be raised, up from last year’s $300,000.
He said the camp met the needs of those 225 extra families thanks to the “enormous support” from donating organizations (including the S.F.-based federation and the Foundation for Jewish Camp) and private donors, and fundraising efforts by the Camp Newman board.
“Jewish camp is a fundamental key to the future of the Jewish community,” Arquilevich said. “I am hopeful the support will be there again next year.”