It’s hard to believe that just this morning we said goodbye to our Mini 1 campers, as they returned “home from home,” marking a milestone in our camp season. It’s been a joy watching this group, many of whom marked their first summers at Tamarack, run off the bus excited to share the highlights from their 10 days — and the start of their camp journey!
Seeing their ear-to-ear smiles and hearing them buzz with pride about all they accomplished also allows me to reflect on the work of our amazing team who got them to this point. I’m so proud of our 350 summer staff whose hard work, which started at our pre-camp training weeks before campers arrived. This robust two-week training itinerary included sessions from industry experts, and I’d like to share with you just a sampling of the highlights:
- “Jewish Education and Israel 101” by Lior Zisser Yogev (Tamarack alum and Detroit Community Schliach)
- “Working with Today’s Kids” by Sara Weinfeld (Tamarack alumna and social worker) and Dr. Danny Klein (Tamarack alum, parent and first-vice president)
- Management and “Resilience” training by Stefan Teodosic (Tamarack alum, board member and industry expert)
- “Empathetic Leadership” by James Barnes, TheTransCoach (transgender coach and trainer)
As camp director, it gives me so much pride that our leadership is run and trained by experts in their fields, including Dr. Stefanie Aronow, our chief medical officer, who leads a robust team of medical experts consisting physical/mental health and special needs professionals, and social workers. Tamarack is also led by best-in-class teachers, artists, clergy and more. It’s no wonder camp is off to a great start — and this all-star group is just getting started!