Hillary Goodman first walked through the doors of Camp Shemesh as a kindergartener, and she never left. When she aged out of being a camper, Hillary continued her summers as a CIT, counselor and then supervisor. This year, as the new summer day camp manager, she can’t wait to make sure other campers find the same joy she experienced at camp year after year.
When Hillary talks about camp, her smile even beams through the telephone. “Shemesh has a family atmosphere and I always know that I have a place here. I know that there are people here who love me and people who make me laugh and smile,” Hillary says with exuberance. “I remember as a kid watching my counselors dress up and participating in all the activities. I remember as a CIT, and as a counselor, making sure that all the kids have the most fun, making sure that there are always smiles, always fun, always dancing and laughter.”
Camp Shemesh is the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center’s summer camp for grades K-8. It is open to non-members, with discounts for members and Early Bird registration before March 31. Financial aid is available and applications are due by March 28.
Shemesh offers traditional day camp settings, broken out by age group. Activities include sports, swimming, arts and crafts, drama, music and weekly field trips. Older campers participate in community service projects as well. In addition, there are week-long specialty camps that focus on sports, science, computer programming, Legos, performing arts, cooking and art. There are also four one-week sessions of Camp Ometz for children with special needs.
All campers celebrate Shabbat every Friday and get a daily taste of Israeli and Jewish culture. For those interested in exploring deeper intoJewish traditions, heritage and Hebrew language, The J’s new Ivrit Hebrew Camp brings an Israeli twist to traditional summer camp activities. “It focuses on all the things that make us Jewish and all the things that people want to learn about our Jewish culture,” says Hillary.
Interested in learning more? Returning and prospective campers are invited to an ice cream social on March 6 at 2 pm. For details about Camp Shemesh, visit vosjcc.org or contact Hillary at 480-886-7967 or [email protected].
