YACHAD ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH CAMP SHOSHANIM FOR GIRLS, IN PENNSYLVANIA, TO JOIN OTHER CAMP PROGRAMS EMPHASIZING INCLUSION
Campers and staff from Yachad’s program at Camp Morasha. Beginning this summer, Camp Shoshanim will offer a similar program for the younger age group.
The Orthodox Union’s Yachad | Jewish Disabilities Inclusion agency for individuals with special needs has entered into a partnership with Camp Shoshanim for girls in Lakewood, PA to provide a fun summer emphasizing the Inclusion of Yachad members ages 8-13 into the camp program. The camp season will extend from July 29-August 19.
There will be a Yachad “bunk” and the campers will join in activities with typical peers all day long.
Camp Shoshanim joins Camps Lavi, Mesorah, Morasha, Moshava/Indian Orchard, Nesher and, and a day camp, Moshava Ba’ir, as partners with Yachad, in which a mainstream Orthodox camp includes Yachad members in its regular activities. Many of these camps also provide opportunities for adult Yachad members to have summer jobs with mainstream peers as well.
“Yachad,” the flagship agency of the Orthodox Union’s National Jewish Council for Disabilities (NJCD), provides unique social, educational and recreational programs for individuals with learning, developmental and physical disabilities with the goal of their Inclusion in the total life of the Jewish community.
Yachad program director at the camp will be Danielle Goldstein, who worked last summer at Yachad Mesorah. A veteran teacher at the Kushner Middle School in New Jersey, she has years of experience in summer and other special needs programming. “We are very excited about Danielle starting this program with us,” said Dr. Joe Goldfarb, Yachad Assistant Director and Director of Summer Programs. “Shoshanim has a reputation as being a high quality sleep-away camp, so we were very excited when they approached us to partner with them. We look forward to continuing to provide inclusive summer opportunities to even more children with special needs and educating the broad Jewish community along the way.”
Camp Director Esther Katz welcomes the arrival of Yachad. She declared, “All of us at Camp Shoshanim are really thrilled about our partnership with Yachad. As the Director of Special Needs Programs for NJY Camps, I can truly say that the opening of our Sixth special needs camp program reaffirms our commitment toward the importance of inclusion programs for the community at large and (in our case) for girls who want to spend their summer in an all girls’ environment. We can’t wait to welcome our new Yachad campers into our Camp Shoshanim experiences and to share our summers with them!”
Interested parents should contact Nechama Braun at Yachad: 212-613-8369 or yachadsummer@ou.org.
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