FROM THE DIRECTORS
Giving THANKS this Thanksgiving Season!
We love saying thanks…and after an amazing summer at camp, we have a lot to be thankful for! This Thanksgiving season, we want to say a huge thank you to our camp staff family. Running a camp our size is a huge operation, and every single staff member plays an important role in the puzzle that is camp. The dedication shown for the JCC Camps at Medford is special, and we love seeing staff year round and the excitement on their faces as they talk about the upcoming summer. Thank you ALL for your hard work and love for camp year after year.
To our college age staff…we can’t wait to see you when you are home for Thanksgiving and winter break! Don’t forget to come visit us in the camp office!
B’Shalom,
Beth, Sara, and Jared
QUESTION OF THE MONTH…LET US FEATURE YOU!
Each month we will be bringing you a new question…some to help us grow as a camp, and some just for fun! This month’s answers will be used for future social media posts…let us feature your camper! Here is the question for November:
If you could add any activity to camp, what would it be?!?!
STAFF HIGHLIGHT- MAKING CAMP A FAMILY AFFAIR!
We call our entire staff team a family at the JCC Camps at Medford, but for the Noble family, camp is a true family affair. Not only do Ilisa and Mike both serve as Directors on our Leadership Team, their children Paige and Jacob are counselors at camp, and their son Ben is a camper. Camp is definitely their summer home away from home.
Ilisa Noble is the director of our special needs inclusion program, Open Hearts/ Open Doors. In the camp off-season, Ilisa is a middle school Special Education and Language Arts inclusion teacher in Glassboro. Ilisa brings 25 years of camping experience from both day and overnight camps. Prior to her position as the OH/OD Director, Ilisa was also a division head and specialist at the JCC Camps at Medford. Ilisa’s philosophy is that all children deserve the opportunity to live, learn, play and grow in the most supportive and least restrictive environment. She believes the right people need to be in place for this to happen and that the inclusive environment is a place where children become aware and educated and are able to embrace the diversity among their peers.
Mike Noble is the Director of Chaverim. He’s been a camper, CIT, Counselor, Evening Programs Coordinator, Daytime Activities Coordinator, Head Counselor, Division Head and Assistant Director over the span of 30 years at both day and overnight camps. When he’s not at camp, he teaches Technology, TV Production, and Financial Literacy to middle schoolers in Cinnaminson, and holds both a Principal and Supervisor Certificate in education. Mike loves getting to spend his summers traveling with our middle schoolers, creating summers that they will remember for the rest of their lives!
We are so fortunate to have the entire Noble family as part of our staff family!
JCAMP 180
At the end of October, Beth, Sara and Jared traveled to Springfield, MA for the JCAMP180 conference through the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. We were thrilled to be joined by our new camp chair, Evan Zweben. This year’s conference theme was Chutzpah, and we loved sharing our stories of chutzpah in the summer with our colleagues. We are already at work with our team implementing some of the new ideas we gained from the conference, and we are excited to share them with you in the future. One of our favorite teachings from the conference, from our colleagues at the Milwaukee JCC, was that “camp heals bad days.” When they hear of a community partner having a rough day, they bring them to camp for a visit. What a special place to warm your heart and smooth over a tough day!
EARN MONEY FOR CAMP!
Did you know that you can earn money toward your child’s camp tuition?! Refer a new family to camp, and if their children attend, earn $100 toward your child’s camp tuition! Help us spread the love of JCC Camps at Medford!
TODAH RABAH: TEACHING GRATITUDE!
How do you talk to your children about gratitude? Not just saying “thank you” but feeling truly grateful about their lives. Check out this adorable Shaboom video by BIMBAM- it is another great teaching tool. It focuses on the Jewish value of hakarat hatov, which means seeing the good in the world and being grateful for what you have.
Wishing you a meaningful Thanksgiving holiday, filled with special family moments!