STAFF HIGHLIGHT- MESH and WELCOME LISA!

Especially after such a difficult year, it is even more important than ever before that we are working to support our campers’ and staff members’ Mental, Emotional, and Social Health.

Last winter, we were so excited to share with you that we had been selected as a recipient of the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Yedid Nefesh Grant. The growing awareness and evolving complexity of mental health challenges in our society necessitates that camps be equipped with enhanced staffing and training at all levels to ensure proactive support for the mental, emotional, and social health (MESH) needs of every camper and staff member. With a visionary gift from The Marcus Foundation, FJC (the Foundation for Jewish Camp) aspires to elevate the field to nurture all in our Jewish camp family. Through these efforts, we can build stronger, more inclusive, and resilient communities year round.

This initiative aims to provide overnight and day camps with financial and programmatic support for camps to address MESH in holistic ways – supporting camps’ hiring qualified mental health professionals on their staff, enhancing counselor training, integrating wellness programming into activity areas, and develop other ways to create cultural change within their camp communities year-round. Funding will also include professional development, research, and evaluation.

We are THRILLED to announce that we have hired our first Camper Care Director, Lisa Rosenberg. Lisa is no stranger to the JCC Camps at Medford. She is a Cherry Hill native who started her camp career as a Hilltop camper at JCC Camps at Medford over 30 years ago. Since then, Lisa has held multiple staff positions at camp including Counselor, Division Head, and Director of Aquatics. When not at camp, Lisa is a behavioral health clinician at Samost Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Southern New Jersey (JFCS). This summer, Lisa is looking forward to using her skills as a therapist as well as her experiences as a former high school biology teacher and child study team member to be able to support the mental, emotional, and social well-being of our campers and staff. Lisa lives in Cherry Hill with her husband and two children, Haley and Jacob.