Campers Prepare Own Kovetz He’oros

The concept of writing in kovtzim is now taking on a whole new meaning. Here in C.G.I. Parksville, the staff have come up with a revolutionary idea; to bring the Kovetz He’oros to the campers by creating their very own “Campers’ Kovetz”. Giving the campers the opportunity to express their creative youthful questions and answers in a fun and rewarding way.
Although this idea has never been tried before and is only two weeks old, it is already proving to be very promising. “It’s only the second week and we are pleasantly surprised by the nonstop flow of submissions that keep coming in” says one of the editors, who is also a staff member in camp.

Inside the Kovetz there is a wealth of knowledge for the campers to explore. The first section contains the questions and answers by the campers. Next comes the “Food for Thought” – which is quite literally food for thought, to help the campers dig a little deeper into the subjects being learnt in camp.
Just to bring the project past the finish line you will find two additional sections in the Kovetz, “It’s a Fact” contains interesting facts on the topics being learnt, and a page of riddles titled “Ever Wonder”. Finally, a story page can be found on the back page of the Kovetz to leave the campers with a sweet “after taste”.

We hope you will enjoy the Kovetz. You may be amazed by the quality of some of the “Klotz Kashes” some of which can only be pondered by the pure mind of a child. Once again, enjoy!

Click here to read the kovtzim online!

CARNIVAL DAY !!

We had an amazing time today with carnival day. All the campers huddled together with their bunks after lunch and designed and built their own games. There were games all around the square like find the Mike and Ike in a bowl full of flour (we got kinda dirty…but it was fun) and shave the balloon, oh wait, don’t forget the game which – oh whoops that wasn’t a game that was just the staff dumping a whole bucket of water on the head counselors head……but it was really funny to watch my friends trying to drink from a baby bottle that was hanging from a string! For every game came a prize, a blue ticket!
So I took all my tickets to the PRIZE CLAIM center and got these really cool little toys and some pretty tasty candies, and they even had a snow cone stand!
WHAT A BLAST!!

Click here for more pictures!

BMD Goes Rafting!!

By Yehuda “No ‘H'” Fenton

As the first marvelous half of the summer wound down, many of us assumed that the last few days would be quiet. Luckily, we’re in BMD! After an amazing grand trip, the bochurim were all astonished to discover White-Water rafting lay in their future.

Thursday morning began with shachris and than a mad rush to go. Grabbing a bathing suit and a change of clothing, the campers headed to a hurried breakfast and then straight to the busses.

A short while later, we arrived at the scenic Delaware river. After an elegant lunch on the picturesque river bank, we headed to the rafts. Once all of the bochurim boarded their watercrafts, we embarked on our journey. The fleet of rafts floated gently down the river, slowly increasing speed as we reached the rapids.

The tense moments were wonderfully contrasted with the serene calm of the glorious summer day. The symphony of quacking ducks, the pungent odor of the river, and a breathtaking blue sky all accompanied the bochurim’s gliding journey through the river. We finally ended the trip six miles later, trudging through the mud to reach shore, and walked to the vans to head back.

In short, the final trip for BMD was a phenomenal ending to a spectacular first month. We applaud all of the members of BMD for making this first month possible, and look with excited speculation to the next month in camp! (Thank you Shimon Gorkin; for your help and contributions.)

Click here for more pictures!

You’ve Got a Nosh

Children of Shluchim spending the summer in 16 overnight camps were happy to get care packages of nosh and prizes.

Children of Shluchim spending the summer at overnight camps were thrilled to receive exciting care packages recently, courtesy of MyShliach.

Campers at sixteen overnight camps, including CGI of Parksville, Detroit, Orlando, Pardas Chanah, Camp Emunah, Camp HASC, Camp Simcha, Jewish Girls’ Retreat and Camp Kaylie received packages with nosh and gifts.

The MyShliach organization ensures that the yaldei hashluchim don’t feel forgotten during the summer months, and cares for their well being all year round, through a variety of programs.

Sending camp care packages to yaldei hashluchim is one of MyShliach’s summer projects, complementing its year-round programs which include the Ach/Achos Sheli Chavrusa Program, Yaldei HaShluchim Lending Library, and specialized Chayolei Tzivos Hashem programs.

To learn more or to sponsor, please visit www.myshliach.com.
MyShliach is a project of Merkos Suite 302.

Grand Trip!!

By Yehuda “No ‘H'” Fenton

Every summer at Gan Israel has certain highlights. From Bog war to the bivouac, certain thing typify a summer at Gan Israel as amazing.

The grand trip was no exception. Heading to the unbelievable Great Escape in Lake George, NY, campers enjoyed a variety of carnival attractions. For the first half of the trip, there were bodacious water slides, from a massive 50 foot, 80 degree slide to an exhilarating, two-person, ride through a closed tunnel in a raft. Then we broke for supper and headed back out for thrilling, heart stopping rides. With exotic names like Boomerang and Comet, the rides held true to their titles with death-defying turns and hair-raising drops.

Although the weather made us head back a little early, that was no problem, given that the hours we spent there were unquestionably wonderful. Definitely, a satisfying end to a remarkable first half of camp.


Click here for more picture!