The Charlotte Jewish News - September 2012 - Page 17
A Magical Camp Katan Experience
By Stephanie Freedman, Early
Childhood Program Supervisor
Camp Katan, the preschool
summer camp at the Levine JCC,
finished its very successful six-
week session on Friday, July 27,
but there is no reason for the fun
and excitement to end now - be
on the lookout for fun programs
all year long. Our theme this year
was “Let the Magic Begin” and
boy was it magical. Each week
177 children were nurtured in a
way that they were able to grow,
make new friends, and create
memories that will last a lifetime.
Our campers learned to swim
through group swim lessons,
soaked their counselors on the
splashground, attended a magic
show complete with white doves.
pretended to be animals with our
Drama Specialist, laughed and lis
tened to Ms. Debby’s stories in the
Levine-Sklut library, made sci
ence come alive with Ms. Marcie,
celebrated Shabbat with Ms. Patty
and the list goes on and on. Each
day gave me nachas to witness the
sheer joy, excitement, and nurtur
ing that the staff shared with their
campers. Many of our staff spends
the rest of the year in CMS
schools or local preschools, which
makes them the perfect fit for
Camp Katan. My own child
(camper) came home each day
from Camp Katan excited to tell
me about his day - what fun it was
to experience it through his eyes
after I had spent months planning.
I will miss seeing the smiling
faces of our campers each day and
even though the magic of Camp
Katan has come to a close, I am
looking forward to seeing you all
throughout the year in our pre
school programs at the LJCC. For
those of you who have younger
siblings, be sure to register for our
JTots Playschool Program. For
more information, do not hesitate
to contact me directly at
Stephanie. freedman@charlotte-
jcc.org or 704-944-6891.^
Fun at Camp Katan includes swimming and other
special activities.
Charlotte
Levine JCC Cares about...
Flere at the Levine JCC, we
believe we have a responsibility to
the world around us. Because of
that spirit of giving, we want to
provide our members with pro
gramming that involves social
action. Under the banner of
“Levine JCC Cares,” we will
bring our community together to
perform Tikkun Olam (repairing
the world) and Gemilut Flasadim
(acts of loving kindness). Through
Levine JCC Cares we will provide
opportunities for families, seniors,
young adults, and teens to serve
the Greater Charlotte community
and beyond in ways that connect
us with others and are motivated
by the pressing issues of the day.
Current Opportunities: For the
past several months, JCC Cares
volunteers have been volunteering
at the Ronald McDonald House of
Charlotte, whose mission is to
provide the families of children
being treated in area medical
facilities with a safe, affordable,
and caring “home away from
home.” Come help out at the fol
lowing upcoming events:
Cookie Crew: September 12,
10 AM-12:30 PM. Come in and
help the House smell like home.
Prepare home-baked treats for
families to enjoy. Sign up limited
to four people.
Meal Preparation: October 7
4:30-7:30 PM. Meal preparation
teams plan a menu, purchase sup
plies, and prepare a home-cooked
meal at the House for the families
staying there. Each person who
volunteers will be asked to donate
towards the purchase of groceries.
Sign up limited to seven people.
Future Opportunities: We are
seeking LJCC members to take on
volunteer leadership roles within
our program. Specifically, we
would like volunteers to chair or
head some of the programs that
we would like to pursue. At this
time, these include the following:
* Ronald McDonald House
* Bright Blessings
* Military Care Packages at
Jewish Holidays
* JFS Hanuldcah drive
* Christmas Eve/Day event(s)
If you are interested in volun
teering at the Ronald McDonald
House, taking on a leadership role
and/or have questions or would
like additional information, please
contact Julie Rizzo, Director of
Development and Social Action,
at julie.rizzo@charlottejcc.org or
704-944-6730. ^
Refugees
(Continued from page 16)
Soviet Union), and the other, from
Ecuador, became practice buddies.
“They encouraged each other after
they met in class. They were
delightful.” One became a citizen
in April; and the other in May. The
Ecuadoran woman returned to
class to act as a mock examiner for
the next class cycle.
Citizens are sworn-in with
about 100 people from dozens of
countries. They sing the national
anthem and recite the pledge of
allegiance. They view a video
address from the President and
they pledge their loyalty and alle
giance to the U.S. and its constitu
tion.
CRRA hopes to serve as many
of the 15,000+ legal permanent
residents in Mecklenburg County
who are eligible to become natu
ralized citizens. For more informa
tion about the citizenship classes,
contact Dottie Shattuck at
dottie. shattuck@carolinare fugee. o
rg. If you know green card hold
ers, please let them know about
CRRA’s citizenship classes and
application services.
August has been a very busy
month for arrivals. At press- time,
CRRA was set to resettle 55
refugee clients from August 1
through August 16 alone, a num
ber approaching the largest previ
ous influx of 62 in a month.
CRRA needs cash donations to
serve all of these clients and con
tinues to need furniture and house-
wares for the many apartments
the agency must prepare. Call
704-535-8803 to donate or volun
teer. ^
Julie Rizzo
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AJC
AJC ON THE ISSUES: THE 2012 ELECTION
A Democratic National Convention
roundtable discussion series
featuring Members of Congress,
policy experts and opinion leaders
Updating the Black-Jewish Coalition
Tuesday, September 4, 2:30 - 4:00pm
Advancing Indian-Jewish Partnership
Tuesday, September 4, 5:30 - 7:00pm
Latinos and Jews in the Fabric of our Nation
Wednesday, September 5, 10:00 - 11:30am
Diplomatic Reception
Wednesday, September 5, 3:30 - 5:30pm
U.S. Values and Interests in a Changing Middle East
Thursday, September 6, 10:00 - 11:30am
All events will take place at
The New Gallery of Modern Art
435 South Tryon Street, Charlotte
For details or to RSVP contact: blumem@ajc.org
Global Jewish
Advocacy
www.ajc.ord
AJC Mission:
To enhance the wellbeing of the Jewish people and Israel;
To advance human rights and democratic vaiues around
the worid.
AJC is a non-partisan 501(C)C3) organization;
we do not endorse or oppose candidates for office.