The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2013 - Page 25
Lucky 13 for Camp Soar
By Diana Ades
To some, the number 13 is bad
luek but to over 350 Speeial
Olympies athletes, 13 was their
lueky number at the 13 th Annual
Camp SOAR (Speeial Olympies
Athletie Retreat) that took plaee at
the LJCC June 10-14.
The brain ehild of volunteer ex
traordinaire Bob Bowler and for
mer LJCC Assistant Exeeutive
Direetor Barry Sehumer, Camp
SOAR began as a three-day
program to offer the Speeial
Olympies’ eommunity a mueh
needed program during the sum
mer.
When the first eamp took plaee
in June of 2000, there were only
53 athletes and 35 volunteers that
attended the aetivity filled eamp.
Jump forward 13 years, and the
LJCC hosted over 350 athletes,
350 volunteers, and offered nu
merous sports and ereative aetivi-
ties over a five day period.
Camp Soar planning takes al
most an entire year with Bowler
working endless hours to seeure
eelebrity eoaehes, donations for
food and supplies, entertainment,
and many of the beloved profes
sional sports maseots. After
Sehumer’s departure from the
LJCC, Stephanie Gamer, LJCC
Sports Direetor has kept that great
eonneetion with Bowler and the
Speeial Olympies. Along with
Bowler and the wonderful volun
teers, she has been instrumental in
the Camp’s flourishing over the
years. Gamer assists Bowler with
seheduling the athletie programs,
as well as working with other
areas of the Park and eoordinating
staffing.
Over the years, Dell Curry,
Muggsy Bouges, David Thomp
son, and former Hornets and Bob-
eats Coaeh Paul Silas have offered
their expertise in basketball while
eoaehing the athletes. Maseots
visit from all the area sports teams
and entertainment from musie to
daneing are part of the week.
A speeial part of the Camp’s ae-
tivities is the arts and erafts por
tion. Coordinated by Eileen
Sehwartz, and through the
wounded Warrior Program, Camp
Soar athletes and volunteers send
letters, best wishes, and supplies
to the brave men and women who
defend our eountry.
The sueeess of the eamp is evi
dent in the smiling faees and ex-
eitement of all the athletes. These
speeial groups of athletes make
friendships that live a lifetime.
And beeause of the sueeess of the
Camp, eonversations at the state
level have sparked to have Camp
SOARs in other areas of North
Carolina.
Thanks in part to the Charlotte
Bobeats and the Miehael Jordan
foundation’s donation of $ 10,000,
the edueational and fun programs
eontinue to be offered to the Spe
eial Olympies population at no
eharge. The athletes and volun
teers would not have luneh or
snaeks if it wasn’t from the gen
erosity of the Compass Group
who has fed the eampers sinee the
very first Camp.
Additional thanks goes to
Pepsi, Lanee, Frito-Lay, Nabiseo,
Keebler, Family Dollar, and Har
ris Teeter for their generosity and
support of Camp SOAR.
A new feature to the Camp is
reeognizing a volunteer who has
gone over and beyond at the
Camp. This reeognition is in an
award in memory of Bob
Bowler’s beautiful daughter who
passed away due to eomplieation
while fighting breast eaneer.
Viekie was always involved in
Camp Soar and even when she
was siek; it didn’t stop her from
volunteering. Viekie was just as
generous with her time, love and
support as her father. She was ex
tremely elose to many of the ath
letes and her presenee is always
felt throughout the week.
Compass Group is the proud
sponsor of this award and de
signed a beautiful plaque that in-
eludes a pieture of Viekie and is
Muggsy Bogues and Bob Bowler with a camper.
Panthers’ mascot, Sir Purr, with some
campers.
Some soldiers come to visit Camp Soar.
aptly named the Viekie Ann
Bowler volunteer of the year
award.
This year’s reeipient reeeived
an aetual repliea of the award
while the bigger award remains in
the membership offiee at the
LJCC. In addition. Compass
Group generously gives a $100
gift eertifieate to the honoree. This
year, the Steering Committee
ehose Andy Tinson who has un
selfishly provided medieal assis-
tanee to the Camp sinee the
beginning; first as a high sehool
student wanting to go in the med
ieal field, to now, where he is eur-
rently a eertified EMT in North
Carolina.
Compass Group, LJCC, the
Charlotte Bobeats, and the many
other sponsors made the number
13 a very lueky number to over
350 partieipants this year. These
individuals will always think of 13
as lueky 13.
Camp Soar 2014 is seheduled
for next June 9-13. ^
Screening for Next Film Festival
Selections Has Begun
The movie seleetion proeess
for the upeoming 2014 Charlotte
Jewish Film Festival began in
May 2013, when the nine mem
bers of the film festival sereening
eommittee began their weekly
meetings. Eaeh week (and most
reeently twiee a week), the eom
mittee members have met at the
JCC to view the latest films from
around the world that have been
sereened at over 100 film festivals
in the US, Israel, Great Britain,
and Australia. The films, produeed
in the US, Israel, Franee, Ger
many, Russia, the Czeeh Repub-
lie, and Poland, all have one thing
in eommon: illuminating the Jew
ish experienee.
Films that are eonsidered for
sereening eome from several dif
ferent sourees: programs from
other Jewish film festivals or in
ternational film festivals held in
Cannes, Jerusalem, and Toronto,
artieles in Israeli newspapers sueh
as Haaretz and The Jerusalem
Post, and newsletters from numer
ous film distributors. Partieular at
tention is paid to films with Jew
ish eontent and to Israeli films.
The goal of the sereening eommit
tee is to ehoose films that both ed-
ueate and entertain the filmgoers.
A wide assortment of films is
sought: eomedies, dramas, mys
teries, doeumentaries, and films
for ehildren and young adults.
For the 2014 Charlotte Jewish
Film Festival, whieh is also the
film festival’s 10th anniversary,
the sereening eommittee will
sereen approximately 26 films in
their quest to find the best 12 - 15
films to inelude in the film festi
val. Almost 100 films have been
eonsidered sinee the sereening
proeess began. Eaeh week the
members of the sereening eom
mittee meet to view the film to
gether; after sereening the film the
eommittee members diseuss the
film in detail and eonsider how the
film might impaet the overall as
sortment of films that are seleeted.
Finally eaeh eommittee member
ranks eaeh film on several quali
ties, ineluding the story eontent.
Jmnsli
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JEWISH^ iS
FEDEW10N5
OF cnEATen CHAnLOXTE
entertainment value, produetion
value, Jewish eontent, and how
likely it is that the film will appeal
to the Charlotte audienee (Jewish
and non-Jewish). After all of the
films in eonsideration have been
sereened, the eommittee members
review eaeh film again to eon-
struet a slate of films that will be
appealing to a wide assortment of
the loeal eommunity. We look for
ward to presenting the results of
our sereening proeess at the film
festival, whieh begins February
22, and we feel eonfident that
there will be plenty of entertaining
films to ehoose from. ^
Charlotte
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