Recruiting season & camp planning has shifted into high gear. All of our 2010 chalutzim (lit. pioneers, campers) should have received their thank you gift for being part of our opening summer. We’ve heard that many chalutzim wear their new orange sweatshirts all the time.
By November 1st, we have enrolled over 40% of the total number of chalutzim who joined us in 2010.
This is an amazing start. Over the next few weeks, Dan, Rabbi Eliav & Elyssa are holding numerous information sessions in the Denver/ Boulder area as well as many in out of town locales. Perhaps most exciting are our upcoming reunions that we will be holding in: Mountain View, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and Denver, Colorado for our 2010 chalutzim. We will have more information on all of these in the coming weeks.
On Monday, Dan and Rabbi Eliav headed up to our site to take a look around the Ramah in the Rockies property and to meet with Miki and Chuck, our caretakers. We had not been to the ranch since the end of camp in August; it was quite cold yet peaceful. While the patches of snow covering the ranch pastures suggested summer was a long way off, we know that it is just around the corner. We are working hard to improve and expand our program for 2011. Here are a few of the big projects on which we are working in the winter office:
- We have begun to explore the possibility of offering Boy Scout Merit Badges in 2011 to boys who are involved in scouting.
- We are planning our 2011 Massaot, adding new options such as farming and service projects, and researching other possibilities like open water kayaking & wilderness survival
- We are developing our 11th grade leadership training program, including planning the route and program for extended Masa in a western National Park.
- We are developing our tiered program for Horseback riding, rock climbing, wilderness survival and mountain biking. Dan is also restructuring our gardening program so that we are able to grow more food and improve our yield over last year.
- We are developing our sports programs, and adding archery as an activity.
Of course, what really makes our camp so special are the incredible tzevet (staff) members. We have already hired back a number of our 2010 tzevet members and are in discussions with many more. We also have hired a number of outstanding new tzevet members to meet our increased enrollment in 2011. We know that they will be wonderful additions to our community.
In short, please know that while you are in the midst of your papers, tests and quizzes, we in the year-round office are working diligently towards June 21st, 2011 – opening day for the second season at Ramah Outdoor Adventure!
