Update #6
April 22, 2020
I hope this finds your family healthy and that you had a meaningful Pesach. During this time of year between Pesach and Shavuot when we count the omer, we also count down the days to camp. I want to reach out to send you an update about summer 2020 planning and virtual programming.
We continue to prepare for the summer season and hope we can still deliver the joyful Judaism and deep social connections which are the essence of the Ramah experience. We await guidelines from the CDC and our local health officials on how we can safely open camp this summer. We will be updating our camp families by May 15 about our summer plans.
While we continue to hold out hope that after a period of social distancing, and with the advancement of rapid testing and medical interventions, we may be able to operate camp this summer, we also recognize that you need to know what will happen in case any sessions of camp need to be canceled. In the event we need to cancel any sessions of camp this summer, we will at that point offer our camper families several options:
1) You can roll over your camper(s) enrollment and tuition to a later session in summer 2020.
2) You can roll over your paid tuition with us and your camper(s) will be automatically enrolled in summer 2021.
3) You can choose to convert your paid tuition, or a portion of paid tuition, into a donation to camp. If we are unable to open, we will need your generosity. All donations of tuition will be matched 1:1 by a generous donation from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Though camp has operated in a fiscally responsible manner since we opened, tuition and fees make up over 80-percent of our revenue, and do not cover all of our fixed operational costs.
4) You can accept the offer of a full refund of your paid tuition.
If this becomes necessary, we will work quickly to determine an appropriate schedule for the disbursement of the funds.
Our team of dedicated staff continues to plan for onsite programming at camp this summer, while also planning for multiple contingencies, including a shorter season and virtual camp. We look forward to being able to provide you with more information in May about summer plans.
In the meantime, we will continue to offer a wide array of virtual programming over the coming weeks to bring the magic of Ramah to our campers and families, and to provide opportunities for campers to connect with one another. I want to highlight a few. In the coming weeks, we will be offering edah (age group) meet-ups over zoom at the following times:
RSVP to Alli Moses at alli@ramahnorcal.org for the Edah programs and she will provide the meetup information.
Second, we will also be offering a few upcoming family programs:
RSVP to Alli Moses at alli@ramahnorcal.org for the family programs, and she will send you the list of suggested ingredients for the challah bake.
You can find other Ramah programs and virtual engagement opportunities by visiting our Facebook page or following us on Instagram.
Feel free to reach out with questions.
Best,
Rabbi Sarah