Camp Shutaf, part of Shutaf Inclusion Programs, offers 3 weeks of camp for 130 campers, teens and young adult participants from the greater Jerusalem area. More than 50% of Shutaf families pay significantly reduced tuition for the program which includes busing to and from camp. Shutaf believes that every family should have access to quality summer programs regardless of their financial situation, and without the family having to jump through hoops in order to prove that they need financial aid for camp.
I have had the absolute pleasure of working for Shutaf for the last three years, now going on four, and everyday I find something new that I love about job.
The best part of my job at Shutaf is our focus on answering difficult needs, especially during summertime, Which can be the most difficult time of the year for children with special needs and their families. Choices for activities are limited, and most of them end up putting families into debt.
I am so proud that Shutaf is a reliable, professional and affordable answer for so many children and families.
Let me tell you more with a story from a pre-camp home visit. I knocked on the door, Emotionally prepared (or so I thought) for meeting a mom and her two boys. A ten year old boy, “Moshe”, answered. “Moshe” is super polite, and very sweet – you can tell he is very excited to see me. I sit down with his mother ‘Sara’, and his brother ‘David’, who is thirteen and a Half (a very important point to David), and their older sister who is an IDF soldier.
‘Sara’ begins by telling me that she will only be sending ‘David’ to camp as she is not familiar with Shutaf programs, and only feels comfortable sending her older son. From the way she is speaking, and by informally assessing their extremely modest home, I can tell that there is a lot more going on here then she is comfortable sharing with me.
I tell her about camp and the different activities we offer, and watch as both boys get excited. We discuss tuition, and I can also see the look on Sara’s face as she wonders how she is going to pay for two children to go to camp for two weeks. Next,my favorite part of the home visit, getting to know the kids. I find out that David loves to sing and apparently is very good at it. He also loves soccer, carpentry and swimming. “Moshe” is an energetic boy who also loves sports, swimming and playing with friends. The family, thinking I wouldn’t take a problem child, told me that the children don’t really have behavioral issues. This seemed a little odd to me and the sister had made a couple comments to the contrary. I filled in the children’s information and told Sara to be in touch with our Director, Marci Tirschwell to discuss price (which she brought up numerous times during this home visit).
I wanted a little more information on these children as I felt i didn’t get to see the full picture. After getting permission from the mother I got in contact with the school social worker who handed me over to David’s teacher. My expectation of this call was that the teacher would tell me that the boys have some behavioral issues but it is a manageable situation. Boy was I wrong. The teacher proceeded to tell me that not only do the boys have some behavioural issues but the financial situation was worst than I thought. She told me that Sara is a very caring mother and tries her hardest but can only send a very plain sandwich for lunch and the school provides clothing for the children. Sara can’t even pay the 3$ that goes towards the classroom fund. ON top of all this she had to have surgery on her leg so she is not able to work.
We decided, as is our policy, to contact the city social worker and double check the financial situation and see if the social services department would help this family pay for camp. I tried to contact the social worker several times but only once got a hold of a different social worker that told me she would ask the families social worker to contact me. She hasn’t yet. Meanwhile our counselors get in contact with our families the week before camp in order to update them on relevant information for camp. I was told by one of the counselors that they called the “Cohen” family and were told that the children are not signed up for camp.
Finding this very odd I phoned Sara. Sara told me the children weren’t interested in camp anymore. To try and feel out what the issue was I asked if they would like to come to camp for a week. As Sara is discussing this with David I hear one of the most heartbreaking sentences come out of David’s mouth. “Mom if it’s too much money I don’t want to go”. What is happening in our country when a thirteen year old is willing to pass an amazing summer experience because his Mom can’t afford it?
I immediately told her that I would call her back in a few minutes. I called up Marci and explained the situation. Her immediate response “make it happen”. I am extremely proud to work in an organization that gave me the opportunity to allow this family to come to camp no questions asked. These two children are coming to camp. The mother payed the lowest tuition that I believe we ever offered and this family deserves that. Some of my fondest memories are of camp I don’t think any child should be deprived of that.
By Yoni Arya, Assistant Director of Programming
November 2016