A teacher once complained to a parent of one of his students about how the boy never behaved well in class. The teacher recommended putting the boy on Ritalin. The father responded that he leaves work early in the morning and wouldn’t be able to give the boy the Ritalin. The teacher told the father that he will give the boy the Ritalin.

In order to avoid embarrassing the boy, every day the teacher asked the boy to leave the class to make him coffee; he told the boy to take the pill while on his mission. A few weeks later the teacher called the father and sang the boy’s praises. The boy had become so wonderful that he was now the best in the class. The father was so proud of his son. When the boy arrived home, the father asked him what had changed. Why has the teacher suddenly began praising him? The boy responded that he didn’t do anything drastic, but that everyday his teacher would send him to make a coffee and the boy would slip these pills in the coffee.

This time of year we return to G-d. We attempt to fix our ways. We attempt to emulate G-d’s kindness. G-d wants us to see each other in good light. If we judge our brothers favorably then G-d will judge us favorably.

In the world of Chai Lifeline and Camp Simcha, we don’t judge. We see past illness to a soul. We see past an action to a soul. When the teacher was “suddenly” happy, he was able to see the good in his student. When we are happy, we are able to find the good in each other and truly love.

This is the message of Camp Simcha. Seize life, Love fully, Live Joyfully. If you embody these ideals , they undoubtedly will spread to the next person and allow him to live a more happy life. May the happiness and light we radiate daily give us merit in G-d’s eyes, and may he look at us favorably as well.

May all those who need salvation receive it speedily and may the world know of no more illness and sadness.

With wishes for a great year,

Ari Dembitzer

Camp Simcha’s Guinness World Records™ Gold Ribbon was raised this morning in Central Park in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Camp Simcha kids, their parents, counselors, and the amazing students of PS 290 (Manhattan New School) joined us for the event. Thank you all.

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Three boys currently undergoing treatment for cancer received the trip of a lifetime this weekend thanks to generous benefactors. The 4-day trip to Israel was planned and executed from begging to end by the generous sponsors and included visits to prominent Rabbis for blessings, a BBQ with Camp Simcha counselors studying abroad, and a visit to a shooting range. The group was accompanied by a doctor, nurse, and paramedic.

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Please send your articles/comments/letters about camp to webmaster@campsimcha.org so we can post them on the blog.
Thank you to whoever already submitted articles. Keep them coming-we love hearing from you!

By Esther Kallus, RN

I have always heard about the amazing things that Chai Lifeline does, in particular their summer camp for children with chronic and genetic diseases and for children battling cancer.  I had the privilege and honor of working as a nurse for Camp Simcha special girls and boys this past summer 2011.  I cannot begin to describe what a phenomenal place Camp Simcha is; that it is just mind blowing.

At first when you see such delicate children and the impeccable care that is needed for them, you wonder how parents can allow and trust their children to be away from their 24/7 keen care.  However once you see what goes on at this camp; you have no further questions.

Camp Simcha is a fully fun loaded camp equipped with a state of the art medical facility with top doctors who are experts in their fields and of course nurses, medics, Pharmacist, PT, Social Worker, and child friendly specialist too.

I witnessed firsthand the joy and happiness the campers experience while at camp.  Here at Camp Simcha, they are able to live as any other kid.  Not only do they have the time of their life, they make lifetime friends who can understand where they are coming from, since they share some common ground.

All in all, there is not a single dull moment at Camp Simcha.  From morning to night you get to see these children smiling from ear to ear, and there is nothing else more satisfying than being able to watch and be a Part of something this SPECIAL.

Congratulations to Camp Simcha Girls who officially broke the world record for the longest awareness ribbon at 408.55 m (1,340 ft 4.8 in). Check it out over here: Guinness World Records

By Shlomo Mandel
Original Article: Aish.com

Please send your articles/comments/letters about camp to webmaster@campsimcha.org so we can post them on the blog!

I arrived at Camp Simcha, a summer program for kids with special needs and severe illnesses, as a counselor. It would be my first time working with kids who have debilitating illnesses, and I was a bit hesitant. Will my camper be in a wheelchair? What kind of sickness does he have? Will I be able to bond with him? At 18 years old, the only person I had ever really paid attention to was none other than me, myself and I. How would I possibly take care of someone else for two weeks and be happy?

When my co-counselor and I received our camper’s profile, my jaw dropped. There were pages and pages of medications, machines and information about his illness and disabilities – Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, to name a few – as well as lengthy instructions for attending to his morning and nighttime routines.

He has a trachea?! He cannot speak? I have to give his medications through a g-tube?! What am I, a doctor? Such a fragile child at only 5 years old. A jumble of doubts filled my mind as I pondered what I had gotten myself into.

After gathering some additional information, we were ready for our first night routine. It took two hours to set up all his machines and administer his medications, when finally he was ready for a peaceful night’s sleep. Or so we thought. He had only been sleeping for a few hours when the beeping started on his pulsox machine, informing us that his oxygen intake was going down drastically. His first night with us and we already have trouble?!

Sweat poured down my face. I ran to the phone and called the infirmary requesting assistance. Medical staff was relayed to our location and within a few moments they were on site. Looking for our problem they tracked all the wiring and buttons, until they found that the oxygen wire that hooks up to his vent wasn’t connected properly. Immediately it was fixed and his oxygen started climbing back to normal.

Over the next week, I learned from my mistakes, perfected my routines, and gained the confidence that with a stellar medical staff by my side, I could provide the proper care. Sure, we had a few more incidents, some quite scary, but at least I was properly prepared.

The two weeks went by fast, filled with fun and amazing activities: a visit from NBA star Steve Nash, a magician from “America’s Got Talent,” helicopter rides, and spectacular concerts.

Before I knew it, it was all coming to a close.

We gathered in the social hall on the last night for video highlights of the prior two weeks. Everyone sat, eyes riveted to the screen, as we relived the dancing, singing and joy that we’d all experienced.

To cap off the evening, all the counselors were given a bag of treats to give their campers as a goodbye gift. In return, the campers were requested to give back one thing: a hug.

I gave my camper his goody bag, and he responded with an enormous embrace. At that moment, an immense joy seized me like a flash of lightning, and I let it all in.

Yes, we had amazing fun the past 14 days. But I never really had time to process what had transpired. For the past two weeks I gave myself totally to this kid. I took responsibility to be there for him at every moment. Day or night, no matter the cost. Yet since my camper could not speak, he never able to express how he was having an amazing time and how much he appreciated my care.

But when I hugged him and saw that big smile on his face, though, I got the message loud and clear. And I became overwhelmed with a joyous realization: the big “I” finally experienced life’s ultimate pleasure: the pleasure of pure giving.

CSB 2011 has officially come to an end.

Oh, the memories that we shared this summer… epic eleven…arrivals…skyriders…The American Revolution…new recording studio…steaks…8 th day concert…air elite…”1-2-3 oh snap”..mad science…cookie monster baking…steve max…frog hat…satlanim…chimichuri…shooting range…capture the flag…castles in the dining room…medieval supper outside…Roderick Russel x2…sword swallowing…spinning car in the dining room…hypnotist show…car washing…carlebach Friday night…coby iPods…lifeguards v waiters…middos awards… tuna beigels…seudat shelishit and havdalah on the porch…I got a feelin’…epicification…circus parade…Dr. Lenny water fight…jabali African acrobats……challa baking… motzei shabbos in the house tonight…witch hunt…tonight tonight…extreme magic show…Hogwarts…stamp on the ground…ny trip…simcha at liberty…lighting up the darkness…dance tutorial on the bus…yehuda greene surprise…coco water oark…martz trailways……don’t be that guy…fencing…karate…paint twister…candle making… slackers…ductagami…dance dance revolution…scuba diving in the pool…new rock climbing wall…S.T. Rella… good shabbos…Shabbat shalom…family feud… birthday cake faceplant…eli kk…pottery…”all stars”…css rollers…:can you tie them in a knot…deal day…laser tag…hat making…free presents…sweet shop… fitted caps…fireworks… darkroom…bingo…new niggun… jetskis… great wall of graffiti …duuuuvi becker yisroel…stall for time…helicopter rides…good shtickel…portraits…carousel in the dining room…awesome blog 😉 …mafia…party rock anthem..arts and crafts…small piece of heaven…leather…hurricane…color war…get ready for Simcha ’12 in Jerusalem. Wow! We did a lot!!

The Musical, S.T Rella, was of course a fantastic hit! Produced by Duvy “The Legend” Becker, it featured great performances by our amazing campers and staff. For the grand finale, three campers sung “All Stars” that merited an encore performance. Stay tuned for the amazing video highlights.

The New York trip was one for the books. Our dance in front of the Statue of the Liberty, to the song “Lighting up the Night”, showed the world that Camp Simcha is the true beacon of light. With our torches waving, we faced the world and showed them how strong we are and how strong we will be. And don’t let that overshadow the rest of the amazing trip. From the boat ride, to the surprise Yehuda Green concert, to the CoCo water park, it was a day that will be remembered deep into the winter.

To keep the memories of the session alive, and to publicize our message, our camp worked together to create our music video. Our campers spent time learning the choreographed dance, and then reaped satisfaction after mastering it in front of Lady Liberty. They also worked together to record it in our brand new on campus recording studio.

All the friends we made, the lasting bonds we created…

Now home safe and sound, our unbelievable campers now have memories to last till next summer to keep them going strong and happy. They now have the strength of confidence of a summer in Camp Simcha to help through the year which we hope to fill with so much fun they won’t have time to miss camp.

And to our amazing Camp Simcha staff…. this summer would not have been possible without you. Your countless hours of work, intense devotion, and unending love was palpable every second of our time in camp. Your dedication to your work and to our campers is truly an inspiration. There are no words for what you did, for the children you renewed, for the memories you created and for everything else that you did.

So yes, the last bus may have rolled out of Glen Spey, taking with it our incredible camper,s but we know it won’t be long till we see them again…

Stay tuned for more exciting posts here… this may be the Camp blog, but just because Camp is over, it doesn’t mean we won’t keep you posted on all the great things that we experienced and the even greater things to come

It was the last day of camp, yet we were pumping at full throttle here in SimchaVille. Not even a hurricane could stop us. In fact, it led to the first color war in Camp Simcha history!

The morning started off a bit blustery, but the generators were doing their job and we had full power throughout camp. We all headed to the dining room for breakfast followed by an unbelievable EPIC 11 upROAR. Dembi then told us to gather around the TV so we can watch updates about the hurricane. But instead of announcing the weather, the meteorologist told us that it was color war! Everyone immediately changed into red or blue clothes and painted their face. Pretty soon, everyone was so engrossed in color war that no one noticed the storm outside. We spent the day doing many different color war activities including races, ball games, and cheering.  Towards the end of the afternoon, both teams gathered with their generals to practice the cheer and theme songs.

After the team time, we all headed back to our bunks to pack. At 5pm we were called to the dining hall for the banquet. And a banquet it was.  There was a hot carving station, onion rings, sesame chicken, Hawaiian chicken, chicken lo mein, sweet and sour chicken, bar-b-que ribs, assorted dips, and fresh fruit.

After we were stuffed to the gills, we headed to the social hall for the closing ceremonies. Dembi started off the show by naming and thanking every staff member in camp. First the waiters, then lifeguards, then specialties, medical and nursing staff, administrative staff, and maintenance staff. Each group got a well-deserved standing ovation. Dembi then called up the counselors, by division, and asked them to pick up a present from the stage. He went on to thank the counselors for their tireless efforts over the past two weeks on behalf of their camper. He told the campers that the only payment their counselors wanted is a thank you-in the form of a hug. At his count of three, every counselor handed over the present to his camper, and every camper reciprocated with a long embrace. It was an event you had to witness.

Dembi went on to thank the campers for being an inspiration for us all, and for giving us the most epic session ever!

We then settled into our seats to watch a slideshow of the summer, and then the CS 2011 Memories movie.

At the end of the evening, Dembi once again told us that Lady Liberty is the embodiment of freedom for the world. Her glowing torch burns even through the toughest of times. He went on to explain that this year, Camp Simcha will show the world what true freedom is. Our torches and our camp are the true beacons in the darkness. We went on to sing our song “Lighting up the Night – Simcha at Liberty,” in unison, one last time.

There is still yet to come. Check our blog daily for updates.

Getting a satellite view of Camp Simcha from Google Earth is very cool. You get to klutz in your chair, stare at a screen, and press the zoom button to see our gorgeous camp grounds (see here).

This morning, however, our amazing campers got to do something a bit more exciting. A helicopter came in from NYC to Camp Simcha, landed in middle of camp, and every camper got to board and get a ride. It was a really cool experience to get a birds eye view of the Happiest Place on Earth. To go along with the occasion, every camper got a special Camp Simcha Helicopter t-shirt. The squeals of delight were able to be heard even over the roaring whirl of the helicopters propellers!

The ironic thing, however, was the fact that today we also escaped to an even higher orbit – outer space. When our campers entered the dining room for lunch, the were met by flying UFOs, aliens, and astronauts. After our lunch epicification, we headed to the social hall. What we saw there was out of this world! Our campers got to watch our new music video, Lighting up the Night (http://bit.ly/simcha). The campers coming out of the social hall were ecstatic.

Throughout the afternoon our campers also got to bake challah for Shabbos. Every camper also posed for a portrait taken by a professional photographer. They should receive the picture before they leave camp.

Did I mention that…

It’s Friday, Friday

Gotta get down on Friday

Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend

Friday, Friday

Gettin’ down on Friday

Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend

Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)

Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)

Fun, fun, fun, fun

Lookin’ forward to the weekend

Our 2011 Camp Simcha Music Video, ‘Lighting Up The Night’ feat. Statue of Liberty, has arrived! Enjoy. Make sure to share it with your friends; you can use this shorter address: http://bit.ly/simcha