Camp Blog

A group of very enthusiastic bike riders left Lakewood, New Jersey today on their way to Camp Simcha!  The 100+ members of the Bike4Chai have completed the first leg of their trek and are resting comfortably at Crystal Springs Resort in Vernon, New Jersey.  Tomorrow, they will finally reach the pinnacle of their journey when they kick into high gear and ascend the mountain to join the jubilating campers, their highly exuberant counselors, and the rest of the Camp Simcha staff in the Super, Epic Eleven Celebration!

For more info on Bike4Chai go to Bike4Chai

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The race is on! The 2nd annual Bike4Chai kicked off this morning with bikers gathering at the starting lines in Lakewood and Deal. The bike-a-thon boasts 100 cyclists from Brooklyn, Lakewood, Deal, Monsey, the Five Towns and beyond.  As we speak, the lead pack has passed the 75 mile marker!

The trek from the Jersey Shore to Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, NY is a massive undertaking indeed. The first day, riders will traverse 112 miles over eight hours, scale 6,000 feet, pedal 172,800 times and burn 5,500 calories. The group hopes to raise $500,000 for our amazing program. We are looking forward to greeting them in Camp Simcha Special tomorrow.

After our campers shot some hoops with Steve Nash, we continued our sportacular day. By lunch, we were visited by a group of Goldman Sachs employees. After observing just a few moments of our lunch upROAR, they were thoroughly convinced that they are supporting the best possible cause. Many of them opted to join in on the fun, and sing and dance with our awesome campers. They seemed to be having just a bit more fun than they’ve had in a while (After all, SportsWorld is just a bit more exciting than CubicleWorld).

Continuing with our sports theme, our camp and our Goldman Sachs guests proceeded to the gym where we squared off in a volleyball match. The game was close at first, but then, with the help of our campers, we pulled ahead. Many campers rotated into the game, including a star server. The game was complemented by epic chanting on the sidelines, making it feel more like the SuperBowl than a game with a bunch of bankers. At one point during the game, the entire gym (players included) broke into a dance to Y-M-C-A, twisting and screaming in a way only CSS can do. Camp Simcha eventually won by over ten points, and the entire gym broke into song: “We are the Champions, my friends.” Our campers left the gym feeling very good about their undefeated record. We thank Goldman Sachs for visiting and for their continued support.

After the volleyball game, Avrumi B. made his way to the archery field (thats more of a sport than poker, fishing, and bowling combined) to practice his shot. He didn’t miss the bulls eye, and after a while it got very repetitive. I decided to move on to the baseball field where our campers were in the midst of an intense baseball game. It was the first baseball game of the year and energy was running high. Star pitcher and catcher Rephael G. and Dany G., worked seamlessly together to create a one-two punch.

For supper, our master chef, grill meisters, and waiters, collaborated to create an unbelievable tailgate party. We were served hero and fried chicken sandwiches, chicken wings, corn on the cob, knishes, and assorted salads. The only thing missing was the beer!

This morning, Steve Nash, a 2 time NBA MVP and 7 time NBA All-Star, came to Camp Simcha to witness our skills first hand. After landing in camp on a helicopter, Steve proceeded to the dining room where he was a spectator to a Camp Simcha rendition of upROAR. From his front row seat , Steve witnessed campers and staff members dancing and chanting. He couldn’t resist our intoxicating spirit, and after a few moments had to join in on the fun. When asked if he would like to be a counselor here next year, Steve responded that he didn’t think he had enough energy to keep up!

Next, Steve visited the Camp gym where he gave a basketball clinic to our campers. Some lucky campers were taught how to shoot free throws, lay ups, and three pointers as our other campers got to watch the show. After that Steve showed us some cool circus shots including shooting backwards and kicking the ball into the basket.

Steve ended by signing a few autographs and posing for picture with campers. He then addressed the eager crowd, and said: “We all have disabilities, and yet we all have tremendous good in each one of us. Each of you here is a super star with a lion’s heart. Stay strong.”

In Camp Simcha Special, you can always feel the magic in the air. Today, our camp went on a trip to Hogwarts to show those phonies what real magic is all about. Before lunch, our campers gathered in the gym to create shields to defend against the dark forces of Pookie (aka Crisis). Brothers Avrum and Yosef B. created a very creative Uncle Moishe shield. Justin S. created a shield declaring, “Voldemort had FD.”

During lunch, our campers gathered in our dining room, which was redecorated to look like the inside of Hogwarts; complete with polyjuice potions, the house flags, and owls. At the end of lunch, as per session tradition, our campers gathered in the Hogwarts castle for a crazy rendition of upROAR, with staff and campers dancing together to some great beats. Dembi asked all campers to brandish their shields towards the sky to ward off any evil in the world. Lunch ended with two special birthday parties, Kenny’s and Yaakov’s. Both opted to throw their cake in their counselors face!

After lunch, Kovy M. made his way to our Ductagami activity in which he created a runway-worthy tie from duct tape. He used a green piece of duct tape for the backing, and then alternated pink and green diagonal tape to create stripes. He’s looking forward to wearing it on his next date.

Hands deep in meat is where you would find Jason, Blondy, and Yoshi making meatballs for themselves. They started with a mixture of meats, poured in some eggs, matzo meal, and spices, and then popped it in to cook. They really enjoyed eating their creation for supper.

Later on in the day, the campers partook in a Harry Potter character search. Different staff members dressed up as various characters from the books, hid throughout camp, and campers ran around camp collecting their signatures. They found Hagrid hiding in the rafters of the infirmary, Dumbledore in a closet in the Social Hall, and Hermoine on the porch of the candle shop. Every camper that collected all the signatures got a cat in the hat t-shirt.

After supper, the cap gathered in the social hall where we were treated to a captivating and mystifying hypnotist show. Ten lucky staff members were put under his spell, and were convinced that they we’re at a racetrack, concert, and 3^rd grade classroom among others.

Tomorrow is a really SUNNY day in Camp Simcha Special. Stay Tuned.

Forsooth! Today hath been replete with a good many extraordinary activities. Breakfast in ye olde castle, and then, by George, helicopter rides into the wild blue yonder. Eyes followed ye chopper’s course around camp, watching as it formeth circles in the sky, ending with a skyshot of a human EPIC ‘11. And after lunch, to give thee a nice addition to the usual schedule, we went to the social hall, wherein Dembi stalled for time. But hear ye, the crowd lost not a smidgen of anticipation for Yaakov “the King of Jewish Soul” Shwekey. For after all, we are Camp Simcha Special, and thou knoweth that we don’t stop singing, dancing, jumping, screaming, roaring, shrilling, bouncing, hopping, or leaping, just because we have a bit of free time. Indeed, when Sir Soul did appear, he was quite warmly received by Ofek L, Boruch N, and Avraham Yeshaya L, to name a few. Amid the clicks of shutters and the bursts of flashbulbs, Shwekey sang hit after hit, concluding with “Ma Ma Ma,” with the one and only Yochi Briskman taking a turn on the drums.

IN ENGLISH: After our inspiring lunch, we headed to the social hall for a special surprise. We we’re greeted by a professional band on stage, and a professional sound and lighting system doing it’s magic.The guest star was a little late, but that was no problem for our awesome staff. Dembi proceeded to psych up the packed crowd with some pumping music (I gotta feelin, Stomp on the Ground, Party Rock), and some crazy dances. We we’re all drenched with sweat before the main show even started! Then Camp Simcha Special welcomed Yaakov Shwekey, The Soul of Jewish Music.  Shwekey wowed us with his usual range of octaves and pitches, and our camp responded with our usual epic energy. Every camper had an opportunity to get up on stage, hold hands, and dance with the celebrity. Shwekey shared the mike with a few campers, and was quite impressed with the raw talent. Some should expect contracts in the mail any day now. The smiles on the campers faces stretched ear to ear, as they were lifted onto shoulders, and danced onto the stage to dance.

Shwekey ended the show by stating the obvious: “Camp Simcha, you are the greatest camp in he world.”

Today Camp Simcha Special took a moment to pay tribute to a very special person when Camp Simcha Special was rededicated in memory of Zvi Dovid and Solomon Obstfeld. Over the years, Solomon Obstfeld went out his way to help further Camp Simcha’s mission. He was a true member of the Chai Lifeline family, and someone we knew we could always count on to bring smiles to our campers’ faces.

Ten years ago, Solomon had a vision to create a camp to meet the medical and social needs of children and teens with disparate chronic and genetic ailments. He dedicated the camp in memory of his father, Zvi Dovid. Since then, it has become an oasis of fun, friendship, love, and hope for children and teens, ages 8 – 18, whose illnesses require continual medical management. One year ago, on 28 Sivan, Solomon passed away suddenly. It is only fitting that Camp Simcha and Chai Lifeline recognize his tremendous contributions to our cause, and we therefore dedicate Camp Simcha Special to him too.

The program started off with a gala lunch, compliments of our in-house master chef. At the end of the meal, we heard an emotional speech delivered by Avi D. who told us how he ended up in Camp Simcha, and how it has change his life in only four short days.

One year ago, Avi was a healthy 16 year old who enjoyed photography. One day, after school, he wanted to capture the Tampa sunset. He had found a nice spot, but there were still trees in his way. He decided to climb a 35 foot electric pole to get a better view. After taking about a dozen pictures, he felt his foot give way. He instinctively grabbed the closest thing to catch himself, an electric cable. His body absorbed 75,000 volts, and he fell down 35 feet to the ground. His heart had stopped, and he was medically dead. He had fractured his spine in 58 places. One of his kidneys had imploded. He had hundreds of scars from the burns. He had one of his arms amputated because his metal bracelets had melted from the electricity, and fused to his arm. Avi went on to say that he had always loved sleep away camp. Last month, he and his mother decided to do some searches to find a disability accessible camp. He found Camp Simcha on a Google search but believed it was too good to be true! After calling some parents, though, Avi decided to give it to try. Avi went on to say that Camp Simcha has made a indelible impression on him. It has given new purpose to life. It has given him the strength to go on and have faith, even in these trying times. And most of all, he thanked the staff and benefactors for giving children with all disabilities the opprotunity to go to camp.

That emotional address was followed by an speech by Rabbi Simcha Scholar, executive vice president of Chai Lifeline. Rabbi Scholar thanked the Obstfeld family for everything that they have done for Camp Simcha. He went on to rededicate Camp Simcha Special in Solomon’s name too.

The program was capped off by an epic upROAR in the center of the dining room, where we showed our guests the amazing work we do here.