Last Thursday, thirteen Camp Simcha Special teens living with severe chronic illnesses arrived in Israel for an amazing ten day journey, Wish at the Wall. Each teen is accompanied by a parent who will be able to share in the excitement and joy associated with Camp Simcha Special. Undeterred by the blizzard on Wednesday night, the trip proceeded with only a slight delay that included blow-up mattresses and a gourmet breakfast in JFK (because at Camp Simcha, we even do delays in style!).

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Look who’s talking about Wish at the Wall:

JTA
The Huffington Post
The Lakewood Scoop
Haaretz
Times Union
Vos iz Neias

Stay tuned for more updates from our group at Wish at the Wall!

Dear Ari & Chai Lifeline,

Where do I begin?

The Magic of Chai Lifeline… The Magic of Camp Simcha!

Some days are really hard and my kid is having a rough time…that’s just one moment when the magic happens…I send a text or e-mail to a counselor and poof instant MAGIC! This guy calls my son from Israel to make him feel better, another video chats from the east coast, while yet another is instant messaging him on Facebook and I see the magic as my sons face lights up and he is laughing and then a smile and happiness becomes contagious and spreads through our house…where just a few minutes before their was sadness, frustration and and heart breaking misery. That’s a glimpse of the magic…

Living on the west coast leaves us far away from the guys as they all are in schools on the other side of the country or world! Yet as far as they are they all reach out and not just during hard times…All the time. A day does not go by that Adam doesn’t hear from someone from camp. The thing is Chai Lifeline truly is Adam’s LIFELINE. I don’t know what he would do without you! You are his friendships, his support and the only thing that makes some of the crazy medical stuff seem secondary. The only thing that makes him truly happy! Just knowing he can call any number of guys is like having a pic line or a central line in his body again. These boys are the oxygen he breathes, his braces on legs, his rope, his LIFELINE.

I know that these young men are volunteers, they have numerous choices of things they could be doing over the summer and throughout the year yet somehow they have selected to be a part of Chai Lifeline and Camp Simcha. These boys are amazing. They go way beyond the commitment of working at camp too make themselves truly a part of these campers lives. As a mom on the west coast, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know some of these guys even with them so far away and they are incredible people. We live so far away and yet are so connected. I treasure every phone call, e-mail, text, I.M., video chat that takes place with them and our family. Everything they do affects our whole family in a positive way. In fact just yesterday a counselor heard that my oldest daughter wasn’t well, he immediatelyimmediatly called. That speaks volumes. It’s magical! Tomorrow Adam is going to children’s hospital for a pre-surgery cast and some tests, one of the counselors happens to be in LA this week for a vacation, he called me to see if he could see Adam, I told him of Adam’s hospital appointment and he immediately said he was meeting us there to be with Adam. He is on vacation and could be doing anything else in LA but is taking the day to spend with Adam.

Adam has a countdown and checks the camp website to see how many days left until camp begins. He wants to move to New York so he can be closer to everyone.

Tell the boys the Wolfpack is so grateful they are in our lives! We wish they all lived in Southern California with us (actually I believe this winter with the snow you have had, you all do too!)

With deep Gratitude,

Ali Wolf (Adam’s mom)

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A great time was had by all at Tipperary Hair Styles in the West Coast as our friends enjoyed a day of haircuts, food, fun, and activities to benefit Chai Lifeline. A big THANK YOU to those who donated their hair so children battling cancer can enjoy the comfort of a wig. Congratulations to the winner of a puppy in the grand raffle. Many thanks to our generous sponsors.[singlepic id=1856 w=520 h=440 float=center]

Dear Wonderful Camp Simcha Special Boys Staff,

I am taking some time to pen this letter to express my deep appreciation to you. We’ve just finished the Camp Simcha Special Boys Queens Shabbaton. Being that we live in Queens, I thought it would be an interesting experience, having Kovy enjoy it while staying at home. Yes, of course Kovy had a great time, seeing all his friends from camp (both campers and staff), and getting a healthy dose of the ruach [spirit] and simcha that permeates every second of these experiences; yet for us, this time, it was so much more.

Being part of the Queens community meant that we got to attend theoneg and melave malka. At the melave malka, many people came to show support, gain inspiration, and be a part of the excitement. My other sons, age almost 11 and 4 1/2, are growing up with a very keen awareness of abilities and disabilities, and the sensitivity and maturity that comes along with having a brother with challenges. At the melave malka, they got to see a spectacular thing:  their community, their neighbors, classmates, friends… and the boys of Camp Simcha Special– and saw that these two entities can be joined, so there is no dividing line between “us” and “them”– their brother, and all the boys, have a place, an acceptance, a love, in the community. My boys experienced, perhaps for the first time, that we are all one and the same.

For this, and for everything else, I thank you…

May Hashem continue to bestow upon you shefa bracha vehatzlacha [an abundance of blessing and success], and grant you much koach[strength] to continue your wonderful work.

Sincerely,

Galiah Morgenstern

Kovy’s Mommy
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The Queens Friends N’ Fun Weekend hosted by Eli and Chedva Rowe was a smashing success. An amazingly lavish Shabbos full of activities was followed by a gala Melava Malkah with a concert by Mordechai Ben David. Participants went home with official weekend fleece sweaters, each camper received a 9″ portable DVD player, but most important of all, everyone left with smiles on their faces and memories to keep them strong through the winter. Many thanks to the Rowe family and all the families in the community who hosted our Chai Lifeline family. A big thank you to those who spent many months planning this event, the amazing medical staff, and our counselors for their dedication.[singlepic id=1853 w=520 h=440 float=center]

Camp Simcha is covered in snow! The lake is iced over. The dining room even looks like a ski lodge. Everyone knows about simcha magic, but simcha magic in the snow is something entirely different. This past weekend, Camp Simcha campers and counselors made their way up to Glen Spey for a winter reunion. Here’s what it looked like in camp:
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Pretty amazing, right?! Once everyone got settled in their “lodges,” campers were treated to our familiar “Simcha Spa” that included manicures, pedicures, makeup, and massages. Shabbat consisted of many meals, many smiles, and much laughter as we enjoyed Shabbat plays, speeches, and of course, Shabbat Bingo.

[singlepic id=1846 w=300 h=220 float=right]After Havdalah, we took advantage of the snow with ATV rides around camp! After the thrilling rides, we headed to the social hall for a dazzling show by a mentalist. Back in the dining room, campers were delighted when they saw that the whole dining room was transformed into a kitsch coffee shop! Campers helped themselves to a wide array of different coffee flavors (okay-the counselors were the ones obsessing over the coffee), a table full of pastries, panini making stations, wraps, pasta, salads, and probably any kind of food that you will ever think of. To quote Bassie L., “there was TONS of food!” Melava Malka was followed by Simcha style dancing, but this packed night was not over yet. In the middle of dancing, Eli Gerstner popped out of the CS kitchen and treated us to a surprise concert! Now that’s what I call an end to a magical night.

Sunday morning breakfast in the “ski lodge” was truly on par with five-star lodge standards (not that we would expect anything less from Camp Simcha!). Our activities for the day consisted of snow mobile rides and a ventriloquist show that had us all laughing. Finally, campers and counselors filled up with a huge barbeque lunch before loading the busses back home.[singlepic id=1851 w=520 h=440 float=center]

On December 5th 2010, 48 Chai Lifeline children from across the United States and Canada were whisked away from their daily regimen of chemotherapy treatments and hospital stays for a four-day magical, incredible, and inspiring trip to Orlando, FL. The trip included stops at SeaWorld, Universal Studios, and Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Many thanks to Ari and Idy Friedman of the Ohr Meir Foundation, and “The Crew,” for funding, planning, and executing a magical trip to Orlando. Thanks to our Camp Simcha counselors under the leadership of Ari Dembi and Rivky Schwartz for bringing an unmatched energy to the trip. To our campers: thanks for teaching us how to truly live. Read more about our trip here: Ohr Meir 2010

Thousands of children and their families were granted a reprieve from the daily grind of illness this Chanukah when they gathered at parties around the world to celebrate the miracle of Chanukah as well as miracles of their own.

Participants were treated to performances by world renowned recording artists, performers, and clowns. There was music, singing and dancing, delicious food, & crafts. The highlight of each evening were the toys the children received thanks to the Honey Engel Toy Drive, the Ossie Schonfeld Toy Fund, our generous sponsors, schools, and shuls.

Music made possible by The Ariella Horenstein Music in Our Lives Program

Many thanks to our dedicated volunteers for making it all possible!

CREDITS
Photos by Ephraim Shapiro, Itamar Frankenthal, Joel Cherner, Rikki Liff, The Lakewood Shopper, and many other kind souls.
Video created by Moshe Deutsch
“Miracle” by Matisyahu
No copyright infringement intended