Camper Asa learns archery with instructor Jackson Sanders.Camp sessions for summer 2019 are filling up quickly at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City (The J). Registration opened for J members on Feb. 12, and on the first day of enrollment 164 campers registered for 908 different sessions. DD Gass, director of Camps and School-Age Services, said that number was incredible for the opening day. “Last year at that time we had 130 kids registered and 692 sessions,” Gass said. “We’re sold out of 14 different sessions right now in some of our specialty camps.”Gass said the rising enrollment numbers in the last five years are an indication that The J has been growing. Membership has grown almost 48 percent in the last 10 years. “We have a baseball program that went from 87 kids to 2,000 in the past six years, so it’s more than just the camp that’s growing — there’s growing participation in a variety of programs here at The J,” Gass said.Jacob Mooney, former chairman of the J Camp Committee, said Gass played a key role in increasing the quality and appeal of the camps. He said Gass helped get the camps accredited by the American Camp Association.“DD has been phenomenal in really bringing us back to where we used to be and beyond in our glory days,” Mooney said.J Camps fill quickly due to their appeal. They were awarded Best Summer Camp in 2017 by The Pitch.Gass said something new is added each year for students to look forward to. Campers can choose from five premiere camps and eight specialty camps. New choices have been added in 2019 for the STEM camp, like video game design and toy building. New choices also exist for culinary camp and LEGO camp. Many of the new camp themes are sold out, but Gass said there is still availability in other camps such as theatre camp, art camp and triathlon camp. “We have some really cool camps,” Gass said. “We’re able to use the White Theatre for our four-week summer stock theatre camp for kids in fourth through eighth grade, and this year we’re doing the show ‘Peter Pan Jr.’ Our White Theatre is doing ‘Peter Pan,’ and so our kids are going to be talking to the actors that are doing the adult version of ‘Peter Pan’ and get to see how they fly.”Campers in “Peter Pan Jr.” won’t be flying, but there will be some electronic illusions to enhance the performance. One of the most unique camps The J offers is Ma’asim Tovim, which is open to those entering seventh and eighth grades. “It is a community service camp and it teaches campers to be mensches — good and ethical people. They do community service projects around the community in the morning and then they get to do recreational activities in the afternoon,” Gass said. “So they get to do something for others and then get something fun for themselves.”While Ma’asim Tovim specializes in community service and good deeds, all camps work on helping kids become admirable people.“We end each week with Shabbat and recognizing our mensches of the week. We emphasize Jewish values during the week and those that have shown to their counselors that they possess those Jewish values are often nominated for mensch of the week, and they like getting that award,” Gass said.J Camps also bring in two Israeli emissaries — shlichim — from The Jewish Agency for Israel to work with campers and teach them about Israel with dancing, food, songs and games.“They (The Jewish Agency for Israel) send counselors to different Jewish camps across the United States, so there’s hundreds of Jewish shlichim that come to the U.S. to share Israel. Our kids love learning about Israel from them,” Gass said. Gass said her favorite parts about camp are seeing smiles on happy kids’ faces, the excited good morning hugs between campers and counselors each day, and the tearful goodbyes at the end of summer. “I love hearing their stories of what their favorite things were that they did in the morning and what they’re looking forward to,” she said. “We have wonderful staff that are very caring with our kids and building the relationships that I love to see. … It’s just really rewarding that our staff builds excellent relationships with the groups of kids that they have.”The expansion of The J, expected to be complete in 2020, should have positive effects on J Camps, according to Mooney. He said the expansion will make the continued growth of camps possible without moving offsite to accommodate the large number of campers.“It is a big deal because the camp continues to grow, but we’ve always had capacity issues,” Mooney said. Gass echoed these thoughts. “We are hoping to enroll more students and more campers in our camps once we have more space,” she said. “It’ll be a great opportunity for us to add some different spots for kids and be able to take more families.” Mooney said camp sessions run weekly to provide flexibility for those with busy summer schedules. The J also offers a Child Development Center (CDC) camp for ages 2 through youth entering kindergarten. The CDC camp offers two, four-week sessions, so registration covers a four-week period.Weekly sessions run June 3 through Aug. 2. Those interested can register online at JCampKC.org.Members of The J can enroll in camp sessions at a discounted rate. Cost of premiere camps run between $254 to $295 per week for members. Specialty camps are around $292 a week for members. Non-Members can also enroll, with fees ranging from $386-443 per week. The J also offers a part-time option for some camps that cost $180 for members and $275 for non-members. Families can get an 8 percent discount off the camp fee if they register before the April 1 early registration deadline. Registration will stay open until sessions are at full capacity.For more information regarding camps at The J, contact Gass at 913-327-8079.
