Making connections that last a lifetime.
Camper Incentive Grants
Summers at both Jewish day and overnight camps are packed with a wide range of fun activities—aquatics, arts and crafts, basketball and soccer, dance, music, cooking, archery, drama, outdoor adventure and hiking, and much more! Campers are encouraged to discover new skills and interests they never knew they had. Jewish summer camp weaves Jewish values, culture, and traditions into the fabric of camp, helping campers to connect to their own identity as well as the larger Jewish community. Experiential learning is used to reveal what makes Jewish religion and culture so unique in today’s world as campers explore what Judaism means to them in a safe, nurturing, and fun environment. The impact of Jewish camp is immediate—campers return home connected to a community and friends that will last them a lifetime.
Taste of Centerland
Taste of Centerland provides incentive grants (regardless of need) of $250 to Jewish families with children attending The Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo’s Camp Centerland for the first time for a minimum of 2 weeks.
Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo has been operating WNY’s premiere Jewish summer day camp since 1955. The camp has grown and developed dramatically in the years since it started on a 78-acre tract of land in rural Elma, NY. In 2013, Camp Centerland moved to its new facility in Getzville, adjacent to the JCC Benderson Family Building as the JCC wanted to redefine JCC camping for the 21st century.
The JCC’s Camp Centerland provides a stimulating and nurturing environment based on Jewish values in a Jewish setting for children entering kindergarten through 9th grade. Camp Centerland’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that teaching and demonstrating the Jewish values of Chesed (kindness), Kehillah (community) and Tikkun Olam (healing the world) is as important as splashing in the swimming pool, enjoying a popsicle, or singing favorite camp songs. Limud is the Hebrew word for learning, which is at the heart of everything they do. Limud (learning) is the foundation of this diverse camp community and enables everyone to gain a deeper sense of identity and belonging.
Taste of Centerland incentive grants are made possible through the generous support of The Weisman Family.
To learn more about Camp Centerland, click here.
Check back for more information for Summer 2023
One Happy Camper
The One Happy Camper Program was conceived with the singular mission of increasing the number of children benefiting from the transformative experience of Jewish overnight camp. Aimed at attracting new campers who do not have daily, immersive exposure to Judaism, the program provides financial incentives to families of first-time campers to encourage and motivate parents to choose Jewish overnight camp over other summer options. One Happy Camper grant recipients – just like all Jewish campers – will experience a memorable summer infused with Jewish education, awareness, and identity.
The Buffalo One Happy Camper Program provides the following incentive grants, regardless of need, for first-time campers:
- $1,000 if the camper is enrolled for 19+ consecutive days
- $700 if the camper is enrolled for 12-18 consecutive days
Eligibility criteria for first-time* campers:
- Must be entering grades 1-12 (after camp)
- Do not attend Jewish day school or yeshiva (Why is that?)
- Attending a nonprofit, Jewish, overnight camp listed on Find A Camp
- *Campers who previously attended camp for 11 days or less are still eligible
The Buffalo One Happy Camper program is in partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) and made possible through the generous support of The David Feuerstein Family Foundation.
The One Happy Camper Program was envisioned as an outreach initiative for children who are not currently receiving an immersive, daily Jewish experience. As such, children who attend Jewish day school or Yeshiva are not eligible for these programs.
Questions about our camper incentive grants?
Contact Mandy Weiss
Director of Planning & Overseas