Each season, two of our summer staff are honoured with the prestigious Sam Award. This award, which was named in honour of past benefactor and committee chair Sam Reisman, was first given in 2007. It is presented to two Camp George staff members who best exemplify the embodiment of Jewish values, dedication, hard work and the performance of good deeds. Our staff members have the opportunity to nominate their peers, and the final awards are voted on by our summer leadership team.

In addition to having their names inscribed on a plaque in our camp office, our winners are invited to sit on our Camp Committee and choose a charitable organization of their choice which camp donates to in their honour.

This summer, we were thrilled when Miriam Sossin and Avner Bordoley were honoured as our Sam award winners. Today we’re sharing more about the charitable organizations that they have chosen to donate to:

Miriam and Avner holding up the Sam Award after being presented by Jeff Rose and Karen Kollins at the Staff Banquet, Summer 2019

Miriam

I did some research on environmental charities in Canada (as I wanted to donate the money to an environmental cause) and have Chosen CPAWS (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society). https://cpaws.org/ 

I chose to donate the SAM award money to CPAWS for various reasons. I wanted to contribute to the fight against climate change, as it’s one of the largest and most urgent global issues facing us today. I picked a Canadian charity, specifically one focussing on wildlife and parks, because of the influence Maple Lake and Algonquin park have had on me through Camp. With this donation I hope to combine my want to help save our planet with my appreciation for the experience with nature Camp George has given me. 

Avner

The charity I have chosen is Lymes Disease UK (Registered Charity Number: 1182212) because someone very important in my life has been suffering from Lymes disease for a number of years and this affected my family and I greatly. I would not wish Lymes disease upon anyone and more needs to be done to raise awareness of what it is and how to prevent, especially in the UK, because unlike in Canada where most people know what it is, the average person in the UK has no clue of the possible harm of Lymes Disease.

Mazel Tov! We’re so proud of Miriam and Avner for picking causes that are meaningful to them to give back to! In the meantime, we’re gearing up for summer staff hiring for CG2020 – maybe you’ll be the next winner of the Sam Award? Click here to apply!