Camp Council News: Yasher Koach Susie, Mark, and Aly!
The Camp George Camp Council is made up of a dedicated group of volunteers, from camp parents to camp veterans. They provide thoughtful leadership and guidance to our camp, and we are grateful for their support.
Susie Berg has been the Camp Council Chair for the last 2 years after completing a 2-year term as the Vice Chair. She embodies the kind of leadership we aim to teach our campers and staff; a strong commitment to her role, a dedication to our community, and an energy that brings people together. She is always looking for ways to help make the camp experience more meaningful for everyone – from our campers and staff, to our alumni and volunteers. Susie has worked tirelessly to help engage more lay people in our efforts. She did exceptional work with the ‘You Belong’ initiative – taking a deep look into everything that we do and learning how we can do even more to ensure that our community feels welcome and safe. She has helped us tremendously on this journey and this work continues. This initiative will be a meaningful legacy to Camp George from her time spent as Chair and we are grateful for her support. We look forward to Susie remaining on the Camp Council as the Immediate Past Chair.
Susie is passing the torch to Mark S. Anshan, who is the Incoming Camp Council Chair. Mark has been with Camp George since the very beginning. In 1998, he helped establish Camp George, hiring the first Director and finding its home on beautiful Maple Lake. He has been on the Executive and Camp Council ever since and served on various committees. Mark has big dreams for Camp George in the future. He envisions growth to include more campers from more congregations, while maintaining a dedication to scholarships for families who need support. Mark hopes to fundraise to continue improving facilities at camp, as well as recruiting more volunteers and lay leaders to join the Camp George family. As the only Reform Jewish Camp in Canada, Mark loves how unique Camp George is; from its incredible professional leadership to its support from congregations across the country. We are thrilled to welcome Mark as the incoming Camp Council Chair!
After being on the Council for two years, Alyson (Aly) Gampel is stepping into the role as Camp Council Vice Chair. Aly was first introduced to camp as a parent chaperone from Neshamah Congregation. She decided to send both of her daughters, Paige and Emily, to be campers at Camp George. Aly recalls that when she came for visitor’s day, Paige jumped into her arms saying, “I love Camp George and next year I want to stay for the entire summer”. Aly and her family have found a real home at Camp George, and she appreciates how welcoming the camp community has been to her family. Aly was pleasantly surprised to find there was an opportunity for parents to get involved on the Council. She served on the You Belong committee helping to make camp more inclusive for campers like her daughter who came out at camp. As Vice Chair, Aly is committed to serving camp and helping to broaden camp’s reach with new campers. She is excited for campers to get back to camp after this challenging summer, which has really highlighted the importance of camp. We are so fortunate to have Aly as Vice Chair!
Yasher Koach Susie, Mark, and Aly!
Meet our entire Camp Council (https://campgeorge.org/about/steering-committee/): These dedicated volunteers give their time and expertise toward making Camp George the best it can be, working diligently to secure its future for generations to come. We are grateful for their support and leadership!