CG Gives Back

Hello Camp George families! 

Our names are Natalie Cooper and Jeremiah Silver, and we want to share an initiative we organized for Camp George this week – “CG Gives Back.” 

What is it? 

“CG Gives Back” is an afternoon program where campers had the opportunity to choose between numerous Tikkun Olam projects around camp. Our goal was for campers to connect to their passions while shifting their perspectives on volunteerism. We ran four cycles of Tikkun Olam projects: baking cookies for the local fire department, beading bracelets for Save a Child’s Heart, decorating and tie dying pillowcases for Sick Kids Hospital, and creating tissue paper bouquets for the retirement home in Parry Sound!  

Why? 

Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, is a core value in one’s Jewish Identity and the Reform Movement. At Camp George, we believe that it is our mission to not just offer opportunities during the summer to our community, but to encourage volunteerism through passion and interest. From a young age, campers are taught that volunteering and giving back is important, prioritizing hours rather than experience. Instead, we want to encourage quality over quantity. Through this immersive experience, we hope campers discovered what Tikkun Olam means to them by engaging in opportunities that connected giving back and their own interests. 

Future Plans 

With the success that “CG Gives Back” brought this session, we are excited to announce that we will run this program for both sessions next summer! Our goal is to add a fifth activity: Blessing Bags. These bags will be overnight bags for a homeless shelter, containing items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant. Stay tuned for ways to get involved for summer 2023. We will be reaching out to our community for in kind donation of any size to help with obtaining items! It is important to us that if we are executing this day of mitzvot, we can perform to our fullest capability and potential.  

We are so proud of the day’s success! We loved seeing all the campers participating and enjoying the charity work they were doing! With support from the community in upcoming years,  a beautiful day of Mitzvot can turn into an amazing camp tradition and support the value of giving back to the community.