Newspaper Page Text
Friday, July 9, 1965
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Pagt FI'*
ATLANTA JEWISH
COMMUNITY
CENTER
1745 Peachtree St.,
N.E., Atlanta, Ga.
30309
AJCC New
Look for this page
weekly to keep in
formed about AJCC
programs. For details
not covered call:
TR. 5-7881
AJECOMCE Day Camp
In Full Swing
CENTER - WISE
By: Frank Fierman
ro MY FELLOW MEMBERS OF BN AI B’RITH
During the past few days a flurry of questions have been addressed
to me concerning the relationship of the Center to the activities of
BBYO in Atlanta.
While I am not aware of any special occurance which could attract
attention to this important subject at this time, these questions are
always welcome, and it has occurred to me that the answers would
be of interest to all members of B’nai B’rith, and not only to those who
saw fit to telephone rr.e or visit me. So ... . here goes— 's-
Q. Does the Center prevent a child who is a member of BB6 or AZA
from participating in the “BBYO Basketball Program,” if that young
sters’ family is not a member of the Center?
A. The premise of the question is incorrect. There is no separate
'BBYO Basketball Program.” There is an AJCC Basketball Program for
all of the children of the community in which teams of BBYO groups
participate with groups identified with Young Judea, Temple and with
the Center itself. All children must be members of the Center in order
to participate in this program. The Basketball Committee of the Center
sets up the rules for the leagues, recruits volunteer coaches and, in
general, supervises the leagues.
Since membership is available to all in the community whether or
not they are financially able to pay the full dues, that child whose
family is not a member is not being denied participation by the Center
but by his own parents.
Q. What does the BBYO pay the Center for office space?
A. The Center provides approximately 600 square feet of office space
for BBYO. It also provides heat, light, telephone service and mainten
ance service at no cost whatever to BBYO. The estimated value of
this service is well over $2,000 per year. Surely, every member of B’nai
B’rith who is aware of this, realizes that by their membership in the
Center, they not only support an important community agency, but the
BBYO program as well.
Q. How much money does the Center receive from National B’nai
B’rith towards operating cost 7
A. This is a pleasant thought but, alas, is only a fantasy, since Na
tional B’nai B’rith does not have funds to contribute to the operation
of local Centers in Atlanta or elsewhere.
Q. Since the Center is supportedby the Atlanta United Fund and the
Atlanta Jewish Welfare Fund, why does it insist on membership from
families of the children.
A. The Center is grateful for the support it receives from the United
Fund and Jewish Welfare Fund but this is not quite the Bonanza which
the question implies. The facts are that in 1965 some 22% of a budget
of over $300,000 comes from the United Fund and Jewish Welfare Fund,
and this is our only outside income. All other income- is from member
ship dues or activity fees. This is a high degree of support. Indeed, in
come from membership dues is the financial “life-blood” of our Center.
The support of the Center on the basis of this community service alone
(only one of many such services) more than justifies the enrollment in
membership by every family in the community, whatever its other
Jewish group affiliations may be.
Q. Is BBYO “in charge” of running the youth program of the Center?
A. No. The Center is a community-wide agency, a major part of
whose responsibility is service to our teen-age youngsters The responsi
bility for conducting its youth program rests with the Centers’ Board
of Directors and with its professional staff.
Activities for teenagers are conducted by the Center, as well as by
our congregations, Young Judea and BBYO. Since BBYO is the largest
one in the community in numbers of youth groups and children in
volved, the incorrect impression is received that it is the youth serving
agency in the community. With all due respect to the fine job which
BBYO does, this is not the case.
The Center deems it to be its responsibility to provide meeting
space, set standards for group work practice, provide leadership train
ing and, in general, to cooperate with all of the Jewish youth-serving
organizations in our community.
New Activities Added To
Already Full Program
The enrollment for the first
session of Ajecomce Day Camp
includes 230 children, ages 6-11.
A hobby day is held each week
on Friday. Each camper choses
three special interest activities in
which he wishes to participate
on an individual basis. There are
20 interest groups from which
the child may make his choice.
These groups include synchroniz
ed swimming, divinjl^UTRCP1 rr-tes-
sons, folk dancing, nature hikes,
special crafts, etc. This program
provides an opportunity for chil
dren who enjoy particular acti
vities an opportunity for addi
tional training and experience in
the skills he enjoys most. This
year the site includes 2 1 « miles of
trails through the wooded areas.
All of the trails are marked and
vegation which includes poison
ivy has been sprayed and re
moved.
Special Sabbath programs are
being held on Friday afternoon
and involve a real creative ap
proach through the use of Bible
stories.
The new administrative build
ing includes a well equipped arts
and crafts shop, main office,
bathrooms, as well as an in
firmary restroom.
This facility has provided an
opportunity for expanded arts
and crafts as well as the centrali
zation of all administrative areas.
The crafts program has been ex
panded and includes the use of
all crafts media and each activity
is geared at the level of the in
dividual child. One of the
projects of the children is to
make paper mache animals which
will be used to decorate the small
swamp area just behind the craft
shop.
The pre tween program for 9,
10, 11 year olds is providing an
advanced program for the chil
dren involved. All skills are on
an advanced skills level and in
cludes much more of the nature
craft, nature lore activities. Dur
ing the third week of camp ar
rangements were made for an
overnight program at Camp
Barney Medintz. The group will
also take a trip to Kennesaw
Mountain.
The staff for this program is
experienced and qualified in
working with this older day
camper group. The swimming
program, under the direction of
Fred Kleinsteuber, W.S.I., in
structor, shows the children ad
vancing in their swimming skills.
Many of the youngsters who
shied away from the water, are
now involved in learning the
elementary back stroke and Aus
tralian crawl. This information is
tor, is engaged currently in post
graduate studies at the University
of Tennessee.
OCR SCHEDULE
Ajecomce Day Camp is in ope
ration Monday through Friday,
from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
TRANSPORTATION
Children are transported by
chartered buses to and from as
signed pick-up points. Transpor
tation is limited to areas desig
nated by the bus company.
but a portion of the
experience which the
Day Campers are
through the program.
STAFF
The Ajecomce staff consists of
division heads, specialists and
counselors carefully recruited
from the colleges and school
systems in this area. An intensive
pre-camp training program is re
quired. and is conducted by the
group work staff of the AJCC.
Jerom e Melman, Camp Direc-
wonderful
Ajecomce
receiving
Register Now
Second Session
AJECOMCE DAY CAMP
6 — 12 Year Old Boys and Girls
Fee: $87.00 — 4 Weeks
Includes: transportation, insurance, camp T
shirt, daily beverage, snack and weekly cookout
REMEMBER
I I Days Left To Slarl Of
Second Session