FALL COLORS OF BENETTON.
Fresh Air Society
Celebrates 90 Years
LESLEY PEARL
,Skiff Writer
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n 1902, Blanche Harte
and Ida Koppel decided
immigrant mothers and
children needed to get out-
side and breathe some fresh
air. So they took them to
Belle Isle for the day.
Ninety years later, the
Fresh Air Society is
celebrating its humble
beginnings which have
grown into Camp Tamarack,
Camp Maas, Camp Ken-
nedy, Agree Outpost Camp,
travel trips and family
camp. The anniversary will
be 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at Con-
gregation Beth Abraham
Hillel Moses with songs,
sweets and a slide show.
Two years after Ms. Harte
and Ms. Koppel began their
program, they decided to get
further away from the city.
They rented a home in
Kingston, Ontario, for $50.
Within a few weeks, the
water system broke and
camp ended for the season.
The next year they rented
a home in Roseville. The
women rode streetcars, car-
rying food to camp so the
mothers and children would
be assured of kosher meals.
By 1912, the program had
grown so substantially that
the camp was made ex-
clusively for children. The
only mothers there were
volunteer cooks. Ms. Harte
and Ms. Koppel called a
meeting to raise $10,000 to
buy land at Venice Beach on
Lake St. Clair for a new site.
They called it Fresh Air
Camp.
Due to water pollution and
growth in the area outside of
Mt. Clemens, Fresh Air
Camp was moved to
Brighton in 1925. Edwin
Rosenthal donated the 80
acres of land.
In 1927, an additional 200
acres of land was purchased,
completing the site now
known as Camp Tamarack
at Brighton. Campers were
charged $7 a week for the
experience.
Irwin Shaw, director of the
Fresh Air Society from 1936
to 1955, was a camper that
year. He returned in 1928 as
a counselor-in-training.
"It was a wonderful expe-
rience with a terrific staff,"
Mr. Shaw said. "That's why
I returned the next year.
And my experiences over 20
years with the organization
cannot be put into words."
The 1,350 acre site at Or-
tonville was purchased in
1950. The Tamarack Hills
were part of the site — thus
the name, Camp Tamarack.
According to Dorene Finer,
a member of the Federation
board, Frank Lloyd Wright7,1
submitted plans for the
design of the camp. His
plans were rejected.
The camp site at Orton-
ville was renamed Camp
Maas in 1981 after Benard
and Rosalyn Maas.
Camp Maas is divided into ci
nine villages. All cabins are
winterized.
"We're the largest camp
organization in the country,
with 1,500 campers a sea-
son," Ms. Finer said. "We're 1
the only camp in the country
with a specific site for
elementary school kids —
Brighton."
In 1958, the first Western
Trip was offered as a con-
tinuum of the camp experi-_
ence. The excursion took
teens to Yellowstone Na-
"We're the largest
camp organization
in the country with
1,500 campers a
season."
Dorene Finer
tional Park, Zion National
Park and the Grand Tetons.
In 1982, an Alaskan Trip
was added for a more rugged
outdoor experience.
Fresh Air Society's next c!
acquisition came in 1963.
Camp Kennedy, located in
the Upper Peninsula, was
donated by Edward C. Levy...
On the site is the lodge of
former Gov. Green.
•
Expansion hit Ortonville
in 1970 with the building of (-
the Butzel Conference
Center. The center is used
for senior citizens, family_<
camping and educational
programs.
One year later, Charles
Agree donated land in
Wawa, Ontario. It is known
as Agree Outpost.
In 1974, Fresh Air Society ,
began to address the prob-'-‘
lems of emotionally im-
paired children. Silverman
Village was opened at the
Ortonville site, catering to
their specific needs.
Approximately 20 to 30
percent of all Tamarack
campers receive scholarship
money to attend camp. Fresh
Air Society's motto is "no
child will be denied a camp
experience because of finan-
cial needs." ❑