Top: Silver Beach provided hours of
fun at the Grand Resort.

Top center: Carly Chaben, 6, of
Farmington Hills and Madeline Krieger,
5, of West Bloomfield are powered by
counselor Paul Chanu of South Africa.

Bottom left: Adam Rubenfire, 8, of
West Bloomfield and Hannah Cohen,11,
of West Bloomfield relax with Joey and
camp director Missy Siegler.

Many campers were unprepared
for the intimacy of the Grand Resort,
which hosts maybe 60-70 guests each
week.
"For the past seven years, my fami-
ly — all 16 of us — have enjoyed
Camp Michigania [a summer pro-
gram for University of Michigan
alumni and families]. Fortunately, this
year we didn't get in and just hap-
pened to hear about the Grand
Resort," Michael Seidman of
Huntington Woods wrote in a letter
to the Fresh Air Society.
"I was concerned about the small
size and relatively small numbers of
campers. I thought it might be a bit
too intimate. These all proved to be
serious misconceptions. What an out-
standing week we had. The small size
and the small numbers made this an
excellent environment. The ability to
bond with my 13-, 11- and 8-year-
old was facilitated by your camp. We
had a blast."

Super Staff

Aside from a beautiful beach and
good programming, the crucial key to
Grand Resort's success is staffing.
Most weeks, there is nearly a one-to-
one ratio of counselors to children.
You could interact with your chil-
dren or simply take pleasure in watch-
ing them play from a distance. There
is always a counselor around to help
your child with a skill or activity, and
these same counselors became shorn-
rim (watchers) at night in the cabins
so adults could gather without worry
for their evening activities. You also
could hire counselors to baby-sit and
leave camp for a night out.
One mother of a 1-year-old daugh-
ter rarely had•to hold her child — she
was always with a counselor. "I'm
going to have a hard time with her at
home because she's so spoiled," Jodi
Weinfeld of Farmington Hills told the
counselors who doted on her daugh-
ter. Weinfeld's two older children got
similar attention from the young
counselors.
•
A core staff of specialists stayed
through the summer, while each week
a different group, mostly from the
Tamarack Camps' Teen Service Staff,

12/8
2000

68

Bottom right: David Weinfeld, 6, of
Farmington Hills is ready for a tube ride.

rotated into family camp from
Ortonville.
"The staff want to be there,"
Siegler said. "They are motivated and
enthusiastic. They cry when they have
to leave because they enjoyed working
with the adults and families."
Eric Ceresnie, 18, a University of
Michigan student from West
Bloomfield, taught water skiing and
liked the change of pace from the
camp in Ortonville. "This is more
relaxed, and it's a nice change to be
working with parents, too. It's great to
see the parents so happy watching
their kids ski."
Kvelling also is a key ingredient of
the Grand Resort. For the first time,
many children experience a big dose
of independence. They can decide
what they want to do and do it, while
parents can sit back and watch the
fun, confident of the safe environ-
ment.
Adam Rubenfire, 8, of West
Bloomfield became addicted to kayak-
ing. "Camp was very fun," he said.
"No one gets to boss you around. You
can pick whatever activity you want.
It's cool."
"It's such a pleasure to know the
kids are having a good time," said his
mother, Shelly Rubenfire. "I can sit
and read a book. How often do I get a
chance to relax?"

• Alan Spigelman of West Bloomfield
agreed. "It's an easy vacation," he said.
"You don't have to think about activi-
ties or running to restaurants. To me,
the most fun is hanging out with
other people."
Rick Hyman of West Bloomfield is
a camper from way back. At Grand
Resort, he had fun reliving his youth.
"I did everything the first day — ski-
ing, kayaking, sailing, fishing. It was
like being a kid again."
Camp director Siegler said one
family told her this was "the best fam-
ily vacation they ever spent with their
family."
Accommodations make it easy to
include grandparents in the mix.
Several families turn their week into a
no-fuss family reunion.

Jewish Spirit
Family camp is not heavily pro-
grammed, leaving activities up to per-
sonal choice. Except on Shabbat.
That's when everyone shifts gears a lit-
tle to share the end of the week
together.

Dressed in nicer clothes of blue and
white, campers sing a few Shabbat
songs by the water, then move to the
dining hall where they light candles
together and share a typical Shabbat
meal.
That night, parents gather for a
discussion on a Jewish topic that
relates to the week's Torah portion.
The dialogue brings people closer
together as they share points of view
from their frames of reference.
Campers reflect all streams of
Judaism.
A Shabbat morning service near the
water includes singing and readings by
parents and children. The rest of the
day includes camper awards (for
adults, too), a family Olympics, a
nature scavenger hunt and free time.
Shabbat ends with a Havdalah service,
where each family lights a braided
candle and uses a spice box made ear-
lier in the week.
"Friday night we had a wonderful
discussion about God's existence,"
Seidman wrote in his letter. "We
talked of miracles and signs from God
versus mere coincidence. The weather
was awesome. During our Havdalah
service the next night, clouds blew in,
a drizzle or mist began, then the sun
managed to break through and the
most spectacular double rainbow
appeared from end to end on Mullett
Lake. Prior to camp, I would have
thought coincidence — now I truly
believe."
No Jewish experience is complete
without a discussion of the food. All
the food prepared is kosher, though
the kitchen is not under rabbinic
supervision. The kitchen staff goes out
of its way to present elegant camp
food. One night, there's prime rib,
another a Chinese buffet; always

Informational meetings about the Grand Resort Family Camp at Mullett
Lake will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, m the Discovery Room of
the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield and at 1 p.m. Sunday,
Dec. 17, , in the Assembly Hall of the Oak Park JCC. • For information , call
Beth Sonne, (248) 647-1493.