summer
impressio s

CAMP GUIDE

DAY CAMP

Ideal Choices from page 33

(248) 661-3630 • 4150 Middlebelt Rd. • West Bloomfield

(between Lone Pine and Long Lake Roads)

NO PRICE INCREASE!

SPEND YOUR SUMMER IN OUR BACKYARD!!

OUR 16TH YEAR

Certified
Instr uctor "

Miniature Golf — .New!
Awesome Bounce
Basketball
Softball
Field Hockey
Sand Volleyball
Tetherball
Soccer
T-Ball
Tennis
Safety City — New!
Kickball
Box Hockey
Fitness Et Exercise Trail
Creative Dramatics

• No Long Bus Rides!

Dance
Swimming (heated pools)
Overnights
Cookouts
Campfires
Field Trips
Theatre
Music
Puppetry
Storytelling
Skits
Special Visitors
Challenge Course — New!
Science Center
Karate — New!

Rock Climbing — New!
Clay Making
Leather Making
Paper Mache
Seed Mosaics
Jewelry Making
Lanyards
Bead Making
Tye Dying
Games Galore
Arts and Crafts
Science and Nature

• Why pay more for other Camps?

•Country Camp in the City of West Bloomfield
(5 minutes from Farmington Hills, Bloomfield Hills and Commerce)

• Extended day at NO ADDITIONAL FEE:
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. AND/OR
3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

•Flexible Scheduling!!

Call 248-661-3630 for additional info!!
www.summerimpressions.com

1050910

connection was instanta-
neous.
"Once I saw her, I would-
n't let her go',' said Stuart.
Within the year, Donna
sold her business and
moved back home to join
the Farber family, which
included Stuart's daugh-
ters, Alaina and Shirah,
now 15 and 19.A few years
later, Owen was born.
Oren Brandvain and Henry Shifman
When each child became
at Camp Tavor.
old enough for overnight
camp, Tamakwa was the
ed to go to camp with Oren.
obvious choice.
Henry's parents, Jeffrey and
"Tamakwa is in your heart:' said
Dina Shifman of Farmington
Donna."It's a magical place. Some
Hills, had originally planned to
of our closest friendships today
send both children to Camp
are with people we met there
Tamarack in Ortonville, where
"One of the true joys in my life
Marlee was already enrolled.
is to be able to send my kids to
When Henry remained adamant
Camp Tamakwa," said Stuart. "It's
about attending Camp Tavor, they
a place where you learned that you
did some research and decided
were better than you ever thought
they liked its smaller size and
you could be."
communal atmosphere. The fact
that Oren, who Henry has known
since he was 4 years old, would be
his counselor was an added plus.
"Henry is an outside-the-box
kind of kid),' said Dina. "I didn't
want him to get lost in the crowd.
The kids were very nice, not at all
clique-ish:'
She added that the non-com-
petitive environment was good for
Henry, who is not particularly
sports oriented.
"I liked that the camp is very
pro-Israel, very Zionistic," said
Jeffrey. "Every morning they raised
the American and the Israeli
flags."
Henry made several friends and
A Tamakwa family: Shirah, Stuart Donna,
enjoyed the activities, especially
Alaina and Owen Farber.
the work program, where the
campers chose jobs to perform on
A Little Spat
a daily basis. Henry collected trash
For Henry Shifman; 10, a routine
from various locations throughout
argument with his older sister,
the camp, which he sorted for the
Marlee, 14, resulted in an unex-
compost pile and transported in a
pected yet very successful camp-
wheelbarrow.
ing experience.
"The oatmeal was the heaviest','
For several years, Henry had
he said.
been hearing about Habonim Dror
"Working gave him a sense of
Camp Tavor from his friend and
responsibility and self-esteem;'
Friendship Circle volunteer Oren
said Dina. "The kids really make
Brandvain, who is spending the
the camp work. Their spending
year in Israel. Camp Tavor, located
money goes into a joint account,
in Three Rivers, Mich., is a kib-
and they decide as a group how it
butz-inspired camp affiliated with
should be used."
the Labor Zionist Movement. One
Different children, even if they
day, in the midst of a typical sib-
are from the same family, often
ling squabble with Marlee, Henry
have different needs when it
suddenly announced that he want- comes to camp environments. For

December 1 2005