Wooden Acres
has found just the
right size on the
east side.

Wooden Acres is on one of the world's largest lakes.

Alan Hitsky
Associate Editor

S

ome camps like to boast about their waterfront.
But it would be hard to find a camp with a big-
ger lake than the one that fronts Wooden Acres
Adventure Programs.
The private Jewish camping program moved last year
from the west side of Michigan to a site near Lexington,
20 minutes north of Port Huron on the shores of Lake
Huron. "No matter where you go at camp:' said Wooden
Acres director Harvey Finkelberg, "the lake is always
there. And it really has a calming influence."
Finkelberg started Wooden Acres in 2003 at the Double
JJ Ranch in Rothbury, near Muskegon. The ranch's finan-
cial difficulties forced Finkelberg to look for a new site for
last summer, and he found the former Camp Stapleton,
owned by a Catholic church. "We are the only ones there
in the summer:' said Finkelberg, "and it's very intimate'
The program has 200 campers at any one time, in one-
to six-week programs.
As you would imagine, Wooden Acres has a full
complement of water sports activities, but also travel pro-
grams, land sports and a heavily Jewish component.
Finkelberg stresses ethics, tikkun olam (repairing the
world), the environment, mitzvah and tzedakah days, pro-
grams about Israel, Jewish culture and holidays. Values
are discussed, with the older campers participating in
sessions on drugs and sex. "We've had a director of Jewish
programming in the past:' Finkelberg said, "but we are
not a religious camp. We are culture and values based."

The camp's reunion last month was held
at the Yad Ezra kosher food bank in Berkley,
where part of the reunion activities was to
help stack contributions for the food bank.
Wooden Acres includes a program for
higher-functioning, special-needs children
with behavioral or emotional problems, or
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The
children are integrated into the regular bunks,
although they may require an extra staff
person to assist them. Wooden Acres had 10
special-needs campers last summer.
The biggest problem facing any camp is the
poor economy, said Finkelberg. Private camps
that would never be represented at a camp
fair in the past or advertise are now strug-
Camper Noah
gling. He expects to see a number of camps
gets encouragement from counselor Marnie
closed or sold in the coming years because of Lieberman.
the economy.
To combat economic issues, Wooden Acres
a counselor or specialist in preparation for returning to
offered returning camper families 2009 rates for 2010.
camp the following year as a staffer.
Next year's first session is full and to boost second-ses-
The campers' favorite program is the Saturday "lip
sion enrollment, Finkelberg lowered fees and is offering
synch" night. They plan it for a week, make costumes and
only one- and two-week programs.
rehearse. Color war, said Finkelberg, is an institution at all
Each bunk at camp has 10-12 campers and two to four
camps.
counselors. Non-counselor specialists are responsible for
Summer camping themes have changed over the years,
activities like art and the waterfront. The camper/coun-
said Finkelberg, who has been in the camping field for 34
selor ratio is 3:1, Finkelberg said.
years and a summer camp director for 25. In the 1920s,
Travel programs for grades 8-10 include 10-day
he said, the campers were weighed as a measure of the
Midwest and Eastern trips. Tenth-graders can opt for an
18-day Western trip, then work at camp for two weeks as
Summer Fun on page 48

December 10 2009

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