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Campers enjoy swimming in Lake Huron at Camp Wooden Acres.
Ivan Katz, Owner
248-543-6320
greatlakeslandscapedesign.com
Wooden Acres Camp to celebrate
milestone with a reunion.
Jess Herndon
Serving Southeast Michigan
1742060
en years ago, Harvey
Finkelberg said he and his
wife, Linda, dreamed of open-
ing a private Jewish camp. Despite
the difficulty of starting a camp from
scratch, they committed themselves to
creating a place where kids could go to
experience the growth and happiness
only a camp can provide.
Finkelberg said he believes the
ingredients for a successful camp are
first-class facilities, outstanding pro-
grams and excellent staff at an afford-
able fee.
The first step was to find a home for
their camp, which they did at Double
JJ Resort in the Western Michigan
town of Rothbury.
Wooden Acres embarked on its first
summer in 2003 with a modest four-
week program that included a short
adventure trip for older campers, with
the camp's loyal bus,"Doris," miracu-
lously enduring the journey without
breaking down.
From that humble beginning, the
camp has become a six-week program
that boasts three adventure trips, a
waterfront program, fine arts program,
sports and much more programming
to foster campers' need for fun, nur-
turing, and both emotional and social
growth.
While advertising helped Wooden
Acres make it to its second year and
beyond, it was a faithful client base
that enabled increased enrollment and
continued success.
•
Keep your company top of mind with our readers.
ADVERTISE WITH US! CALL 248.351.5107
Visit theJEMSHNEILcorr,
18
June 28 2012
Special to the Jewish News
A New Location
In 2008, Wooden Acres relocated to
Camp Stapleton in Lexington, Mich.,
30 minutes north of Port Huron.
Campers and their parents fell in love
with the beautiful site on Lake Huron,
complete with a private beach, sports
fields, an archery range, spacious
grounds and cozy living quarters. For
the last four years, Wooden Acres has
flourished at its new home, the small
town of Lexington providing the per-
fect scenery for beautiful summer
camp memories.
Harvey Finkelberg has been
involved with different camps for
more than three decades, but he is
still awed by Wooden Acres' ability to
impact both staff and campers alike,
the intimate nature of camp creating
a family-like atmosphere in which
campers, staff, administrators and
their families know and care about
each other. Wooden Acres becomes an
important part of the lives of those
involved, not just during the summer
but throughout the entire year, he
said.
Wooden Acres' most important
strength is its ability to meet the
individual needs of every child, even
those who struggle socially in school
or at other camps.
In celebration of its 10 successful
years, the Finkelbergs are inviting all
former campers, staff, friends and
family of Wooden Acres to celebrate on
Sunday, July 22, from 11 a.m. until 5
p.m. at the camp in Lexington.
Many activities will be available,
including a carnival throughout the
afternoon and a concert featuring
a Wooden Acres choir, Detroit art-
ist Brilliance and up-and-coming
star Jessie Dean, both produced by
Grammy and Oscar award-winning
producer Jeff Bass. The event is free.
The Finkelbergs look forward to
many wonderful summers and to cel-
ebrating a decade of success and reliv-
ing cherished camp memories with
the Wooden Acres family.
Visit www.woodenacres.com for
more information or call (810) 359-
5053. 1