Camp Guide ❉

Something Old And Lots Of New

continued from page 28

JCC Day Camps welcome a new director and plans a summer of fun.

Elizabeth Applebaum | Special to the Jewish News

I

n 1929, the world was full of innova-
tion (the first patent for a color TV was
filed), turmoil (the Wall Street crash)
and drama (the first Academy Awards).
In Detroit, the Jewish Community
Center was just three years old, based in
a small house and offering a handful of
classes. So who could have imagined that
the JCC was about to see the start of what
would become one of its most popular and
innovative programs, continuing to this
day with participants who describe it as
the best time of their lives.
In 1929, the JCC of Detroit held its first
summer day camp.
Today, Howard Gutman is director of
JCC Day Camps, which offers dozens of
sports, creative, theater, travel and more
camps for kids 2½-14. He comes with a
touch of the old —
plenty of professional
and personal experi-
ence in the camping
field, plus a long
affiliation with the
JCC — and also the
new. This is his first
year as director, and he
Howard
is
expanding the pro-
Gutman
gram to include more
camps and bigger and
better special days.
“I am thrilled to welcome Howard as
our new director,” said Miriam Bergman,
chair of the JCC Day Camps Camp
Committee. “His extensive experience,
passion for camp and tremendous energy
make him ideal for our program. He is a
delight to work with and already has many
wonderful ideas for summer 2016.”
What exactly is it about camp that
Gutman loves?
“I love things that will excite the kids’
imaginations,” he says. “There is nothing

WILLOWAY DAY
CAMP INC.

P.O. Box 250933
West Bloomfield, MI 48325
(248) 932-2123
www.willowaydaycamp.com

You never know what to expect on Theme Day!

like their wonderment as they discover the
world.” So there will be happy surprises,
new adventures and great days ahead at
camp. The chance to work full time as the
JCC’s camp director is “like a dream come
true,” he says.
Gutman, who lives in Farmington Hills,
is a native of Oak Park. The father of three
(an actor, a graphic artist and an attorney)
and grandfather of five, he is married to
Karen, director of Career and Business
Services at JVS.
When he was young, Gutman attended
Tamarack Camps, and his first jobs were
working for a summer program with the
Oak Park Recreation Department and
after school at the JCC summer camp in
Oak Park. After graduating from Wayne
State University, he worked with the Valley
Cities JCC in Encino, Calif., as director of a
summer program at the JCC in Oak Park,
assistant director of recreation for the city
of Hazel Park and as a camp specialist for
the city of Southfield.
He was operating a successful business,
Howard Michaels Fund Raising, when he

learned about the opportunity at the JCC.
He was excited to come on board because
it meant getting back to his favorite field
and because it meant working at this par-
ticular camp.
“There’s the facility itself,” he says.
“There’s a ropes course, a basketball court,
the pools. I’m just amazed.”
He also points out the diverse program,
with traditional camp, specialty programs,
trips, sports, arts and crafts. Gutman is
expanding the creative camps to include
Ready, Set, Go, DETROIT, with visits to
favorite spots (including the Outdoor
Adventure Center) in the city; Jedi in
Training, where kids do everything Star
Wars, from cooking to games; Hip Hop
Dance; and Summer Stock Theatre Camp,
taught by the staff of the Berman Center
for the Performing Arts.
There’s even something new for par-
ents: an opportunity to register online at
wwww.jccdet.org/daycamps.
Also new on board is Megan Coultas,
director of the Department of Special
Needs. Megan holds a master’s degree
from Madonna University and has exten-
sive experience in education, psychology,
summer camp work and teaching children
with special needs. The former unit head
for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders)
at JCC Day Camps, she also supervised
practicum students at Oakland University.
For more information, visit www.jccdet.
org/daycamps, call (248) 432-5578 or
email camp@jccdet.org. Families can save
15 percent off the cost of their JCC Day
Camps tuition by registering and paying in
full now through Feb. 19.

*

It’s red versus blue versus yellow for Color Wars.

30 February 4 • 2016

Elizabeth Applebaum is manager of marketing
communications for the JCC of Metropolitan Detroit.

Willoway Day Camp has been
offering the best summer ever for
generations. Its mature staff of
teachers and leaders and acres of
outstanding facilities combine to
create lasting memories. The fun
starts the moment the campers
board the Willoway bus (or van).
Whether it’s making a splash or
learning to swim in the two pools
or enjoying the varied athletic
fields, pond and lake programs,
animal farm, nature trails and fish-
ing or drama, dance, kayaking, go-
karting, archery, tennis, golf and ga
ga ga — at Willoway, it’s summer
fun for everyone. American Camp
Association-accredited.

WOODEN ACRES
ADVENTURE
PROGRAMS

Winter Address
P.O. Box 725037
Berkley MI 48072

Summer Address
3753 South Lakeshore
Lexington MI 48450
(248) 543-5697
info@woodenacres.com
www.woodenacres.com

Set on a beautiful countryside in
Lexington, Mich., approximately
90 minutes northeast of Detroit,
the camp is bounded by wooden
acres and Lake Huron with our own
private beach. We offer one- to six-
week programs and guarantee to
meet the individual needs of every
camper.

