14 | JULY 30 • 2020
continued on page 16
I
t’
s a typical day in the
new normal that is sum-
mer 2020. Parents want
their kids to have fun and get
outdoors, all while staying
safe, social distancing and
wearing masks.
That can be a tall order, but
there’
s a new, highly active
Facebook page that helps
hundreds of local parents
make it possible: Camp Mom
Michigan.
Back in March, Shirli Gotlib
of Southfield realized she’
d
be on her own with her kids
as schools closed; her hus-
band, Ari, is an ER doctor at
McLaren Oakland Hospital
in Pontiac. Gotlib was deter-
mined her four kids — Max,
10, Alex, 8, Sophia, 8, and
Jacob, 4 — would not be
indoors and watching TV all
day, even though, she said, “I
knew they’
d be perfectly happy
with that.” She attempted an
at-home schedule, which she
quickly discovered was unre-
alistic.
Gotlib, who moved here
from her hometown of
Memphis in 2009, was not
intimately familiar with the
area and turned to technology
for help. She downloaded the
AllTrails app, which allows
users to find and track their
own hikes, and stayed up late
every night, searching on
Facebook for recommenda-
tions, Googling places to work
out if they were appropriate
for her kids for the next day’
s
outdoor activity.
Whenever she was on
social-distancing hikes with
her kids early in the pan-
demic, Gotlib would post
pictures on Instagram Stories.
Immediately her friends start-
ed messaging her questions.
“They’
d write, ‘
Where are
you? How much does it cost?
What’
s the parking like?’
I
started tagging the location
and posting answers to those
questions with the pictures,”
Gotlib said. “I figured, we’
re
all in the same boat — why
keep this information to
myself?”
One of those friends
was Naomi Gardin, also of
Southfield, who became an
ardent follower of Gotlib’
s
Instagram posts. She even
created a list on her phone of
places she too wanted to visit
with her family.
“It became a joke,” Gardin
said. “Whatever Shirli did one
Sunday, I’
d do the following
Sunday.”
Gardin tried downloading
the AllTrails app Gotlib rec-
ommended but found it too
complicated, and the hundreds
of reviews too overwhelming.
“It was much easier for me to
follow in the steps of someone
I know and trust,” Gardin said.
As June approached, Gardin
realized the hours of distance
learning would be ending, and
knew she’
d be entertaining her
four kids between the ages
of 7 and 14 for the next eight
weeks. The idea was extremely
intimidating.
Gardin, who moved here
from Canada five years ago,
saw how much she’
d benefited
from Gotlib’
s posts and had an
idea. “I messaged Shirli, saying
we should start a page about
ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Camp Mom
Michigan
Mission?
Create a fun summer
for the kids.
NAOMI GARDIN
Naomi Gardin
and her children
Jews in the D
cover story