24 | AUGUST 26 • 2021 

D

o you remember 
Campbell Soup 
Company’s program, 
Labels for Education? This 
innovative marketing cam-
paign began in 1973, allowing 
schools to earn books, musical 
instruments, computers and 
other supplies in 
exchange for soup 
can labels. 
 The hallmark 
of this program 
was that every 
student could par-
ticipate and make 
a difference for their school 
by cutting labels off soup cans 
from their own homes and from 
the cupboards of their friends, 
families and neighbors. There 
was no limit to how many labels 
each child could collect, and 

the more that were collected, 
the more supplies their school 
would receive. 
Campbell’s taught students 
that their individual efforts 
could have a direct impact on 
their school and their class-
mates. This simple program 
changed generations of chil-
dren, not only by providing 
them with needed educational 
supplies, but also in teaching the 
importance of giving back. 
So, what do soup labels have 
to do with Tamarack Camps?
Labels for Education left a 
lasting impression on President 
of Tamarack Camps Geoff 
Kretchmer, who vividly remem-
bers his days as a fifth grader, 
collecting Campbell Soup labels 
from friends and neighbors. 
“It was a little scary to 

knock on doors, but also really 
motivating to know we were 
doing something special for 
our school and each other,
” he 
said. “That lesson had a lasting 
impact on me and helped shape 
my understanding of the differ-
ence a single person can make 
— especially a child. 
“This was the idea behind the 
CAMPaign for Change: just like 
my generation collected soup 
labels, our campers and staff 
will collect coins for camper 
scholarships and, in doing so, 
young people are learning that 
they, too, can impact change.
”
Summer after summer, chil-
dren, teens and young adults 
return home from Tamarack 
Camps forever changed. 
Whether it’s through increased 
confidence, discovering a life 

passion, developing new friend-
ships or strengthening Jewish 
identity, each experience shapes 
individuals and collectively 
creates our Jewish future. And 
in the spirit of collective change 
seen year after year, the agency 
has launched the CAMPaign for 
Change. 
This summer, campers and 
staff participated in program-
ming about the Jewish tradition 
of tzedakah and decorated their 
own tzedakah “bus” boxes. Now 
home from camp, they are col-
lecting change from their fam-
ilies, friends and neighbors to 
fill their boxes. All contributions 
will support camper scholar-
ships to help ensure that every 
child, regardless of financial 
ability, can spend a life-chang-
ing summer at Tamarack 
Camps. 
By participating in the 
CAMPaign for Change, camp-
ers and staff will see how the 
funds they give and collect can 
make a difference, and when 
combined with the collective 
efforts of others, how those 
funds help build their camp 
community. 
 Approximately one-third of 
Tamarack campers are unaffil-
iated. Their camp experience 
provides a strong connection 
to the Jewish community and 
exposes them to Jewish life. The 
CAMPaign for Change aims 
to strengthen young people’s 
relationship to Judaism through 
experiencing and embracing 
tzedakah and the importance 

Geoff 
Kretchmer

OUR COMMUNITY

LORI DAVIDSON-MERTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

How to Help
You can help fill your own tzedakah box. To request a 
tzedakah box, contact Lori Davidson-Mertz at Tamarack 
Camps: 248-227-7889 or lmertz@tamarackcamps.com.
If you have loose change or dollars to donate (or if you 
have already filled your tzedakah box), you can visit the 
Tamarack Camps city office, located at 6735 Telegraph 
Road, Suite #380, Bloomfield Hills, on Tuesdays and 
Thursdays from noon-3 p.m. for drop off. 

To learn more or to make a CAMPaign gift online, visit 
www.tamarackcamps.com/change. 
Help spread the word! Tell your friends, families and 
neighbors why you’ve joined the CAMPaign for Change 
and encourage them to join you. Post a picture or video 
on social media to share your story. 
The CAMPaign for Change will end with a special cul-
mination event on Sunday, Oct. 10. Please save the date 
and join us.

Tamarack campers 
enjoy making crafts 
together.

Tamarack Campers are collecting 
coins for scholarships.
Tamarack Campers are collecting 

CAMPaigning 
for Change

