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