14 | SEPTEMBER 5 • 2024 J
N

S

eventy-five campers from 
kindergarten to age 28 
took part in The J’s special 
needs enrichment programming 
this summer, according to Shayne 
Young, assistant director to special 
needs enrichment at The J. 
“Something that was great this 
year is we had a lot of new families 
in all three of our programs, which 
was really nice to see,” Young says. 
“It was a nice wave of families 
that are starting early with us and 
are able to grow with us over the 
years.”
With the option to participate 

in one or two four-week sessions, 
some campers took part in the 
Kids All Together (KAT) inclusion 
program, where kids from 
kindergarten to 10 years old are 
integrated with one-on-one staff 
into The J’s main camp program 
for archery, canoeing, outdoor 
cooking, Israeli culture, dance, 
music, sports and swimming. 
Others took part in the camp’s 
Special Needs All Together (SNAP) 
program for campers 10-28 years 
old, which saw campers on field 
trips in the community ranging 
from the Detroit River tour to the 

zoo and Water Warrior Island. 
A third group of campers, in the 
Young Adults All Together (YAAT) 
program, took part in vocational 
and job skills training, heading 
twice a week to job sites hosted 
at The J and in the community. 
Through that camp experience, 
participants learned how to handle 
money, talk to customers, learn a 
menu, as well as other site-specific 
skills. They also worked in the 
dining room for Jewish Senior Life 
and practiced practical life skills in 
The J’s furnished apartment. 
The J’s camp program is 
important because it gives all 
campers a chance to have a 
summer camp experience, says Bri 

Budai, senior director of JCC Day 
Camps. New for camp this year, the 
DSO came out to give a sensory-
friendly performance for the SNAP 
and YAAT campers, among other 
innovations, she says. 
The program highlights building 
friendships as well. “I had a mom 
say that this is the first summer her 
kid came home and asked if Mom 
could reach out for the numbers 
of friends they could have play 
dates with,” she explains. “And they 
wound up having playdates.” 
Kathy Howells of Birmingham, 
whose son Tyler Gagnon, 24, takes 
part in Young Adults All Together, 
says she appreciates the camp’s 
transportation offering and also 

The J of
 ers three camp programs for 
special needs families.

KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE J

A Special 
 Kind of 

Experience

SNAP 
campers 
having a 
good time

Maddy Smith, a 
SNAP program 
participant

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE J

Nick Tompkins 
and Riyiam 
Holmes-McCoy at 
the Toledo Zoo

