Visiting Day at Bnos Ruach Chaim was cancelled, the camp director tells TLS.
The camp director explains, “Although Visiting Day typically is a wonderful opportunity for us to shep nachas and meet our beautiful parent body in person, we are pleased to assist our parents in avoiding the hassle and expense of the trip to The Mountains on the busiest day of the season.”
“The truth is,” says a staff member, “times have changed since the days when children were sent to sleep-away camp at age six or seven for eight weeks at a time. With limited to no communication home, it was understandably necessary for children to see their parents at some point during the camp season to keep them going. In today’s day and age, where the typical camper is older and goes to camp for one month of the summer, with daily communication via phone, emails, and faxes, visiting Day is no longer necessary.”
The camp office said that the parents are extremely grateful.
“The amount of emails and phone calls we received to thank us for this wonderful breakthrough is overwhelming,” the office said. “Our parents appreciate the fact that they will be spared the obligatory trip up to camp, and have sent their daughters heartfelt messages, and, of course, their tips in the mail.”
The staff has instead prepared a fun-filled, incredible program, complete with “mock visitors” and an elaborate buffet for their enjoyment.
“The smiling faces and upbeat atmosphere are testament to the success of this latest trend in camping, spearheaded by Camp Ruach Chaim’s well-received Visiting Day Cancellation last summer.”
Camp Bnos Ruach Chaim – located in Livingston Manor – was founded l’ilui nishmas R’ Chaim Perlstein Z”L to provide Bais Yaakov girls with superior camping at an affordable price.
[TLS]
Thank u brc for always paving the way!!!!!!!!
I can attest its a awesome camp!
Thanks for putting the needs of the children and parents ahead of your own.
I agree 100%. In an 8 week camp, the first visiting day is typically 2 weeks into camp and the second visiting day is 2 weeks into the second trip. There are therefore 4 weeks between the 2 visiting days. This means that camp directors, with their tremendous experience, have always felt that children can last 4 weeks without visitors. It follows that in a four week camp there should be no visiting day and in an eight week camp there should be just one, between the two trips, for children who are there the whole time.
I really don’t get it. My kids are grown now but I used to love going up for visiting day, and my kids also only went for 4 weeks. It’s not so much that I missed them so much and had to see them. I just wanted to see where and with whom they spent their time in camp. I loved seeing the bunks, the camp grounds, their counselors and bunkmates. It was also a nice day in the country for the whole family. Maybe it’s because of the increase in traffic or I don’t know what reason, but all I see in recent years are complaints about visiting day. When some of my kids went to Sternberg where there was no visiting day I missed seeing where they had spent their time in camp. What’s with everyone nowadays?
I disagree. Most children benefit from visiting day. As a parent who just visited I am all for visiting day. I saw her counselors and staff and that is a side benefit of visiting day also.
A suggestion to BRC, make an awesome program for children who don’t have visitors, but don’t shut out visitors who want to visit.
whatever Perlstein does is usually Golden so as always HatsOffToHim!!
Unfortunately in this day and age, the ones that need the visitors don’t have anyone to come and those which don’t really need the visitors have them. Camp is a great opportunity to be your own person without any background, let it stay that way. Great job BRC!!!
As a kid I loved showing my parents around camp every year. Plus I hope all camps that cancel visiting day give a pay raise to all the staff to make up for the lost tips that don’t come if there is no visiting day.
Yes visiting day used to be great – before it took 4 1/2 hours in the hot sun with a full family of kids in the car – then many campers want to go off grounds and you wait in line for an hour for a pizza – it’s impractical, it’s a total nuisance and hats off to this camp for realizing that it can no longer work with today’s schedules, traffic and family sizes – Same as purim going to the rebbe/morehs – we have to adjust to reality and make reasonable decisions – it doesn’t say these were not great things- they were – they just don’t work anymore – not because they are not priorities, not because it is not important enough – there just aren’t enough roads and the time to spread yourself thin enough to accomodate the larger family sizes – BORUCH HASHEM !
This is a scam. You write and publish what you want to try and convince people that your perspective is correct. BALONY. Most therapist, pediatricians, mechanchim and those who are working day and night with the children will argue this point vehemently for they feel visiting day is crucial.
My sympathy to those children whose parents find it a hassle to come and see them. Maybe arrange a bus to bring the children to Lakewood and back so these poor parents are not hasstled to see their children So sad.
Cancelling visiting day is atrotious. At the very least make it optional. Allow those children who want or need to see their parents to be able to and allow those parents who want or need to see their children to be able to.
Don’t deny parents and children the right to see each other
What happens in Camp Kol Torah or any camp that isn’t within driving distance for most parents? My daughter is in Bnos Ruach Chaim and we received a tip packet with mini envelopes already labeled with the counselors’ and waitress’s names. They even included a return envelope for convenience. It works for the other camps, so why do you assume that there will be such a loss?
I was a camper/counselor for many years recently
And agree they’re shouldn’t be visiting day for the kids
*The young kids who are just getting over being homesick get homesick again when they’re parents leave
*if ur parents don’t come, come late or leave early it’s extremely boring and you feel left out
*the camp I was in about half the parents came on Fridays to drop of food and come during the week to pick up the laundry
Well the parents are the ones that want visiting day
*I would want to see who’s taking care of my kids
*its a social event
*you miss ur kids
kids that stay both halves should have visitors in between halves
I went to camp for 8 summers with no visiting day. The only time my parents saw the grounds was when they took me there and picked me up at the end. I had a blast showing them around on the last day of camp. It’s a short summer. If that doesn’t work then let the kids show photos and write letters to give parents an idea of what came was like.
I was always in camp as a young lad and it was always very hard for me i got bullied.my parents never came up to camp on visiting day and i always afraid to tell them over the phone that i got bullied.therefore i think it should always be a givin that camps should have visiting day
I was always in camp as a young lad and it was always very hard for me i got bullied.my parents never came up to camp on visiting day and i always afraid to tell them over the phone that i got bullied.therefore i think its incumbent for all camps to have at least 2 visiting days
When a general decision is made there are always some who agree and some who don’t. Every family has there specific situation. One family may be sending their bechora to camp and may feel the need to visit. Another family may have learnt from past experiences and feel visiting day may make their child homesick or remember how dizzy it made them!
At the end of the day, I think we need to trust and support the leaders of our camp. Because really, every opinion is right!
What I find admirable is the fact that camp BRC sent out an e-mail to make sure no one shows up. It is so hurtful for a parent who wished there were visiting day to find out some parents went anyway. It is hurtful for a camper who wished they could get a hug from her parents. It is frustrating when a decision is not reinforced.
Accepting and supporting the decision of our camp, whether we agree or not, makes us true winners.
Thank you camp BRC for working so hard to try to make things the best possible.
Thank you BRC!! As a parent, I was thrilled. My kids were happy too – visiting day breaks up the flow of camp, and leaves plenty of frustration on both sides of the coin. If a child cannot handle 4 weeks of camp without a visiting day, perhaps the child is not old enough for camp.
Couldn’t Imagine not seeing my kids for such a long period of time.
We wanted to register our opinion even if we are in the minority (or maybe silent majority?). First, we live in Monsey and camp is much closer so maybe we don’t feel the same pain, but we sorely missed visiting our girls, especially the first time sleep away camper who is sounding a little homesick. Visiting day is pain, is expensive (although most of that is tips) traffic stinks – yet we all look forward to it. Skip the pizza, eat lunch in camp, skip walmart and go to a park (can’t you but shampoo in Lakewood?)
Bring a good attitude and a portable grill and life is good!
Sorry to see it go.