For many in our readership and community, Camp HASC is a familiar cause. Many have strong ties and connections there—some have worked there as counselors or staff in our younger years, or our children and their friends have worked there. I feel like many, if not most, know what HASC is or at least what it is about. Simply put and without exaggeration, it is one of the most special places on Earth.
You might ask how do I know this so definitively? What credentials do I have to make such a statement? What do I mean?
My wife and I worked there as counselors during our college years and are parents of a 16-year old son, Zev, who has been going to HASC since he was 12. Even now as HASC parents, we love our visits to Camp HASC in Parksville, New York, as we have seen and continue to see the unconditional love and care that is given to the hundreds of special needs children and adults who attend—our son being one of them.
At HASC, although some of the campers are severely disabled and can, for some people, sometimes be hard to look at, the camp is a place where everyone is, literally, always happy. I know this sounds crazy but it’s really true. If you’ve never seen or experienced this, I recommend that you do at some point this summer or in future summers.
Camp HASC is also a unique nonprofit that also requires our help and community support as many parents are not able to pay the full amount and the far higher costs of running a special needs camp at the level that HASC does—with incredibly high staff-to-camper ratios, special playgrounds and adaptive swimming pools and so much more – mandates that HASC must fundraise additional monies every year.
My wife and I feel tremendously indebted to Camp HASC for all that it has given to us and our family. We love our son, Zev, as we do all our children, but we especially enjoy the seven weeks every summer that our son is away at HASC. It is a needed and vital respite for our family and Zev loves his summer at HASC as much as we do.
Therefore, we are proud to invite our readers and friends to consider supporting HASC and joining us this Motzei Shabbos in Teaneck for a reception at the home of our friends Dr. Jason and Pnina Suss at 9:45PM at 1684 Hanover Street. The event is also being co-hosted by our friends and longtime HASC supporters Ethan and Melissa Keiser and a wonderful committee of local leaders—too many to mention here. (See ad on page 51).
My wife, Dena, will be speaking as part of the program and a special HASC video will also be shown there. We hope to make the video and Dena’s speech available shortly after the event.
I know it’s late in the evening but even if you can’t come, I ask that you consider making a donation to Camp HASC for the event and consider making HASC a cause that you support regularly.
Sign up or donate here at: teaneck.camphasc.org OR email HASC’s Exec. Director of Development Rabbi Peretz Hochbaum at [email protected]. You may also call 718-483-3257.
I hope to see you on Motzei Shabbos!
By Moshe Kinderlehrer
