Summertime is right around the corner, with camps of every sort – day, overnight, specialty, and general – busy planning an exciting 2025 experience for campers. Whether campers stay close to home or embark on a few weeks away for an overnight experience, many opportunities exist to provide a fulfilling summer to make new friends, learn a new craft, and simply be carefree.
Camp JCC Tidewater
5000 Corporate Woods Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
757-452-3182
www.campjcc.org
Camp JCC Tidewater welcomes children of all faiths and backgrounds, offering a safe and inclusive environment for campers and staff to grow, connect, and embrace traditions infused with Jewish culture.
This traditional day camp provides enriching experiences for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, emphasizing values such as friendship, courage, responsibility, and community-mindedness. Campers enjoy a wide range of activities, including daily swimming (instructional for younger groups), arts and crafts, gaga ball, fishing, sports, spirit days, Fun Fridays, and much more.
Camp JCC runs weekly sessions from June 16 to August 8, with two additional “Last Blast” weeks, August 11 – 22. Registration is available for single, multiple, all, or any combination of weeks to fit summer schedules
For more information or to register, visit www.campjcc.org or contact Dave Flagler, director of camp and teen engagement, at DFlagler@UJFT.org or 757-452-3182.
Capital Camps
12750 Buchanan Trail E
Waynesboro, PA 17268
301-468-2267
www.capitalcamps.org
Overnight camp offers children a unique opportunity to grow, build resilience, and develop independence in a supportive, fun environment. At Capital Camps, enrollment is soaring among younger campers, and middle schoolers are matriculating even at 13 and 14 years old.
It’s never too late to experience the joys of camp—making friends, engaging in outdoor activities, and gaining life skills. With a village structure tailored to each age group, Capital Camps provides a nurturing, immersive Jewish experience where every camper can thrive, build confidence, and create lasting memories in a welcoming and inclusive community.
For more information, contact Penny Hartzman at info@capitalcamps.org.
Chesapeake Bay Academy
821 Baker Rd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
757-497-6200
https://cba-va.org/summer-enrichment/
All students, from public and private schools, are welcome to attend CBA’s Summer Enrichment Program. Intensive reading, summer learning, and academic therapy programs are available to children in first through eighth grades with full and half day options available to help children improve skills and build confidence.
Academic mornings offer small group and individualized instruction while afternoons feature recreational activities including culinary and science experiments, arts and crafts, and makerspace projects to support a well-rounded camp experience.
Register online at cba-va.org/summer or contact Elizabeth Waranch, director of institutional advancement, at 757-497-6200 x1414.
Summer at the Cape
Cape Henry Collegiate
1320 Mill Dam Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23454
757-963-8241
https://www.capehenrycollegiate.org/student-life/summer-programs
Spend the summer learning, growing, and having fun at Summer at the Cape. Cape Henry Collegiate offers day camps for children ages three through 12, featuring plenty of outdoor play and activities. Age-appropriate weekly themes keep kids active and engaged while helping them avoid the “summer slide.”
Specialty camp options allow children to explore a huge variety of interests, from chess, art, and line dancing to coding, surfing, and cooking — it even offers two Taylor Swift fan camps.
Run by championship-winning Cape Henry coaches and other seasoned staff, the Cape’s athletics camps are a great way to develop skills and techniques in baseball, soccer, lacrosse, cheerleading, wrestling, and more.
Summer at the Cape weekly sessions begin the week of June 9 and end August 1.
Children do not have to be current or prospective Cape Henry students to participate in summer camps.
Register online at capehenrycollegiate.org/summer or contact Mark Hall at 757-963-8241 or markhall@capehenry.org.
It’s in the air, summer is within reach
Dave Flagler
Even though it is only Passover, there are many hints that Camp JCC is right around the corner.
Some signs are unmistakable: warmer weather, spring break, and a greener looking outside. Other hints are more subtle. Camp stealthily sneaks its way into many conversations throughout the year. For example, a mention of camp could pop up during complaints about cold weather and longing for summer days. Another mention might come at the end of a basketball practice after having fun with familiar friends. Sometimes, excitement about camp is expressed directly, whether it is excitement to be at camp or something that triggers a reference to a happy memory from a previous summer.
As the weather continues to warm, an increase of camp references will certainly be sprinkled into conversations, building excitement for the summer ahead.
To learn more about Camp JCC, or to hear about year-round opportunities for teens in the community, contact Dave Flagler, director of camp and teen engagement, at DFlagler@UJFT.org or 757-452-3182.
Role Models Wanted:
By Dave Flagler
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” “Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!”
Dr. Suess, quoted above, must have known exactly what it means to work at Camp JCC. Staff members are hired because of WHO they are. They stand out in so many ways, but mostly, by simply being themselves. They help campers to discover and empower them to become their true selves. They, being who they are and leading by example, are the role models that campers want to emulate.
Camp JCC is seeking to add a few more role models to its already amazing summer team. This is a chance to go make a difference, positively shape the future, while having fun “being true and you.”
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
To learn more about becoming a Camp JCC staff member, or to hear about year-round opportunities for teens in the community, contact Dave Flagler, director of camp and teen engagement, at DFlagler@UJFT.org or 757-452-3182.
One Happy Camper® grants available
Through Tidewater Jewish Foundation, in partnership with the Federation for Jewish Camps, local Jewish children may be eligible for a one-time, need-blind grant up to $1,000 toward a Jewish residential camp experience. Only campers who have not attended Day School are eligible.
More than 150 traditional and specialty overnight camps qualify for this stipend. Jewish federations, foundations, individual camps, Small Community Incentives and PJ Library all sponsor the One Happy Camper® grant for their communities and provide help, support, and local perspective so families can find the right camp for their child.
According to the website, jewishcamp.org, Foundation for Jewish Camp invests in young people because they are the Jewish future. “Study after study confirms that Jewish summer camp remains one of the most effective tools for changing lives – providing opportunities for individual growth, building community, and strengthening connections to Judaism, the Jewish people, and Israel. Simply stated, Jewish camp works!”
For more information about a One Happy Camper grant, contact Dave Flagler, director of camp and teen engagement, at DFlagler@UJFT.org or 757-452-3182. To apply for One Happy Camper in Tidewater, visit https://foundation.jewishva.org/one-happy-camper