Original Article Published on the Camp Ramah In New England
By Miriam Benson
National Ramah Tikvah Network Director Howard Blas paid a visit with a special delegation including (from right to left, above): Cindy Dolgin, National Ramah Commission Development Director; Allison Kleinman, LCSW, Director of Jack and Shirley Center for Special Needs at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, and Michelle Wexler, LMSW, who wears three hats: Camp Settoga CIT Director, Center for Special Needs School Age and Transitions Coordinator, and Center for Family Life Tween Coordinator. The group toured our Machaneh (camp) led by Howard as well as Dr. Bonnie Schwartz, Ramah Palmer’s Tikvah Director. For Bonnie’s recent reflections on Tikvah, please see here:
The purpose of the visit was primarily to share the vocational education program at Ramah with colleagues from the JCC of Manhattan Center for Special Needs. Allison Kleinman has been Director for 10 years, and she is also co-chair of the UJA NY Task Force on People with Disabilities. All the members of this delegation share a serious interest in job training for people with disabilities, and the very real issue of what happens for people with disabilities after they graduate from high school. On the tour, the delegation visited members of Voc Ed and Voc Ed Maavar (Transitional group) hard at work at many jobs around our machaneh. The group below successfully performs the daily essential work in our mailroom, including sorting and delivering hundreds of pieces of mail and packages.
Pictured here: preparing hundreds of sandwiches in the kitchen for Tuesdays Six Flags trip, making up guest rooms in the guest house, filling snack orders at the Makolet (Snack Outlet) and baking in the Voc Ed bakery”.