• 201 campers living in cabins with their neurotypical peers 
• 122 Tikvah campers in self-contained bunks 
• 90 young adults in vocational education
• 10 adults in supported employment

• Launch a new Tikvah program at the Ramah DC Day Camp, including hiring 1-to-1 staff members for a number of Tikvah campers and hiring extra Tikvah staff to support a number of staff members with disabilities. These are adults who have skills to contribute to camp but who require more support than the average camp employee. Supporting staff members with disabilities will allow Ramah DC to be an inclusive workplace, just as it is inclusive of its campers.

• Subsidize Tikvah Family Camp at Ramah Poconos, a 5-day overnight program incorporating Jewish learning, recreation, and spiritual reflection for families with children with disabilities.

• Support the inclusion program at Ramah in the Rockies by offsetting the costs of hiring extra staff, each with a caseload of 2-3 campers. These are costs not covered by the regular camp tuition. Support from the Ramah Ride and Hike enables Rockies to include these campers without charging a premium for children who require dedicated staffing.

• Finance the Transitional Staff Internship Program (TSP) at Ramah Wisconsin. TSP is a 1- to 2-year apprenticeship for alumni of Tikvah programs to extend years in camp and help prepare them for roles as full staff members. TSP participants receive formal training on the many facets of navigating a position at camp – social life, hygiene, diet, personal organization and cleanliness, interactions with colleagues in the professional area, interactions with campers, managing free time, and more.

• Expand the staff who work with campers with disabilities at Ramah Berkshires. All 40 counselors who have a camper with a disability living in their bunk received specialized training before the summer and are receiving ongoing support from expanded staffing. 

• Create a sustainable vocational program at Ramah Darom. Funds from the Bike Ride and Hike will be used to hire a vocational coordinator to oversee all work placements, develop and lead a vocational and life skills group, work with camp areas to coordinate placements, and develop and oversee vocational projects. 

• Open cafes at Ramah Galim (NorCal) and Ramah Canada, fully staffed by young adults in the camp’s vocational education program, with careful supervision and job training toward year-round employment.

• Grow Ramah California’s Ezra Ba’ir program, a bridge between the jobs that Ezra staff (vocational program for ages 17-23) have during the summer and the potential jobs they could have during the year. Funds for more hours of a vocational advisor will result in more successful placement in paid internships in Jewish organizations for these young adults who have often struggled for acceptance by their Jewish community as hardworking, productive members of our workforce. 

• Teach skills of promoting self-regulation at Ramah Nyack as well as anxiety and stress de-escalation to all camper care staff, rashei edah, and counselors.

• Increase financial assistance to approximately 30% of Tikvah families at Ramah camps. Many of these families would not otherwise be able to send their children with special needs to camp.

• A long-time Tikvah camper, who is an orphan supported by the state and lives in a group home: This child receives some financial assistance from an elderly aunt, and from a brother who is employed as a part-time grocery bagger.

• Two siblings with disabilities enrolled in the Tikvah program: Their mother is unemployed and is recovering from a recent kidney transplant.

• A camper with a rare genetic disease who is being raised by a single mom: The cost of medication is exceedingly high, making the cost of camp prohibitive.

• Seventh-grade Tikvah camper with low household income: Camper has significant medical issues and medical bills and sees a team of physicians regularly. The family does not have enough savings to afford camp.

• A Tikvah camper with a sibling who will be a first-time 4-week camper: Their single mother makes $50K a year. The full bill for camp plus transportation is $15K, and the mother has the capacity to pay $3K.

• A child with disabilities whose parents are divorced: The family has very little income, all of which goes towards his specialized schooling.

• A long-time camper whose parents are both deceased: He lives with a cousin and is supported by a grandmother who is ill and also immobile. The camper struggles with relationships but does fairly well at camp.