Camp grants available for day-school students

Day-school students whose families have participated in the PJ Library program are eligible to participate in the One Happy Camper program by entering a drawing no later than Nov. 8.

The PJ Goes to Camp/One Happy Camper program is designed to reward PJ Library recipients, alumni or their siblings with an incentive grant of up to $1,000 to attend a Jewish overnight camp for the first time.

Families should go to pjlibrary.org/about-pj-library/pj-goes-to-camp/pj-library-referral-code-request.aspx for more information. Information can also be accessed via pull-down menus at pjlibrary.org. These funds are provided by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Incentive grants are available to residents of the United States and Canada who meet all other eligibility requirements. Families may enroll more than one child if each is attending a Jewish overnight camp for the first time. Each child must be separately entered into the lottery for day-school students. 

Those who are interested in participating in PJ Library, which provides free books with Jewish content each month to children between the ages of six months and 8 years, should contact Michelle Cicchitelli at mcicchitelli@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111. PJ Library is available to all families that identify as Jewish, regardless of whether they attend Jewish schools or synagogues. PJ Library is partially supported by the Jewish Alliance and local donors.

Those who are not day-school families may seek similar $700 or $1,000 incentive grants, depending on the length of the camp session, for first-timers in overnight Jewish camps by completing the application at onehappycamper.org. Funds for local campers are provided by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. There is no deadline for applying for these funds, but the money available is limited and is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. These are not needs-based grants.

Camp JORI, in Wakefield, is among the more than 150 Jewish overnight camps that participate in One Happy Camper. These camps include both the various standard camp formats as well as special-interest camps, such as those that specialize in sports, science, wellness, art, outdoor adventure and travel. Elementary, middle and high school students are all welcome to apply, assuming they are first-time campers. Information to help families select summer camps is available at www.onehappycamper.org, and there is a guide for parents on the website of the Jewish Alliance, jewishallianceri.org.

For more information, please contact Larry Katz at lkatz@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext 179. Needs-based scholarships are available at many of these camps, as well; families should apply directly to the camps.