Well, it looks like NSS&F (my daughter, for new readers) isn’t going to camp after all. She had been scheduled to go to Hilltop (Session Noar)… but a month ago we discovered she is gluten-free like her mom. Hilltop will still be on the temporary kitchen after the fire last summer, and there is no way they can guarantee it will be safe for her to eat, and the kids come first.
Today, we went up to camp to talk to the camp director. He’s willing to listen about next summer, when the new kitchen will be in place. We think we should be able to work something out; Gerh, the asst. director at Hilltop, seems to agree. So we’ll talk to him more after the summer. We also got him to agree that NSS&F could go up for Noar next year–she’ll be too old grade-wise, but not age-wise, as she is the youngest in her class. This will still permit her to move from the 8 day session to the 14 day session, without having to make the leap right to a month session. We’re also going to go up for one Shabbat this summer, just to keep that camp feeling.
We may also explore renting the facility for a Celiac Camp (or at least get enough Celiac Jewish kids up there for the same session that they have to do something).
I think it will work out eventually, but at least we reached the point where NSS&F wanted to go to camp. Still, I hate for her to miss a summer, but at least we now all understand.
I don’t remember food sensitivites being this prevalent when I was young and going to camp (1969-1979). Everyone ate everything. Times are changing, and I’m not sure for the better.
[Crossposted to cahwyguy and ghc_for_life]