Two weeks ago, the senior campers of 2013 and 2014 spent a day working to create a new, beautiful space in camp. Campers worked on projects of all varieties ranging from bench making to plaque making, planting, weeding and even preparing a stage.
Though the labor was paid by the campers, they were not alone in their efforts. One of the most important aspects of Tikkun Olam is the help and support given by community members. As a camp, we decided to reach out to the larger community of Penn Yan to complete this project. My college roommate, Scott Bronstein, heard of the project and felt compelled to help out. Scott recently purchased Barnstormer winery on Seneca Lake, half way between camp and Watkins Glen and is eager to get involved with the people and businesses around his own.
One of our various projects involved creating a tree of life sculpture using recycled tires as the trunk and colorful bottles for the leaves. Scott was able to donate 250 bottles to the cause, giving us the ability to complete the tree without purchasing any materials. The tree now sits in the Tikkun Olam site, the sun glistening off the bottles and adding to the ambience of the space.
With the direction of Neil Pickus, the project was able to come to fruition by days end. With Scott's help, we were also able to show the campers how critical involvement and support of one's community truly is.
As a camp we look forward to continuing this symbiotic relationships and many others in order to further our vision of Tikkun Olam.
Josh Sham
August 7, 2013
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