03/02/2022
Jewish Federation Announces New Scholarship Opportunity for Jewish Summer Camp Counselors
- Share This Story
“Mandel Myers Fellowship Program” will allow camps to maintain strong counselor staffs, while helping local students reduce their college expenses
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland announced today a new scholarship opportunity for Jewish Clevelanders who plan to work as staff at select Jewish overnight summer camps. The “Mandel Myers Fellowship Program” – funded by a $1,800,000 grant from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation and a grant of $150,000 a year for the next three years from the David and Inez Myers Foundation – will enable Jewish overnight camps to attract and retain high caliber staff, help students from Cleveland offset the costs associated with attending a four-year accredited university, and add professional development experience to the camp counselor role to make it more competitive with other internship opportunities.
Returning overnight camp counselors will be eligible for a scholarship of $5,500. First-time overnight camp counselors will be eligible for a scholarship of $4,500.
“Camp counselors are the heart of the Jewish camp experience,” said Erika B. Rudin-Luria, president of Jewish Federation of Cleveland. “With the Mandel Myers Fellowship Program, Jewish college students from Cleveland will now have an attractive financial incentive to work at Jewish overnight camp, while developing their leadership skills in an enriching Jewish environment. We are grateful for the Mandel Foundation and Myers Foundation for their unwavering support of our community’s future leaders.”
“Our college students are being overwhelmed by significant student loan debt,” said Stephen H. Hoffman, chairman of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation. “This debt load is not only a crushing burden for them but presents a meaningful threat to the future stability and vibrancy of our Jewish community. With the Mandel Myers Fellowship Program, we can help offset this burden while empowering counselors to create a meaningful Jewish experience for themselves and their campers.”
The foundations’ annual investment of $750,000 will award up to 150 scholarships each year, beginning with a pilot program in Summer 2022. In addition to receiving a scholarship, participants will partake in professional development workshops during and after the summer camp season, managed by the Federation in partnership with Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, Jewish Family Service Association (JFSA), the Foundation for Jewish Camp, Cleveland Hillel, and Hillel at Kent State University.
“We have been supporters of Jewish camping for years, which produce active, involved Jewish adults and leaders,” said Leslie Dunn, president of the David and Inez Myers Foundation, which is a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. “This timely program simultaneously will provide Jewish students with meaningful leadership development opportunities that will be invaluable to them after graduation and will give Jewish overnight camps the ability to compete for high-quality talent.”
The Mandel Myers Fellowship Program is a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and operates in partnership with JFSA and Foundation for Jewish Camp. To be considered for the program, individuals must identify as Jewish, be from Greater Cleveland, and be hired by an eligible Jewish overnight camp for Summer 2022. For more information or to apply for the Mandel Myers Fellowship Program, contact Leah Taylor at ltaylor@jcfcleve.org or 216-593-2853.
About the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel established their first foundation in 1953 in their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Their philanthropic legacy is continued through the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation. The work of the Foundations is grounded in the belief that exceptional leaders, inspired by powerful ideas, are key to improving society and the lives of people around the world. The Foundations have identified five areas of engagement that receive support, which include: leadership development, management of nonprofits, humanities, Jewish life and urban engagement. For more information, please visit www.mandelfoundation.org.
About the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland is the only organization in Cleveland that focuses on the health and vitality of the entire Jewish community. For more than 115 years, the Federation has created the critical scale necessary to drive meaningful social change and provide relief in times of crisis in ways no one person or organization could do alone. As Jewish Cleveland’s hub for innovative solutions and collaborative services, the Federation is able to change and improve lives in Cleveland, Israel, and around the world. For more information, please visit www.JewishCleveland.org.
