“I Wanna Stay a Little Longer”

Sometimes, an experience is so joyful and moving that it inspires a creative spark in us. This happened last weekend at Summertime Family Camp for first-time Tawongans Chris Cohen and his four-year old daughter Quinn. Beginning on the beautiful drive up to camp, Quinn began singing, “Yosemite, Yosemite, we’re going to Family Camp!” By the Saturday night family talent show, Chris was up on stage, with his wife Susan and Quinn who was dancing around, playing guitar and sharing this song with 210 participants on their newfound connection to Tawonga:

 

Yosemite, Yo Semite – we’re going to family camp,

I wanna go, to Tawonga HO! – take me to family camp,

The bell is ringing, by the stage.

Everyone’s singing, on the same page,

Let’s go swimming, or maybe hiking,

My cup is brimming, with Jew liking,

When the kids are screaming, and melting down,

Shrug it off, turn it around,

When in Rome, Shabbat Shalom,

Mommy mommy I, don’t wanna go home,

This place is magical, Tawonga Camp,

Like a Jewish, genie in a lamp,

I wanna stay, a little longer,

We love it here, at Camp Tawonga

Having a blast, making new friends,

A Makom Shalom, we’ll come back again!

Over half of the 55 families last weekend also experienced camp for the first time, getting a taste of all that Tawonga has to offer – from an inspiring Shabbat program to the Tuolumne River and our beautiful 160-acre property, to our amazing staff who took care of kids and babies for a part of each day while parents explored activities. Another cohort of participants has made Family Camp an annual tradition, planning and coming together as a group with their families for five years.

“It was so peaceful just to be there, and for a mostly non-practicing Jewish person like myself, I really enjoyed re-connecting with Jewish culture, heritage, traditions and community,” Chris shared.

Thank you Chris, Susan, and Quinn, and to all of the families who brought such great enthusiasm and creativity to this weekend. We wish you could have stayed a little longer!

Below are some photos from Summertime Family Camp. We can’t wait to welcome a new batch of families for our Fall Family Camp later this month.