2023 Investor UPDATE
A year ago at school he was being bullied, now he’s climbing rocks confidently, knowing just how to find the rocks that are steady and trusting his feet on the ground.
– Julie, camp parent
Camp was a Jewish community that finally got him.
– Abby, camp parent
It was truly something special to see and experience the camp with our own eyes as well as get an opportunity to meet staff members in person … We loved watching our kids engage so thoroughly. We fully understand why they generally spend the other 11 months of the year looking forward to this one.
– Jason, parent & camp visitor
Ramah in the Rockies is a place where everyone can discover their natural gifts and learn how to use their strengths to better the lives of those around them. Each individual has the opportunity to embark on a profoundly transformative personal journey while creating relationships that will last them a lifetime. I am certain that this community experience will prepare me to fulfill my professional and personal goals.
– Natalie, staff member
Everyone I encountered — campers, counselors, and educators, was so supportive and encouraged me to find my own relationship with Judaism. The rigorous camping experience was everything I wanted for my summer and I look back on camp as one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced.
– Ellie, JOLI ‘22
A NOTE FROM Rabbi Eliav Bock Executive Director
The day’s last light sinks beneath the peaks surrounding this valley as the first stars begin to dot the sky. Over 300 members of our kehilla kedosha (holy community) are standing arm in arm, swinging to the slow melodies that signal the end of Shabbat at camp. Our JOLI chalutzim (campers/pioneers), returning for their final summer as chalutzim, joyously lead their younger peers and madrichim (counselors), singing to the mystical rhythms of another fading Shabbat. I watch this scene take place each week at the close of Shabbat, standing a few feet back from the circle, as a way to remind myself about why I have chosen camp as my pulpit. Those in this circle will remember these tunes, and more importantly the special atmosphere we create throughout each Shabbat, long after they leave our ranch and return to their home communities. Those moments are engraved in their hearts.
We spend our year working tirelessly for the summer, knowing that throughout the “off-season,” we have hundreds of youth counting down the days until they can return to the ranch. This summer, we have been able to welcome back even more former chalutzim into our tzevet (staff) program. These youth already possess an implicit understanding of what makes our camp so special and are able to impart our values to our younger chalutzim.
The costs to sustain our community continue to increase. It is because of investors like you that we are able to continue to nurture the character development of Jewish youth. Thank you for being a part of this community and for helping us to empower the next generation of Jewish leaders.
New in 2023
During the 2023 season we are:
Nurturing
Expanding our animal care program
Piloting an artist-in-residence program
Building a new terrain park for mountain biking
Opening a new bouldering wall
Creating a year-round camp wellness director position
the leadership potential in each staff member through supportive and effective mentoring, training, and feedback
Kayitz 2023 by the numbers
Campers and staff will spend 3,607 nights sleeping in tents on masa’ot (excursions) US
campers will come from 34 states campers served 440+ college-age
at camp
50% of electricity used will come from solar power generated onsite
staff working
150+
Because of you
150+ college-age staff are engaged in a powerful Jewish summer experience
Ramah in the Rockies is a place that has allowed me to push past my boundaries through challenge, love, and growth, making me become a leader and Jewish individual that I am extremely proud of.
– Alex Hargiss (tzevet 2021-2023)
Each summer we bring Israeli staff to our camp to inspire a love of Israel. These staff also learn about our open and joyous form of observance and return to their communities having experienced a new form of Judaism.
While working as a supervisor at Ramah Rockies, I realized the value of leadership. My camp experience prepared me to work in synagogues and Hillels as a rabbinical student. I will continue to draw on those skills in my rabbinate as I serve God and the Jewish people.
– Rabbi Alex Hamilton tzevet 2013-2017)
Ramah has given me a new perspective on Judaism: one of joy and hope. During this painful, chaotic period in Israel, I find comfort knowing that there is a Judaism that accepts everyone. In fact, I often feel like an “ambassador” of Conservative Judaism here [in Israel] after just two months at camp!
– Itai (tzevet 2022)
Ramah provides a rich training ground for staff to become Jewish leaders
Our staff act as role models for our campers. Through sharing Jewish values and traditions, leading outdoor activities, and connecting personally with campers, our staff become inspiring teachers to those only a few years younger than them. This nurturing, non-competitive, and friendly environment encourages campers to move beyond their comfort zones to experience new, unexpected levels of confidence and personal achievement.
In 2023 we have continued to invest in the staff experience by:
• Becoming an industry leader in radical transparency of summer staff salaries
• Expanding the staff size by 20% compared to 2019, providing staff more time to focus on camper needs
• Increasing the number of one-session staff positions for those with limited availability
• Running a second “staff week” in July to newly arrived second-session staff
• Implementing a five-day inter-session enabling full-summer staff to recharge
• Providing enhanced mentoring opportunities at camp (and later in the off-season) to improve staff skills
Our Goal:
To help our staff become more professional and responsive to campers
As our staff alumni move forward with their lives:
• They become leaders and strengthen the greater Jewish world
• They live more joyful Jewish and environmentally aware lives
• They serve as role models for Jewish children and teens
The Result: Ramah staff alumni move forward with the positive memories of the “summers that last a lifetime” full of friendships, successes, growth, and Jewish commitment.
Nurturing the character development of our staff IS part of our mission
2023 Operating Budget
Expenses
$2,298,000
Site & Insurance
Summer Program & Salaries
Year-Round Expenses
● Site & Insurance: $507,000
● Summer Program & Salaries: $1,028,000
● Year-Round Expenses: $763,000
Capital investments
In addition to our operating budget, we make capital improvements to our ranch. These are fully funded by donors who believe in our mission, and vary from year to year based on funds raised.
2021: $945,000
Completed waste-water treatment plant, COVID-related capital improvement
2022: $104,000
10 new camper tents, road, and drainage upgrades
2023: $472,000
Bouldering wall, solar panels, and retention pond design
INCOME
CAMPER TUITION COVERS JUST 77% OF OPERATING EXPENSES
Annual fundraising needed to run camp
● Camper Tuition: $1,770,550
● Annual fundraising needed to run camp: $525,000
Camper Tuition
Strategic plan successes over the past 12 months
Facilities Staff
Campers
70% 80%
Retention pond designed, currently seeking bids
of our program staff are former campers or are returning for their third year on tzevet
Camper retention rate over 80% for the first time EVER
50% of current electrical need will be derived from onsite solar panels
Summer payscale is public and consistent
Thank You
We rely on your gifts — of all sizes — to sustain the magic of camp for years to come. We especially want to celebrate the new gifts received over the past 13 months. Your ongoing support and investment in our community enables us to continually impact the lives of 500+ Jewish youth each summer!
343 Unique Donors
May 1, 2022 to June 30 2023
$100,000+ 1 donor = $280,000 in gifts
$36,000+ 4 donors = $254,312 in gifts
$10,000+ 16 donors = $246,052 in gifts
$1,000+ 72 donors = $178,605 in gifts
$1+ 260 donors = $56,394 in gifts
TOTAL = $1,015,363
Our financial goals over the next 18 months
Retention pond
Water is a valuable commodity in Colorado. We must construct a retention pond by 2025, or we will lose most of our current water rights
$1 million needed
$460,000 raised
Solar FARM
To finish converting all of our electricity to solar, reducing our carbon footprint and energy bills
$300,000 needed $0 raised
2023-2025 Program Development
We must continue to invest in creating new, innovative programs and re-invigorating existing ones. We are investing in additional mental health support for staff and campers
$150,000 needed $35,000 raised
We are seeking
Bike Trail Upgrades and Expansion
$65,000 needed $0 raised
Annual need-based scholarships
$140,000 needed
Paying off our mortgage & naming the ranch
$5 million needed
25 additional individuals to make after-lifetime commitments by naming Ramah in their trust, retirement plan, or life insurance policy.
Contact Rabbi Eliav Bock, or our board chair, Scott Michaud, to make a commitment.
We hope our community of passionate donors will continue to support our mission through:
$ $ $
Multi-year pledges Cash gifts
Gifts of appreciated assets
Grants from Donor Advised Funds
300 S Dahlia Street Denver, CO 80246 www.ramahoutdoors.org (303) 261-8214 Ramah in the Rockies is a Colorado not-for-profit 501(c)3 public charity and your donation may qualify for a tax deduction (Tax ID #20-4078988). ramahrockies.smugmug.com ramahrockies Ramah in the Rockies My daughter has only spent 6 weeks at Ramah [2 weeks in 2021 and 4 in 2022], and already it is a core part of her identity. She talks about it as though she has been going for years. – Josh, camp parent
