This past year, our Ranch Camp team has made a concerted effort to build relationships with small Jewish communities, places where Jewish summer camp may not always be part of the conversation. For families in these communities, the barrier to camp is often not a lack of interest. It is simply that no one has ever introduced them to the possibility.
For our Camp Director, Katelyn Skeen, this work is personal. Katelyn came to Ranch Camp 18 years ago from the small community of the Los Alamos Jewish Center in Los Alamos, New Mexico, after someone from Ranch Camp visited her community and introduced her family to Jewish overnight camp. That connection brought Katelyn to the Ranch and, nearly two decades later, she now finds herself leading the camp that had such an impact on her.
This past year reinforced what Katelyn’s own experience showed nearly two decades ago: every small community our team intentionally visited resulted in at least one new camper discovering Ranch Camp. Her story is just one example of what can happen when young people and families are given the opportunity to discover Jewish camp.
For the 2027 camp season, we are expanding this work and developing relationships with even more small and rural Jewish communities. We will host local recruitment and camp-education events, create resources that help families understand the value of Jewish camp, and develop partnerships that directly reinvest in the communities we serve.
This work isn’t simply about bringing more campers to Ranch Camp. It’s about making sure that where a child lives does not determine whether they have the opportunity to discover the connection, belonging, independence, and Jewish community that camp can provide.
Eighteen years ago, someone from Ranch Camp showed up in Katelyn’s small Jewish community and opened a door her family did not yet know existed. Today, she leads the camp that person introduced her to. We may never know where the connections we make today will lead, but we know what can happen when we show up, build relationships, and give young people the opportunity to find their place.
