Lessans Camp JCC

• Our youngest campers experience all the fun activities that camp offers — like field trips, special events, themed days, swimming, sports, music, climbing, arts & crafts, nature (Teva), and more — while building independence, skills, and friendships.
• Adom (red): For campers entering Pre-K or Kindergarten
• Lavan (white): For campers entering 1st grade 
• Kachol (blue): For campers entering 2nd grade. Kachol campers attend a field trip once per session.

Our Kesef campers experience classic camp fun plus they get to choose a special elective like: coding, LEGO engineering, cooking and much more. 

• Culinary Creations (Session 1)
  Campers will embark on a culinary adventure, transforming fresh ingredients into mouthwatering dishes while learning essential kitchen skills. From chopping and stirring to tasting and creating, each day is filled with hands-on cooking fun, sparking a love for food and creativity in the kitchen.
• Digital Art (Session 1)
  Campers will design their own characters and environments, bringing them to life through augmented reality. They’ll create digital art that interacts with the real world in real-time, blending creativity with cutting-edge technology. This elective allows campers to explore their artistic talents while making their creations come alive beyond the computer screen!
• LEGO (Session 1)
  We’re teaming up with Play-Well TEKnologies to provide a half-day of LEGO-filled fun, where campers will collaborate and create while learning about structural engineering, gearing, motors, and more.
• Baker’s Delight (Session 2)
  Young chefs will dive into the delicious world of sweet treats and savory delights! Campers will mix, knead, and bake their way through fun, interactive recipes, mastering the art of baking while whipping up tasty creations to share with family and friends.
• Coding: Nature Augmented Reality (Session 2)
  Get ready to explore jungles, savannas, and coral reefs—without leaving camp! You’ll use easy-to-learn coding to build virtual worlds filled with moving animals and plants, even if you’ve never coded before. By the end, you’ll have created your own interactive nature stories using Holographic AR and leave with brand-new coding skills!
• DIY Design Studio (Session 2)
  Campers will dive into hands-on projects like designing custom t-shirts, trying out leather stamping, and crafting unique items such as duct tape accessories and tie-dye. This camp sparks creativity and innovation, as campers explore new techniques while making personalized, wearable, and functional pieces to take home!
• Dance (Session 3)
  Get ready to groove with ACD Dance! Campers will explore different dance styles, learn choreography, and express themselves through movement. Whether they’re twirling, popping, or leaping, every camper will feel the rhythm and energy as they take center stage in this high-energy, fun-filled camp.
• Coding: Space Augmented Reality(Session 3)
  Campers will launch into an epic space adventure using Augmented Reality (AR), coding their own cosmic journeys through galaxies, planets, and stars. With no prior computer skills needed, they’ll learn to design interactive AR worlds, explore space mysteries, and bring their imaginations to life.
• Mural Masterpieces(Session 3)
  Campers will explore the world of murals, learning about different styles and techniques before applying their newfound skills to create something special.
• Traditional Camp (Sessions 1, 2, & 3)
  Our traditional camp offers a variety of fun activities including sports, music, climbing wall, arts & crafts, Israel, dance, swimming and more.
  

In addition to classic camp activities, Zahav campers embark on four adventures per week, which may include excursions to theme and water parks, hiking, and much more.

Guided by our experienced specialists, Omanut campers will learn the creative process of visual art like drawing, painting, sculpting, and designing! Omanut may include an end-of-session art show and one field trip per session.

Habimah campers perform in our state-of-the-art theater, learning to act, design sets, improvise, dance, and sing from a faculty of experienced specialists.

Note: Program offered 4 weeks (sessions 1 & 2) and 3 weeks (session 3).

Our young athletes pick a team sport — which may include baseball, basketball, football or soccer — and work with specialty coaches to grow their skills through sport-specific drills, games, and competitions. Maccabiah will not have instructional swim. 

A rewarding summer of service for campers entering grades 7 – 9

Gesher campers can earn up to 20 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours, per session, by volunteering in our community, then return to Lessans Camp JCC for classic summer camp fun like the climbing wall and swimming.

High-school students can earn up to 30 SSL hours per week in Madatz, our Counselor in Training (CIT) program, while developing leadership skills through an unforgettable summer of team building, interactive workshops, and summer camp fun. Note: Program offered 4 weeks (session 1 & 2) and 3 weeks (session 3).

Kochavim — an award-winning inclusion program for teens and young adults with disabilities (ages 12 – 21) — invites campers of all abilities to experience the joys of summer camp by ensuring they can participate fully in all activities right alongside neurotypical campers.

To honor Andrew’s memory, his family established the R. Andrew Helgeson Heart of Gold Recognition Program which recognizes those counselors who exhibit outstanding effort and mirror his character.

The Helgeson family has worked diligently to keep Andrew’s memory alive by creating the Richard Andrew Helgeson Memorial Foundation (see below) to educate the public about sudden cardiac arrest and by supporting the Center’s effort to encourage excellence in counselors.

If you would like to recognize your child’s counselors, please consider making a gift in their honor to the R. Andrew Helgeson Heart of Gold Memorial Endowment Fund. This fund supports and perpetuates the R. Andrew Helgeson Heart of Gold Recognition Program for outstanding Camp JCC counselors. Each honored staff member receives a personal notification of your tribute. Donated funds are used to publicly recognize those staffers selected as most outstanding. Gifts can be made online or by contacting Rachel Ossman, Chief Development Officer at 301-348-3727or [email protected]. If made through our online donation please pick “Endowment Fund” in the drop-down menu and put Heart of Gold in the comments section with the counselor’s name.

Andrew passed away unexpectedly from Sudden Cardiac Arrest on May 25, 2005, at only 18 years old, just prior to his high school graduation. Andrew’s family established the Richard Andrew Helgeson Memorial Foundation to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in young people. SCA has been recognized since 1954 and continues to pose a threat to our young people; still, the medical profession knows little about the causes.

The Foundation was successful in promoting and lobbying passage of a bill dubbed “Andrew’s Law” that was signed by then-Governor Robert Ehrlich on April 25, 2006. Andrew’s Law mandates the placement of AEDs (automated external defibrillator) in all Maryland high schools and at all school-sponsored sporting events to protect children, staff, and visitors.

In May of 2008, Governor Martin O’Malley signed a bill that he said was inspired by Andrew that was an amendment to the Good Samaritan Law which clarifies that individuals shall not be held liable for using Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to save victims. Governor O’Malley also declared May 25 as Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Day in Maryland in honor of Andrew.

“The R. Andrew Helgeson Camp JCC Heart of Gold Counselor Awards are a source of great pride for us. It is a wonderful tribute that the counselors emulate Andrew’s exceptional qualities in a summer-long program. The fact that such a well-received and highly-sought award program is named in honor of Andrew is evidence to the fact that others saw in Andrew the special outstanding qualities that we, his family, always knew existed. Rita, Jennifer, and I are privileged and honored to be able to present the awards and provide financial support through an endowment fund so that they always continue. We want to thank the parents who contribute to the fund, the counselors and staff of Camp JCC, and the campers themselves who make it all worthwhile. Like Andrew said, ‘I can’t believe I get paid to have this much fun being a counselor.’ He loved Camp JCC.”

In honor of Session 2 counselors in Maccabiah Minors and Omanut Chagalls by Naomi and Benjamin Aiken  

In honor of Kachol counselors by Jennifer and Dan Alman 

In honor of Alex and Zvi Band in honor of the HaBimah, Adom and Omanut counselors.  

In honor of Binx by Carey and Jim Beckley 

In honor of Yunji Choi by Eunice Cho and John Minardi 

In honor of the Adom-Strudel counselors by Jenna and Mitchell Cooper 

In honor of Sivan Krowitz, Ben Waksberg, Jonathan Zimmer, and Adina by Rebecca and Aaron Droller 

In honor of Adam, Juliet, Aryeh, and Zach by Michelle Ertischek and Julio Guzman 

In honor of Yehuda Bienstock and Lisa Ettinger by Amy and Ryan Freedland 

In honor of Sarah and the Chais (Lavan) counselors for sessions 1-3 by Anuradha Gajjar and Reya Ravi 

In honor of the Lavan Yads counselors by Andrea Glinksi 

In honor of Marina by Ivan Goldberg 

Rae Grad and Manny Schiffres 

In honor of the Maccabiah and Zahav counselors Lauri and Don Greenberg 

In honor of Mary Grace Krik and Leinayiah Jex by Michelle and Yehudah Hampel 

In memory of R. Andrew Helgeson Rita and Richard Helgeson 

In honor of the Lavan-Yad counselors and Meredith Heltzer 

In honor of Will on behalf of Jordan by Ilana Jolson and Daniel Amodeo  

In honor of Zach and Kippot team Joanna Lieberman and Roee Snir 

In honor of Jeremy, Lucas, and the team by Candice Marcus 

In honor of Nate in the Picassos by René Marais and Charl Marais 

In honor of all the HaBimah counselors, CITs, and specialists by Marcy Marx 

In honor of Will, Micah, and Arielle by Jocelyn Miller Zeitzoff and Thomas Zeitzoff 

In honor of Eugene, Jeremy, and Doreen by Lori and Seth Mininsohn  

In honor of Ash by Jeffrey Morrow 

In honor of Sivan and the Chamsa counselors by Ryan and Adam Munitz 

In honor of Chloe Goldberg by Deborah Nachmann and Jon Gold  

In honor of the Omanut and Blintzes counselors by Drew Napolitano 

In honor of Noam, Alexa, and Sebastian by K’lila Nooning 

In honor of Noam by Dele and Oyeyemi Olaniran 

In honor of Brooke Levin by Susan Ornstein 

In honor of Noam Klein by Lisa and Gary Price 

In honor of Sebastian by Tara and Aaron Rabin 

In honor of the Blintzes and Knishes counselors by Abigail and Ezra Romirowsky 

In honor of Nate, Benny, and Sivan by Yoni Sauerbrun 

In honor of Daniel Ortega by Bo Saulsbury  

In honor of Alex in Gesher by Emily Schuster and David Bauckham 

In honor of Venus by Philip Shaikun  

In honor of Mason, Casey, Archer, Lucas, Evan, Kayley, Sophia, Samantha, and Anna by Molly Shapiro 

In honor of the Adom, Kesef, STEM counselors by Lauren Sherman 

In honor of Sivan Lurie by Svitlana and Gregory Shpilman  

In honor of Joshua Gale and Felix by Katie Smeltz 

In honor of Ella, Amy, Justin, and Elissa in Kachol by DW Tunnage 

In honor of Maya, Abbi, and Yehuda by Jennifer and William Vaden 

In honor of the Adom Strudels and Maccabiah Minors counselors by Rachel and Joshua Wojnilower 

In honor of Noam Klein by Yichuan Wang and Xiaoni Zhang