Note from the Director

Hello Camp Chi Family,

This year has been one of many firsts for me. In January, Natalie and I celebrated the birth of our first child, Chase Elliott Kolling. And now, after 23 summers at Camp Chi, I am honored to be the next Director. While these two events continue to drastically change my life, they share the fact that I now have a major hand in shaping the future of two of the most important aspects of my life. As Director of Camp Chi, I am lucky to work every day with an incredibly dedicated and talented group of full-time staff who spend countless hours making sure that the Chi Flame continues to burn brightly for generations of campers to come.

These past few years been extremely challenging for families all over the world, but these last few months have challenged the Jewish people in a scale that we haven’t seen in a generation. And, while we pray daily for the safety and well-being of our families and friends in Israel and all of those dealing with rising Anti-Semitism worldwide, it is more important than ever for us to remain united and strong as a Jewish community. That is why the full-time Camp Chi team and I promise to work harder than ever to make sure that Camp Chi remains a safe, fun, home away from home for every camper and staff that walks through our gates this summer. Together we promise to remain a proud Jewish community where every camper can be comfortable being themselves and can continue to form friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime.

While Camp Chi will always maintain the values and feelings that have driven us for over 100 years, we are constantly working to grow and expand on everything that makes us the greatest summer camp in the world. This year some of the new additions that we are excited to able to share with all of you include:

A brand-new program area

• This year we are excited to announce that we are bringing an amazing golf program to Camp Chi. This will consist of a 9-hole mini golf course, a large putting and chipping green, and a golf hole with tees from three different distances. We have also bought a few bucket golf sets so that campers can create their own courses to practice on.

A new mental wellness program

• We are working with a team of Camp Chi Mental Wellness Staff to create a program that will bring a group of Masters-Level students into Camp Chi to work with each village to improve cabin dynamics and to work with our counselors and village leaders to ensure that every camper and staff member at Camp Chi gets the support they need to thrive. We are very excited to share more information with you all about this program soon.

A revamp for the Staff in Training Program

• This summer we are turning the Lodge building in Perlstein into a full SIT training center. The SITs will live in the upper lodge rooms while the Lower Lodge conference rooms will be used for training and a SIT lounge.
• We are bringing back a real and meaningful SIT trip to the summer that will enhance their experience through group bonding and adventure.
• We are once again working with outside local partners to create real volunteer experiences around our local community.
• We cannot wait to see what the SIT’s of 2024 are able to accomplish.

Bringing extra groups of Israeli Campers

• We are very lucky to have generous community members who are helping us bring groups of Israeli campers that were directly affected by the tragedies of October 7th into camp, tuition free. We look forward to providing these campers with a camp experience where they will be able to feel safe, away from danger, and part of a robust and welcoming Jewish community. We are currently working with multiple groups and are hoping to help as many of these campers to camp as we possibly can.

A continuation of our Noar Overhaul

• After redoing the Noar, or Teen Camp, dining hall and bathrooms for this past summer, the next stage of the project is just about complete. We have added six brand new cabins to Noar, each with their expanded porches. We can’t wait to break them in this summer.

While we hope to have even more good news and updates to share with you all soon, we hope that this gives you a little taste of what’s to come from a place that is so meaningful for all of us!

Thank you for being part of our incredible community,
Kyle Kolling