Kids Come Through So Their Peers Can Sing and Swim at Moss Hollow

Shira recently made her Bat Mitzvah, and part of that tradition is giving back to the community. Sending care packages to Moss Hollow campers is a way of giving back, she said.

Shira's synagogue, Washington Hebrew Congregation, has adopted Abram Simon Elementary School in Anacostia, tutoring students, refurbishing the library and helping dozens of youngsters there attend Camp Moss Hollow. And several families, the Racoosins among them, make sure that the campers from Simon get those care packages. Simon is named for a rabbi from Washington Hebrew, who also led the D.C. Board of Education during the 1930s.

Michael and Shira said their summer camp experiences have broadened their outlooks and helped them mature. Michael said he can't wait to go back to Four-H camp in Maryland on Sunday.

"I like interacting with all the different people," he said.

Shira, who will be an eighth-grader at Charles E. Smith Hebrew Day School in Rockville this fall, returns to Camp Seafarer in North Carolina in about 10 days.

"It's like a whole other experience," she said. "You meet friends who are from all over. . . . You learn things you wouldn't have learned otherwise. . . . I've learned a lot about friendship at camp."

How to Help

These youngsters have given their time and enthusiasm to Camp Moss Hollow. You can help, too, by donating to our Send a Kid to Camp campaign. So far we have raised $252,353.10. Our goal is to raise $475,000 to give hundreds of needy youngsters a chance at this experience.

Moss Hollow, with its acres of woods, hiking trails, pond, pool and playing fields, is run by one of the area's oldest charities, Family and Child Services of Washington. It costs about $700 to send a child there, including transportation.

It seems a small amount when you hear young adults talk about what the camp meant to them. "Moss Hollow made me" is a frequent refrain.

To contribute, send a check or money order payable to "Send a Kid to Camp," P.O. Box 96237, Washington, D.C. 20090-6237.

Or contribute online by going to http://www.washingtonpost.com/camp. You'll see a place to make a donation. Click there.

To give via MasterCard or Visa by phone, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions.

The Hollow thanks you.