Rabbi Loren Sykes, Executive Director of Camp Ramah Darom in Georgia, recalls a long ago phone call from the mother of three children with autism. Her search for summer camp options for them was yielding little success.

“Because I was young and naïve, I thought we would simply hire an extra counselor,” he said. “I had no idea what I’d gotten myself into. But immediately I understood that we had the opportunity to make a difference.”

So was born the idea of Camp Yofi at Ramah Darom, and a bright and promising option for parents of autistic children – a population historically underserved by the Jewish community.

Camp Yofi is a unique one-week summer camp program for Jewish families with autistic children ages 6 to 12, taking place on a bucolic 122-acre site adjoining the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. Camp Yofi was established with the help of a major, three-year grant in 2005 from The Covenant Foundation, which identified it as an exceptional initiative that would help address a dearth in Jewish communal outreach to families and individuals with special needs. The camp offers special programming for children with autism, their siblings and their parents, as well as family activities and, importantly, an opportunity for families to bond and seek support through each other’s experiences, all within a communal Jewish camping setting.

The foundation enthusiastically supports creative approaches to Jewish education, defining it in its broadest terms, including camping, arts, media and family education projects. Camp Yofi provides an exemplary model for serving families of any background or faith that include an autistic child.

While the 2005 pilot season attracted 20 families, Camp Yofi has expanded enrollment with additional funding and program partners. Its success noted by Jewish camping and educational professionals, the camp model is likely to take root elsewhere.

Sykes recalls calling the mother of an autistic child to tell her about Camp Yofi.

"I hadn’t seen her in years, but I called her and learned that her son had suddenly stopped speaking when he was six years old. When I told her about the camp, she began to cry."

To view a short video introduction to Camp Yofi by filmmaker Pearl Gluck, please visit the media page on Covenant's website and choose the video called "Camp Yofi."

Visit The Covenant Foundation online for Jewish education resources, application guidelines, and much more information about all of our Grant and Award recipients.