Vacation for Yeshiva students is over. They had a few weeks to recharge. To go on a hike, relax with a book, meet friends for pizza. Some opted to apply for a temporary job to earn a bit of money for the year. And then there are those that would shoot for the top. The top choice for vacation time. The slot that hundreds upon hundreds apply for. The absolutely best way to spend vacation.
Most are disappointed. Only a few are accepted. Is it a top-paying job? A low—priced resort where they can laze away the days? No, it’s neither of these.
It’s a place where they will be required to work from early-very early- in the morning till nightfall, with hardly a moment’s rest. It’s a place that offers no financial remuneration, not one dollar.
And so why are the crowds begging to be accepted? It is because these young people instinctively know where real happiness can be found. It is found in giving to one who can never give back anything in return except what is most precious- pure love. It is found in helping a family that is desperately trying to remain afloat in a situation that would drive many insane.
It is found at Ezer Mizion’s Summer Camp for Special Children.
Applications are screened. Appointments are made for interviews. Then come the difficult decisions. It is the elite that are accepted as counselors. Those that will be able to give to give and give…and then do it all over again the next day.
Make no mistake. They are treated as elite. After the campers are put to bed, there are special programs and fantastic food for these malachim (angels) in the guise of yeshiva bachurim (students). They are made to fee
l very appreciated.
“The appreciation is great,” says an angel clad in a blue t-shirt. “But nothing compares to…” His sentence lay unfinished as he shot off to grab his assigned camper, a 10-year-old Downs boy, who looked like he was escaping towards the woods. His was one of the many wild kids that need a shadow every second of the day. Others may need help in getting dressed and feeding themselves. Still others may need to be fed via a tube.
Each counselor does his best to give his camper a terrific time, all the while trying to maintain or even increase the abilities that he has worked so hard to achieve during the school year.
“I can’t even begin to imagine how the parents handle these kids, “ says a counselor with his camper securely riding piggy back on his shoulders. Many of these parents have other children. How do they manage to get supper on the table (and have it stay there), do homework with other kids and keep their homes in reasonable order? Even though men aren’t supposed to cry, I can’t help getting tears in my eyes when I hear from some of the siblings at the end of the summer. I’ll get comments like: My Mommy took us all to the park for the first time. We never can go to the park when Yanky is home. Last year I got a comment from an eleven year old sister who told me that, for the first time in her life, she invited a friend to come over to play a game. And the parents…they can’t thank us enough. The keep saying that we can’t understand what this break means for them. No salary can ever compare to that!”
As he turns to go, Yanky wraps his arms around his counselor’s neck and sings out, “ I love you!”
“That’s my salary,” he calls out over his shoulder. “Paid in full.”
