Because GREEN is Spoken at Cali-Camp, we support the American Camp Association and the Children & Nature Network (CNN) in their effort to connect children and nature and to honor the environment by doing the following things (many of which we already do and will continue doing):

• Share our Green plan with all of our staff.
• Celebrate the attention to turning off items when not in use (e.g., turning off the Xerox machine and lights at the end of the day).  Have an agreed-upon plan for the temperature camp's buildings will be for the summer.
• Shop local - Visit local markets or the hardware store nearby for goods our camp needs . . . though products may seem more expensive, the cost of getting there for needed items and the toll on the environment is much less.
• Recycle - We will encourage recycling in the office and will encourage campers to do so, too.  We will set up recycling bins in the lunch area.
• Monitor food waste from packaging to unused portions.  We will encourage campers to eat their lunches and take home their unused food, not throw it away.
• Add one meatless meal per week to our lunch menu not only will this save us money on our food budget, the resources spent on the food source and the impact it has on the environment will decrease.
• Watch our paper use from printing out schedules and emails from home to arts-and-crafts projects; collect the paper to be reused again.  Landfill space and supply budgets will be relieved. 
• Look into recycled and environmentally safe products for T-shirts, plates, cups, paper and all products throughout our camp (benches, tables, trash cans made from recycled products).

Did you know that a mature tree produces 22 pounds of oxygen every year?

This year at Cali-Camp, we're introducing a new initiative to help the environment.

Your family can be part of our Go Green program by going out and buying a "LIVE" Christmas Tree or Chanukah Bush.

When the holidays are over please call Cali-Camp and we will come to your home and pick up your "live" tree. We will then plant it and nurture it. Your tree will have a family name placard on it so that we can always recognize who planted the tree.

What a great way to "Go Green!"

On the 25th of Kislev are the days of Chanukkah, which are eight... these were appointed a Festival with Hallel [prayers of praise] and thanksgiving. -Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud.

Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.

Chanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar.

The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society. More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.

According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.

"American Origins": (by Brian Dodd)
Quote from ENCARTA 95

The American version of the Santa Claus figure received its inspiration and its name from the Dutch legend of Sinter Klaas, brought by settlers to New York in the 17th century.

As early as 1773 the name appeared in the American press as "St. A Claus," but it was the popular author Washington Irving who gave Americans their first detailed information about the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas. In his History of New York, published in 1809 under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, Irving described the arrival of the saint on horseback (unaccompanied by Black Peter) each Eve of Saint Nicholas.

This Dutch-American Saint Nick achieved his fully Americanized form in 1823 in the poem A Visit From Saint Nicholas more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas by writer Clement Clarke Moore. Moore included such details as the names of the reindeer; Santa Claus's laughs, winks, and nods; and the method by which Saint Nicholas, referred to as an elf, returns up the chimney. (Moore's phrase "lays his finger aside of his nose" was drawn directly from Irving's 1809 description.)

We begin our staff hiring in January. If you have a child 18 years or older or if you know of someone out of high school and desiring to work with children please have them contact us immediately.  We also have a few Assistant Staff positions for 16 year olds and volunteer positions for 14-15 year olds.  Visit our website or email  staff@calicamp.com or call 760-836-3894 for more information.

Often parents would like to have their older children attend resident (sleep over) camp during the summer in addition to day camp. 

The opportunity for a child to be away from home and to be socially integrated twenty-four hours a day is afforded through resident camp programs.  Many of our campers leave Cali-Camp for one to three weeks to experience such a program.  If you are interested in receiving information pertaining to ACA accredited resident camps please call our office.  Contact the Western Association of Independent Camps.  It has information pertaining to each facility, location, activities and cost. 

I have personally visited over half of these camps and I will be most happy to provide you with supplemental information.  You and your child should make two or three selections from this directory prior to making the second call to me so that I can provide you with a wide range of information.  You can also contact the American Camping Association Office (213) 483-4300 for information on accredited Children's Camps in the United States. They will be more than happy to assist you in your quest for an accredited resident camp.

The IRS looks upon day camps as strictly child day care centers (although we know differently).  Because of their interpretation of who and what we are, they have established certain standards for you to claim exemptions for tuition payments made towards child care.  We are not up to date on these requirements so you should check with your tax advisor. You will need to have our Federal Identification Number in order to file:

• Recreational Profiles, Inc.
• dba Cali-Camp Summer Day Camp
• 95-3023798

Many businesses will provide paid benefits for childcare.Send your childcare form to us and we in turn will provide you with the necessary information.

IRS info