Category: Social Impact

For many children battling cancer, hearing “no” is a norm. No soccer or dance or playground fun with others — activities that can harm an already fragile body. But for six weeks every summer, at a camp designed to run on “yes,” children get to have fun in a safe environment, made just for them.

Horizon Day Camp is the only free day camp for 3 ½ to 16 year olds with pediatric cancer and their siblings. The camp opened in 2022, borne of a partnership between Pozez JCC and Sunrise Association Day Camps, which has been running camps and other programs for children with cancer since 2006.

“For our JCC, this is a major social impact program that fills a gap and a need for families in the D.C. metro area,” said Jessica Adams, senior director of development.

Because campers are undergoing treatment, they attend as often as they can, whenever they can. Every day of camp is created to stand alone, ensuring children never feel as if they missed something.

Camp Director Joellen Kriss-Broubalow said Horizon Day Camp is where “every kid can be a kid.” Many of her campers, siblings included, have been forced to grow up too soon. Camp is an opportunity for them to be their own person, outside of the bubble that cancer so often silos them into. 

“We are a camp for kids with cancer, but we are not a cancer camp,” Kriss-Broubalow said. “Cancer is something these kids have, not who they are. We take all of the necessary steps to make sure cancer is not at the center of everything we do.”

And camp starts on the bus, a free service that brings children to and from Pozez JCC. Then comes the best part of camp: activities. Soft sports balls and other adaptive equipment help children fully participate. Some play soccer or take swim lessons. Others make friendship bracelets or do science experiments. 

Specially trained counselors like Bradley Olsen, 18, are there every step of the way. A cancer survivor himself, Olsen pulls from his own experiences to offer hope, compassion and of course, joy.

“Seeing them share laughter, form bonds and create lasting memories is so special,” Olsen said. “Being able to witness these moments and provide a safe, supportive space for them to simply be themselves is truly a gift.”

Alana Cole, another 18-year-old counselor, said, “It’s easy to say that I teach the kids, but in truth, they teach me. The most meaningful part of my work is seeing all of them smile and have fun.”

This June, staff are expecting to welcome their largest group of campers. Horizon Day Camp, which started with 44 children and grew to accomodate nearly 100, already has 48 registrants for this summer. Roughly 20 of them are returning campers.

The driving force: parents know their little ones are in good hands. There is on-site medical support, which includes a team of nurses supervised by a pediatric oncologist. 

With peace of mind, parents can take quiet moments for themselves. Last summer, while their children were at camp, one couple took a vacation day and went to the movies. Another said they finally had time to clean their house, which had been in disarray since their child started cancer treatment.

“I can feel the relief from our parents,” Kriss-Broubalow said. “Everything is being taken care of. Kids are so excited to come to camp every day, and parents haven’t seen their kids this excited in a long time.”

One of those parents is Emily McGilton, whose daughter Brianna has neuroblastoma, a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells. For Brianna, rounds of treatment disrupted her year, pulling her from school and friends. 

Horizon Day Camp was a bright spot.

Brianna, 4, would come home and excitedly recap her days swimming and crafting. Knowing her daughter was having fun, and finding some normalcy in abnormal times, McGilton began to worry less.

“Horizon Day Camp encouraged me to let go a little bit and allow others to help me care for my child,” McGilton said. “I slowly adjusted with the help of her encouraging staff and her big smiles every day at drop off and pick up. She can’t wait to go back.” 

Even though camp is six-weeks long, engagement is year round. Horizon on Wheels brings the magic of camp to children undergoing treatment in hospitals. There are also family fun days, which have included adaptive sports and exclusive museum visits to keep up relationships with camp families. 

The next happening: Horizon Walk. This annual fundraising event, scheduled for April 14, features a 1-mile walk around National Harbor. Attendees include camp families and other members of the community, drawing a crowd of close to 250. 

“When they see you, they knock you over with these huge hugs because they’re so excited to be around camp people again,” Kriss-Broubalow said. “That’s how you know what you’re doing really matters.”

For Kriss-Broubalow, who is a teacher during the school year, camp fills her soul during the summer and all year round.

“Teachers are seed planters. We usually don’t get to see the flowers,” Kriss-Broubalow said. “But at camp, you get to see the flowers. It’s magic.”

You can participate in our annual Horizon Walk by completing this registration form.

February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM or JDAAIM). This year, JDAIM is in its 15th year of existence. It was started to raise awareness and ensure that Jews with disabilities are valued and included in all aspects of Jewish life. As you may be aware, the Disability community is the largest minority group, and estimated to be about 15% of the world population. It is also estimated that 1 in 4 adults in the United States will have a disability at some point during their life. This is a group that cannot and should not be ignored. The Disability community needs to be accepted and included not just in February, but every day of the year.

As part of our celebration of JDAIM, the Pozez JCC and the organization MyZuzah, whose mission is to put a mezuzah on the front door of every Jewish home in the world, are excited to be installing a mezuzah with braille on its face. The mezuzah was designed by local artist, Julie Tonti.

This past week, I listened to a talk by Rabbi Julia Watts Belser about her book, Loving Our Bones: Disability Wisdom and the Spiritual Subversiveness of Knowing Ourselves Whole. She talked about how she is often asked what Jewish tradition says about disability. She offers that we flip the question to ask what disability can offer to Jewish wisdom. Her answer is the message that there is not only one way to move through the world and not only one way of thinking. Rabbi Belser defined ableism as the policies, norms, attitudes, and practices that oppress people assumed to be disabled. She said that ableism runs in conjunction with the idea of productivity culture, where we are only as good as our latest accomplishment. Her idea is that the practice of honoring Shabbat, and taking a day of rest, is the antidote to this form of ableism. This promotes the idea of your value for who you are rather than for what you do.

On this 15th anniversary of JDAIM, it is most appropriate to honor the memory of Judy Heumann just before the occasion of her first yahrzeit. She was an international leader in the Disability Rights Movement who fought for Jewish disability access and for the rights and dignity of all disabled people. Many more people came to know about her life through the documentary movie Crip Camp. When talking about the 504 protests (referring to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities), shown in the movie, Judy said that they were successful because they did not focus on how they were different, but on their collective purpose. They focused on the community and the humanity in each other. A wonderful quote from Judy Heumann’s memoir Being Heumann is, “I was who I was meant to be. If you were to acquire a disability tomorrow, it would be a change, but I can tell you this: it wouldn’t have to be a tragedy. We are all human. Why do we see disability differently from any other aspect of being human?”

Helpful JDAIM Resources 

“What Do You Pray For?” A series of short interviews with Jews with disabilities.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/8327250

A sneak peek and conversation about the upcoming film THIRTEEN. The film is based on a true story of a mother fighting to have a Bat Mitzvah for her disabled and terminally ill daughter. The discussion will center around the intersection of ableism and antisemitism and the impact in Jewish communities.
Registration required. Click here.

Resisting Ableism and Cultivating Access: Disability and Jewish Social Justice. Registration is required. Please click here to register. 

JDAIM Events: https://jcca.org/jewish-disability-month-events/

July was Disability Pride Month, so coined to commemorate the July 26, 1990 signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. The ADA is an extremely important civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination based on disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodations, telecommunication, businesses and non-profits that serve the public, and government services. The Disability community represents the largest minority group worldwide. It is a group that spans all ages, races, ethnicities, religions, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and socio-economic status. Disabled people make up approximately 10 to 16 percent of the population.

Disability Pride is a logical extension of the Disability Rights Movement. This movement fights for equal rights, opportunities, and access for people with disabilities, and to end ableism. Ableism is the discrimination of disabled people and the belief that they are inferior to a non-disabled person. Having a disability is not something that needs to be “fixed” and disabled people need to be included in all parts of society.

Pride goes beyond the ADA. Disability Pride celebrates the people, their identities, and their contributions to society. It does not say that there are not numerous challenges, but seeks to end the idea that having a disability makes someone less than or that it is anything other than a natural part of who you are and part of your identity.

In 2021 an updated disability pride flag, which is a symbol of solidarity and acceptance, was created. The flag has different colored diagonal stripes, to represent different disabilities (red=physical disabilities, gold= cognitive or intellectual disabilities, white= not visible or undiagnosed disabilities, blue= psychiatric disabilities, and green= sensory disabilities) on a black background. The colors are muted for greater accessibility for people with seizures or migraines. The diagonal bands (from the top left to the bottom right) represent people with disabilities cutting through society’s barriers. The black background represents mourning for those harmed by Ableist cruelty.

The only way that seems appropriate to end this writing about Disability Pride is to include the thoughts of a member of the community. One of the JCC’s Inclusion Department participants, Valerie Maizel, wrote the following about her experiences here:

“I love going to the J because I meet new people at the “Going Places!” Social Club there. Over the years, I worked hard to overcome a mild disability but still found it difficult to make friends. I made wonderful friends at the club. They offer exciting events each month. My friends and I get together on our own, too. We go to movies, restaurants, and shop. We also meet weekly on Zoom. I have gained confidence, learned how to approach new people, and discovered I can enjoy communicating with them. I greatly appreciate the opportunities I have at “Going Places!” and the positive effect it has had on my life.”

The Inclusion and Disability Services department at the Pozez JCC endeavors to promote connection, community, and pride all 12 months of the year.