Welcome to Copake, New York

Camp Pontiac has operated as a summer camp for boys and girls since 1922. 300 staff, including 3 physicians and 8 registered nurses, instruct and guide 250 boys and 250 girls age 6-17 for 8 weeks. Twins Ken and Rick Etra, eye-ear-nose-throat specialists on Long Island, NY bought Pontiac in 1995 and have rebuilt all the infrastructure and external facilities. Located on route 7 in Copake on 150 acres with a 65 acre lake, campers enjoy a range of facilities: 5 dining rooms, air-conditioned theater, 18,000 square foot basketball-hockey-volleyball Palace; 10,000 square foot Pavilion for gymnastics, dance, karate and fitness; 4 heated pools, 8 basketball courts, 3 hockey rinks, 8 soccer fields including walled soccer; 6 baseball/softball fields, 10 tennis and 8 volleyball courts, lacrosse/football field, golf driving range, 3 crafts-model studios, videography studio, photo-shop, computer room, weight room, outdoor adventure---3 climbing walls, zipline, 2 team-building trust-courses, 2 high and mid-ropes courses with 16 elements, modern air-conditioned infirmary, recreation lodge, 2 mini golf courses and more.

 Berkshire Hills - Emmanuel Camps has welcomed children and adults at scheduled summer dates onto its 640-acre site with private lake since 1950. Berkshire Hills provides social, cultural, educational and recreational programs for Jewish children in a beautiful, nurturing and safe country camp setting. Their mission is to provide a high quality summer camp experience through social interaction, recreational opportunities and Jewish ritual. The Adult Vacation Center promises the “ultimate vacation experience for active Jewish seniors”. A multinational staff of over 125 (including physicians, nurses and lifeguards) are dedicated to about 200 campers enjoying activities at the waterfront, pool, playing fields, indoors on the dance floor, before a computer, at the bridge table, special interests, trips and in the synagogue. Meet new friends, expand your physical and mental interests, join the intergenerational programs and develop a deeper understanding of Jewish heritage.

 Camp Anne AHRC (Association for the Help of Retarded Children) “offers a fun-filled, loving, nurturing and safe environment for children and adults who function in the moderate, severe or profound ranges of mental retardation, who may also have physical and/or medical needs.” The camp is located on Four Corners Road, off route 7 in Ancram. Its 20 buildings welcome more than 500 campers over the summer to enjoy arts and crafts, boating, cooking, dance, music, sports and swimming aided by a 1:1 staff to camper ratio. The aim of AHRC’s work has been to offer disabled individuals day to day living that is as rich, absorbing and worthwhile as possible, with an emphasis on helping individuals live up to their maximum potential in the community. Camp Anne is one aspect of that vision.

 Camphill Village came to North America from Great Britain over 40 years ago. It began on a small donated farm with 2 houses in Copake, NY in 1961 at the urging of concerned people that included parents of young adults with development disabilities. Today, The Village consists of 600 acres, 24 houses, crafts workshops, farm buildings, culture and arts center, a medical care center, bakery, co-op, café and gift shop. 240 people of all ages live here together sharing home, work and social activities. Copake’s Camphill Village is the oldest and largest of ten such independent communities in North America. The North American region is part of the international Camphill Movement: 100 independent schools and training centers in 20 countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa working with people of all ages with developmental, social, emotional and mental disabilities. Camphill is a forerunner and model in the disabilities field where its emphasis on family-centered care, inclusion and development of individual potential are now the basis for public policy nationwide.