Glendale’s Camp Bob Waldorf provides a nonprofit camp experience for kids age 9 to 17 at about a quarter of the typical residential cost, allowing children from low-income communities to attend.
“Some are coming from single-parent homes, the foster system or living in temporary housing or a homeless shelter. A lot of our campers are getting service from different social agencies,” says camp director Zach Lasker.
Richard Feldstein, business manager for Madonna and Drake, says: “This really might be the first exposure they have to that sort of environment away from home. It’s very compelling.” He adds that he took his son, actor Jonah Hill, to visit during a weekend program. “We spent a full day there with him, telling them about his life as an actor and the red carpet and all that stuff that the kids were interested in. I think he probably got more out of it than the kids did.”
Camp Bob Waldorf is owned by the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters agency, whose parent organization has been benefited by head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, Mindy Kaling, Yara Shahidi, president at ABC Studios Patrick Moran, Sony Pictures TV’s Holly Jacobs, Sherry Lansing and Nick Cannon.
Lasker says the kids learn Krav Maga (Israeli self defense), horseback riding and farm-to-table cooking. “We believe in the power of camp. Being able to provide a safe space for these kids, where regardless of the background they’re coming from, the moment they enter our gates, they are kids like every other kid.”
Donate online or call 323-761-8675. campbobwaldorf.org
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