JLife speaks to Neville Goldschneider, chief executive of children’s charity Camp Simcha about its efforts to alleviate the blight of serious illness on families across the UK.
Created in 1995 by Meir Placey and his wife Rachely, Camp Simcha began as a charity run on a purely voluntary basis supporting Jewish families in London with children afflicted by cancer. It took its name from a camp that still exists today in the Catskill Mountains in the US where Meir took a boy with cancer as part of his volunteer work.
Neville Goldschneider helped take Camp Simcha from the Plancey’s kitchen table to what it is today; a national charity serving over a thousand family members throughout the UK: “Seeing what an incredible organisation it was, Meir came back to London inspired to create a charity that looked after families and he couldn’t think of a more fitting name than Camp Simcha.”
Meir asked Neville to come along in 2005 with the idea of reaching more children and by 2007, Neville was overseeing its expansion to Manchester, Gateshead, Glasgow and Leeds: “We made the decision we’d help children not only with cancer but all serious and life-threatening conditions – anything from genetic conditions, transplants, heart conditions, to premature birth.”
“We provide practical and emotional support, things that really help a family hold it together, such as hospital transportation, food, home support, benefits advice and home school tuition to help children keep up when they’re missing lots of school. We also provide therapeutic help from counselling or talking therapies for family members, to expressive, art, and animal-assisted therapy – and it’s all provided at home. Our families don’t have to come to any kind of centre; we go to where the family needs us.”
Understanding that parents and siblings can be forgotten sufferers when serious illness strikes, Camp Simcha offers 23 different services to help entire families through challenging times: “Our philosophy is that the best way to help any child who’s very ill is to help the whole family, as every member is critical in their own right.” Its I-shine programme is a weekly after school club in Manchester targeted specifically at siblings entailing fun therapy sessions held at the Bnei Akiva Bayit: “Expressive arts enable children to express difficult emotions to a skilled therapist in a safe environment. It stresses to siblings that you’re important and you matter and is a powerful way for helping kids in stressful situations to feel better.”
Another programme it runs recognises mums as often being the primary caregiver, and offers them respite in the form of a yearly spa day: “We recognise that many of the conditions our children have are lifelong, so for many mums, it’s day-in day-out, 24/ 7. One of the donors kindly gives us their house and therapists come for the day to provide massages, manicures, pedicures all for free. Mums come from all round Manchester for treatments and lunch together – it’s a lovely day off and a chance to recharge their batteries.”
The team are conscious of maximising support and resources, maintaining strong partnerships with other specialist organisations such as Chai Cancer Care who they work closely with to ensure children receive the best possible treatment. Mindful of not replicating the work of other charities, Camp Simcha provides a unique service going back to the early days of Meir’s experience in America, it calls ‘powerful positive experiences’.
“The big difference between children and adults, is when we get ill, we fret because we know what’s coming and we’re afraid of it, but children, because they don’t have the life experience, simply live in the here and now. You can make a really big difference to children just by making today and the promise of tomorrow fun and exciting to help them forget the worry and the stress and the angst of being ill.”
“For four days in December, we run a children’s retreat specifically for children directly affected by illness, allowing mum and dad a precious opportunity to give siblings a little extra time. And three times a year we offer family retreats, giving mums, dads, brothers and sisters time away to enjoy a range of exciting programmes that include activities like helicopter rides, and spins in fast cars, affording parents both respite and the opportunity to receive support from families in similar positions.”
From supporting 10 families a year back in 1995, Camp Simcha today supports around 30 families in Manchester alone: “We’re talking 180 individuals we’re supporting day-in day-out with our services. From Manchester, 18 of those families came to family retreats, six children came to our children’s retreat and another six were taken to the US over the summer to visit the camp in the Catskill Mountains which first inspired Meir all those years ago.”
There are many ways you can get involved in supporting Camp Simcha’s vital work, from volunteering to organising a sponsored challenge: “We’ve had people planning weddings or Bar/ Bat Mitzvahs asking guests to donate to Camp Simcha instead of asking for presents and we’ve had lots of Bar Mitzvah kids choosing to give part of their money to charity.” Receiving no government funding, the charity is entirely reliant on the generosity of the community: “We feel we’re a hidden gem, and a lot of people still don’t realise that we’re here and what we’re doing. It’s really important that the community know about us because every penny of support is crucial to help us do what we do.”
To find out more about how to volunteer or set up a sponsored event, email michelle@campsimcha.org.uk. For more information about donating, visit Campsimcha.org.uk.
