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As part of CHIne On and Shoreshim Tzedakah Night (second session), many Chi campers wrote letters and cards to soldiers serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel this summer.  This small act of chesed makes a difference in the lives of soldiers and lets them know that American kids are thinking about them.

We received a really nice thank you note from the Jewish Agency for Israel where some of these notes were sent. You can read the letter here.

We are proud that Chi campers practice such great values both in camp and out of camp.  If you are doing something to make a difference in the world, let us know about it by clicking on the "send us news" link on the right.

This summer on June 25, we marked the four years that Gilad Shalit has been held captive by Hamas with a special Shuk dedicated to him and the reciting of a special prayer at Shabbat services. 

For the past four years, Gilad has be denied visits by the Red Cross and his family.  Tomorrow is his 24th birthday and it will soon be his fifth Rosh Hashanah in captivity. 

To show support for Gilad and efforts to contact him, we ask that you join us and send him a birthday or new years card.  There are two ways to do this.

JCC Chicago is assisting the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations by collecting your hand made or printed greetings at JCC centers. You may also send greetings electronically at http://giladgreetings.org/. (There's a lot of important information on tihs website.)

The Conference of Presidents will deliver your message to the International Committee of the Red Cross with the demand that Hamas allow the ICRC to visit and deliver the messages to Gilad in accordance with international humanitarian law.

You can help out Chi Winkle and Jamie with Winkle's Blog! 

At the beginning of each month, we will post News from the Chi Family, updates about what campers and staff are doing in their lives away from camp.  If you have a special accomplishment to share with everyone, click on the "send us news" link on the right.  You can even submit news about your Chi friends.  We love hearing about mini-reunions, B'nai Mitzvot, athletic accomplishments, travels and more.  We will post the first news at the start of September so get your news in now.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Welcome back to Winkle's Blog!  Second session '10 and Try Chi have now ended.  It is amazing how camp can go from a lively, loud place to peaceful and quiet in the matter of a few hours.  After the campers left last week, counselors and specialists worked hard to clean camp and begin the process of closing down for the off-season.  The Lakeside Pool has been emptied, the sail boats are stored, the slushee machine has been cleaned, the golf carts have been picked up, and all the athletic equipment has been returned to the shed.  We are now in the midst of the second week of Family Camp before we officially end the summer season.

Summer '10 was nothing short of amazing.  There were so many fun new things at camp this year.  We hope you have many great memories.  Winkle's Blog is the best way to stay connected to camp and learn about what's going on with the Chi community.  Updates will begin again soon.

For those of you who have already started school, we hope it's going well. For everyone else, enjoy the end of the summer!