Kids at Camp Galil mug for the camera. Bart Davis, who turns 69 soon, will be
a familiar face to them, having worked there for more than two decades.

CAMP Continued from Page 15
to ensure that everyone is enjoying their summer while also pro-
viding support to counselors and campers.

It may not always be exciting, but it’s a core part of running the
camp smoothly.

“Sometimes it’s as mundane as ‘my son needs to make some
course selections for next year,’ and sometimes it’s more detailed
than that,” he explained.

A retired elementary school teacher from Northeast Philadelphia,
Davis enjoys spending his summers with “energetic, intelligent
young people.”
He went to Boy Scout camp when he was a kid — Treasure Island
in Point Pleasant, which has since been shut down due to storm
flooding damage.

At Galil, Davis runs activities like teaching kids how to carve a
soapstone, which he’s been doing since 1995.

Treasure Island was a different type of summer program than
Galil, but things like bonfires and campfire songs are always relatable
across camp lines.

He added that Jewish summer camps foster a special connection
for campers and staff alike.

“If they’re very well connected” in the Jewish community,
Davis continued of his campers, “it will not have much of an
impact. If they’re not very well connected to the Jewish com-
munity, they become very aware of Israel and very aware of
Jewish culture. They’re immersed in it 24/7.”
For example, teaching Israel can be as simple as baking and dec-
orating a cake in the shape and design of the country in order to ex-
plain what Israel looks like and where major cities are located.

“There’s a lot of education that goes on, but it’s all informal Jewish
education,” he said. “And they make lifelong friends in the Jewish
community, and that’s important.

“In the long run, we push a lot of responsibility on our campers.

Most of the people who work at the camp besides our Israelis are
homegrown. What I enjoy most is watching kids grow up and learn
to take responsibility and learn to work as a team with their friends
to accomplish things.

“That’s probably the most satisfying thing: watching young people
grow up and become leaders.” l
Contact: rkurland@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0737
Name: Dunwoody Village
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)NDEPENDENT 16
MAY 12, 2016
THE GOOD LIFE
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



YOU’RE 65 OR OLDER, and here are your options:
Climb the highest mountain.

Go skydiving.

Play quarterback for the Eagles. (Hey, if Sam Bradford doesn’t
want the job … .)
Make sense of Medicare.

Before you answer, know that the mountain is really, really steep,
the parachute’s been a bit cranky of late and Eagles’ fans aren’t the
most patient, especially if they think their grandma can throw the
ball better than you.

So, Medicare it is. Gulp.

For starters, you’re wondering, “Why do I keep getting all this
mail, and what am I supposed to do with it?” It’s as if a little bird
told every insurance company in the country you’re turning 65. In-
stead of sending you birthday greetings, they’re sending you
Medicare and Medigap — we’ll get into all that later — plans.

Sifting through the rubble and trying to make sense of it isn’t easy,
which is why nonprofit agencies like APPRISE are out there for free
consultations. They’ll explain all the options to you, look at your spe-
cific circumstances and try to point you in the right direction.

The only thing they won’t do is make an actual recommendation.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM “We go through
an overview of Medicare and
how it works,” explained Barbara Rutberg, a
former Upper Dublin High English teacher who’s
been volunteering for APPRISE the past four years. “We offer all
services and counseling.

“Depending upon the needs of the individual and specific con-
ditions, we’ll suggest several choices. But we do not recommend.

We’re unbiased. We try to point out the pluses or minuses.”
According to Rutberg, there’s so much confusion about just what
Medicare is and what benefits you’re getting, depending on which
part of the plan you sign up.

And there’s no easy answer to all this.

The simplified version is that when you turn 65 you are auto-
matically enrolled in coverage for Part A, which deals with hospi-
talization, nursing care and home health services.

From there, it gets complicated.

Part B covers lab tests, surgeries and doctor visits — assuming
that your doctor accepts Medicare, which has become more the ex-
ception than the rule in recent years. That’s because of the low fee
reimbursements and hassles in filing claims.

For most people, there’s a $121.80 monthly premium to belong
to Part B, but because it only covers so much — leaving patients with
huge deductibles and other costs — many look to supplement that.

That’s where things get even more muddled, as folks decide
THE GOOD LIFE
See MEDICARE, Page 18
MAY 12, 2016
17