Camp JORI dedicates Charles Samdperil Boathouse

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Camp JORI, recently dedicated its newest building, the Charles Samdperil Boathouse. Camp JORI is an overnight camp located on 72 acres surrounded by Nature Conservancy-protected land on Worden’s Pond, the largest in Rhode Island.

The boathouse contains a large storage area for boating and fishing equipment, including kayaks, canoes and sailing gear. The boathouse also includes restroom facilities plus housing for adult staff. It is integral to JORI’s recent waterfront development, which includes a large pavilion (named in memory of Richard Strauss), extension of the dock facilities to accommodate additional boats and an area specifically for fishing, and improved drainage to enhance the water quality of the lake. Because of its strong commitment to the environment, the camp received funding from the Champlin, Bafflin and other foundations that made these improvements possible.

At the dedication, past president Robert Stolzman introduced and acknowledged the many board members and donors who were in attendance that evening. Stolzman spoke of the importance of the waterfront project not only to the ecosystem of Worden’s Pond but to the future of the camp as well. “This marks a great improvement to the programming we offer the children as well as what JORI offers the community in our off-season.” The pavilion and boathouse expand  the camp’s ability to offer more options for holding weddings, family and community events, and Shabbaton.

Charles Samdperil’s wife, Ruth, and Terry Schuster, one of his four children, spoke lovingly of their husband and father.

Mrs. Samdperil noted, “It makes me so proud and happy to see my husband’s name on this boathouse. He would have loved it!” 

Terry Schuster stated “Our father loved his family, loved his friends, loved his community, loved Judaism, loved children and loved to give back to his community. He was a firm believer in tikkun olam – repairing the world and making it a better place.”

She expanded on Charles’s commitment to that philosophy by noting, “He was very connected to Camp JORI … he served on committees around the purchase and move to this current site – a beautiful summer camp with amazing facilities which also offer many opportunities for year-round use as well.”

The completion of the waterfront project marks the end of Phase Two of construction at JORI.

Also included in the Phase Two construction is the opening of a new staff  housing building that allows for more adult and married staff to be at camp, enabling enhanced camper programming. All this is in addition to last summer’s opening of two new camper residences and a new town square with a fire pit. These improvements were made possible by funding from private donors and local and national foundations.

Camp JORI is a co-ed overnight camp established in 1937. It operates four major programs. These include a four week overnight camping experience for children ages 7-13, a leadership program for young teens ages 14-15, and a small day camp program for children ages 5-6 and those not yet ready for an overnight experience (up to age 10).

The inclusion program, Reaching Up, which launched in 2006, provides a highly structured overnight camping experience for children with special needs. Camp JORI also offers a month long experience in Israel for campers who have completed the leadership program and may return to camp for an additional two-week Counselor-in-Training experience.

– Submitted by

Camp JORI