Chai Lifeline

08/25/2026

On today's episode of The Excerpt podcast: in New York's Catskill Mountains gives children with cancer, chronic illnesses and complex disabilities a chance to experience summer camp with round-the-clock medical care. USA TODAY Youth Mental Health Reporter Rachel Hale explains how the camp helps kids gain independence and community while giving their parents a rare break from caregiving.

08/25/2026

On today's episode of The Excerpt podcast: Camp Simcha in New York's Catskill Mountains gives children with cancer, chronic illnesses and complex disabilities a chance to experience summer camp with round-the-clock medical care. USA TODAY Youth Mental Health Reporter Rachel Hale explains how the camp helps kids gain independence and community while giving their parents a rare break from caregiving.

Camp Simcha gives seriously ill and disabled kids a place to take risks, gain independence and simply be kids.

08/23/2026

Thank you Shaindy Plotzker for being such a great friend to our children! 💚

08/19/2026

Nine-year-old Nava is bursting with positivity, a self-proclaimed future star, and now, a cancer survivor! Read how this South Florida "firecracker" tackled her battle with leukemia, found joy at Camp Simcha, and is inspiring her community.

A South Florida girl is showing what it means to keep pushing forward after a tough battle with cancer.

08/19/2026

Nine-year-old Nava is bursting with positivity, a self-proclaimed future star, and now, a cancer survivor! Watch how this South Florida "firecracker" tackled her battle with leukemia, found joy at Camp Simcha, and is inspiring her community.

08/10/2026

What a remarkable day at Camp Simcha.

Hundreds of alumni, campers, families, volunteers, and supporters came home to celebrate Alumni Day and welcome a new Sefer Torah into the heart of camp. Together, we danced, celebrated, and wrote the next chapter of the Camp Simcha story.

A heartfelt thank you to Bari & Dani Erber and family for their extraordinary generosity in dedicating this Sefer Torah. Your gift will accompany generations of campers through tefillos, simchos, milestones, and countless moments of inspiration.

May this Torah continue to bring bracha, achdus, and simcha to every child and family who calls Camp Simcha home.

08/07/2026

More than 70 members of Chai Lifeline's Crisis Services team recently paid a special visit to Camp Simcha. The group toured the facilities, met with campers and staff, and had the honor of joining our campers for a beautiful siyum, followed by dinner at camp and special evening programming.

"The crisis team spends its days walking alongside families through the hardest moments of their lives. To spend a day at Camp Simcha was a powerful reminder of what all of that work is for," said Rabbi Mordechai Gobioff, MSW, Chai Lifeline National Director of Client Services. "There was something especially inspiring about seeing how Chai Lifeline’s different programs come together under one mission — each of us, in our own way, making sure no child or family faces hardship alone."

08/07/2026

"Camp is a reprieve. It is therapeutic. It is a lifeline for them. It gives them a sense of hope and a future." -Rabbi Simcha Scholar, CEO of Chai Lifeline

Bike4Chai Ride supports Chai Lifeline and Camp Simcha, which provide overnight summer camping in a medically supportive environment.

08/05/2026

Camp Simcha was honored to welcome Rabbi Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, for a special visit on Tuesday, August 4.

Camp Simcha was honored to welcome Rabbi Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, for a special visit on Tuesday, August 4. Rabbi Bender toured the Glen Spey, NY, campgrounds, visited with campers and staff, and spent time dancing … Continue reading →

08/04/2026

In the Catskills, down an unassuming road shaded with ash trees, stands a 125-acre campus with all the makings of a traditional summer camp: a lake flanked by kayaks and paddle boards, a climbing wall, a field house for sing-alongs and talent shows and an Olympic-size pool.

But instead of a bonfire circle or a decorated flagpole, the beating heart of Camp Simcha is a hospital. On a damp morning in July, the building is abuzz with activity.

At this summer camp, kids with cancer and chronic illnesses experience the parts of childhood that illness often interrupts.