Growing up, Joey Schotland spent five summers at an overnight camp in Upstate New York.

“I loved it,” he says. “I had a great time playing sports, camping, and making friends.” The experience left a lasting impression on him.

More than 30 years later — as Joey began to consider how his philanthropy could support the Jewish community — he thought back to the summers at camp that helped shape him.

Working with CJP, Joey designed a bequest that will establish the Joseph Schotland Fund for Jewish Camping, providing needs-based scholarships for area kids and teens to attend Jewish overnight camp in perpetuity.

“I want to help American Jews maintain a strong sense of Jewish identity — and I think the opportunities camp provides for making lifelong friendships help young people build a meaningful, sustainable sense of what it means to be Jewish,” says Joey, whose bequest grants him membership in CJP's Dor L'Dor Society. “And I wanted to make as much impact as possible. An endowment lets my gift continue year after year as opposed to a ‘one and done’ approach.”

At age 49, Joey — a father of three who teaches economics at Needham High School — says it’s never too early to think about the legacy you want to leave. In addition to CJP, Joey has included other charities in his estate plans, including educational institutions that support under-resourced communities.

“We have a responsibility to use our resources in moral, ethical ways — that’s part of our Jewish teaching,” he says. “I want to continue the tikkun olam (repairing the world) work I’ve done with my career to help both the Jewish and the broader communities. There are so many ways to give back, and I hope everyone sees in themselves the ability to make a difference.”

Partnering with CJP on the camping fund, says Joey, was “an easy and enjoyable process.”

“The CJP team was especially good at crafting the language so that it was specific enough to meet my desires, and also flexible enough to accommodate future changes and unexpected needs in the community,” he says. “There’s a balance that has to be struck between the two — and CJP hit that balance perfectly.”