Eisenstein is Making a Big Impact for Kids with Cancer

Meet Elly Eisenstein, a 17-year-old junior at The Weber School. She loves talking to her camp friends and spending time with friends and family. Having grown up attending camp every summer, Eisenstein has a keen awareness of the meaning of camp. Not only was her beloved grandmother, Shelley Shapiro, the director of Camp Tevya for a decade in Brookline, N.H., Elly’s entire family are involved in camping giving back nonstop.

On a personal mission, Eisenstein is dedicated to Aurora Day Camp, helping kids with challenging illnesses share the joy of attending camp. Aurora is for children with cancer and their siblings and is fully free. It provides 24/7 care at camp, transportation, year-round programming, and in-hospital activities as well. Aurora is held in Atlanta at Davis Academy during the summer. A proud member of The Sunrise Association, they have camps all over America with three locations in Israel, including one near Yokneam, Sandy Springs’ sister city, one near Natanya, and the final one in Be’er Sheva.

Eisenstein explained how she got involved in Aurora and said, “My mom got involved when I was very young, and my aunt, Beth Friedman, has been a significant part of our family’s connection to Aurora — she fundraised and was honored at the 2022 gala. My dad was honored in 2023 because he wanted to show strength, support Aurora in honor of my grandpa, and set an example for me by demonstrating the incredible impact Aurora makes. Watching my family’s dedication inspired me to want to be part of this mission myself.”

When Elly entered high school, she joined the teen leadership board, which helps engage high schoolers across Atlanta in learning leadership skills and philanthropic efforts through events like AuroraWALKS. Since then, her Aunt Beth guided her, teaching her how to support Aurora and showing the importance of helping children facing cancer. Eisenstein’s cousin, Nate, also served on the board last year, and together they continue their family’s commitment to Aurora.

Eisenstein shared, “I attended Camp Tevya in New Hampshire every summer for the past eight years, which has been incredibly important to me. Experiencing the joy, community, and support of camp firsthand has made me deeply understand why Aurora matters so much to the children it serves. Over my past two years on the board, I have raised $18,000, which means that I have sent three kids to camp.”

Eisenstein has witnessed firsthand how Aurora helps make meaningful experiences for children in need during these hard times. She added, “I am truly honored and think that Aurora is an amazing camp. It is so important to give tzedakah, whether it is time, money, or experience. It is very important to teach others to give back to the community and I always get excited when I have Aurora teen meetings or events. It makes my day because I know that I am making a difference in a child’s life.”

Kat Shreve, executive director of Aurora Day Camp added, “Elly brings not only dedication, but a deep sense of heart to everything she does when it comes to being an incredible cheerleader for Aurora Day Camp. She is a remarkable young person who is all in when it comes to supporting Aurora. She is an active member of the Teen Leadership Board, volunteers at many of Aurora’s programs year-round, spoken at the Aurora Leadership Board meetings, and most recently, knocked it out of the park as both the top individual donor and captain of the top fundraising team, Kids Helping Kids. Elly set a hefty goal of $10,000 and the grand total was $13,000. We are profoundly grateful for the lasting difference Elly continues to make in the lives of our campers and their families. Her passion helps us deliver our mission every day.”

Erin Hendrick, board chair of Camp Aurora, said, “Beyond Elly’s leadership within the group, she recently represented her experience to our board of directors. Elly is consistently composed and articulate, and her enthusiasm for supporting these children and the community is truly exceptional. Most recently, she was our top individual fundraiser and led the team’s fundraising efforts for the Aurora Day Camp Walk.”

Advocating for Aurora is important to Eisenstein because it gives kids a chance to be children and experience normalcy while battling cancer. She has made friends with people who have been campers, and they have talked to her about the importance of camping to them.

Elly is consistently composed and articulate, and her enthusiasm for supporting these children and the community is truly exceptional.

“Camp made kids feel like they were superheroes. I have talked to many people, including current campers and counselors, who described to me their favorite experiences at camp, super sloppy day, drive-in movies, splatter paint studio, skating, and themed days like Superhero Week, Wild West Week, and French fries vs. hashbrowns for color war. These stories make me understand how impactful Aurora is to kids,” said Eisenstein.

Next year, Elly hopes to be on the board again and raise even more money than she did this year. She hopes to share the impact of Aurora Day Camp to more people around Metro Atlanta. Eisenstein hopes every person can give tzedakah to this organization and see for themselves how important it is for these kids to go to camp.

She said, “I hope to spread positivity around the world and hope to visit Camp Sunshine in Israel the next time I go.”

Camp Aurora is held at The Davis Academy Middle School. To inquire about attending Camp Aurora, contact Sami Tanenbaum or to volunteer, contact Xavier Grullon. For more information, please visit https://www.auroradaycamp.org/