By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

Last summer 13-year-old Jeremy Middleton found himself perched between a rock and a hard place. It was exactly where he wanted to be as he and other happy campers scaled a boulder in the Catskill Mountains with Pete, a professional climber and counselor at Camp Hittman, just outside Albany.

“At first I was afraid, but Pete taught me how to find a grip and pull myself up,” said Jeremy, whose mother, Sharon Jarvis, is a DC 37 member. “When we made it to the top it looked like Africa, all mountains and green.”

This year nine summer camps will participate in the Summer Camp Program of the New York City Central Labor Council. If you are a DC 37 member, your child or grandchild can be one of the hundreds of youngsters who broaden their horizons and escape the concrete jungle for green pastures and lakeside camps upstate and in New Jersey.

“The program offers an opportunity for union parents to provide a structured environment for their children,” said Barbara Kairson, DC 37 Education Fund administrator, “at a safe haven away from the confines of the city.”

Besides outdoor activities like swimming, canoeing and hiking, most camps also offer dance, theater and leadership training. With the threefold goal of fun, safety and education, the CLC-sponsored sleep-away camps can be a great experience for your child.

DC 37 member Monica Pratt said her son Abayomi, 12, had such a great time making new friends at his first three-week session at Camp Sussex, that he begged to return for another session.

Each camp determines its costs for low- to middle-income earners on a sliding scale. The average cost is a reduced rate of $175 per child per week for camps whose general fees are around $250 a week.

Parents who are interested in registering their children for summer camp should visit the DC 37 Ed Fund on the 8th floor at union headquarters by Friday April 6 (see box). Registration will take place from noon to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. only. Sessions last from one to three weeks and are open to members’ children ages 7 to 14.