Dear Friends,
The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges for all our network camps in 2020, 2021, 2022. Fortunately all 20 camps provided in-person camps in 2023 serving over 3000 children and youths continuing to make the unique experience of summer camp available to the special needs and underprivileged communities that we have served since 1981.
By nearly every measure, our children and youth are in distress amid the impact of Covid-19. The value of the camping experience is particularly important for the wellbeing and flourishing of disadvantaged and special needs children and youth given the compounding impact COVID-19 has had on schools, learning, and the social/emotional development of our children over the past several years. The work we do is crucial for the wellbeing and flourishing of vulnerable children and youth and is paramount to the health of our community.
We know kids are learning all the time, our camps provide challenging, enriching learning opportunities for local youth during summer break. Summer overnight camps optimize the school break and offer deep social-emotional wellness, recreational skills, and a variety of educational skills.
Camps For Kids impact does not end with summer. The support our camps receive from Camps For Kids ensures that no child who wants to attend summer camp is turned away due to their inability to pay, but many of our 20 network camps offer year-round continued relationship building, educational, and social-emotional programs both after school and on weekends for which scholarship dollars are always needed. Funds received from Camps For Kids enables them to extend the reach of their overall support and make sure kids aged 5 – 18 who need help receive it. Our camps report that they can serve more kids year-round because of Camps For Kids funding. Days without support can be difficult for many students and for parents. Not all students receive services through school districts or only receive a small portion of support.
Fortunately, when natural disasters strike, tornadoes, floods, fires, etc. money and support rush in to take care of the immediate needs of the community as we witnessed when the Covid-19 crisis hit, and all efforts were focused on helping our community. These acute events though, give rise to the long term needs of communities in their return to normal. These chronic struggles need as much attention and support, if not more, as the initial disaster itself. The same is true for the continuing and increased needs of our children and families as we work through Covid-19’s ongoing challenges.
It is more important than ever to support organizations that impact all children and families but especially vulnerable ones. Camps For Kids has a continued and heightened role to play and will continue to maximize our impact on the children and families in our community.
As a result, the need for your continued support and funding is greater than ever. Ways you can help:
- Volunteer at our events https://campsforkids.org/event/
- Donate online @ https://campsforkids.org/donations/
- Join our Board of Directors
- Volunteer at one of our camps
For updates on Camps For Kids, out network camps visit our website at https://campsforkids.org/ or feel free to reach out to our Executive Director, Regina, at 816. 839.6464.
Thank you for your continued support of Camps For Kids. With you help we can ensure that the special needs children of our community continue to benefit from the life changing opportunities camp provides.
Be safe and well,
The Camps For Kids Team
