The dead of winter is probably a good time to think about summer camp. The gleaming sun on the river, the crackle of a warm campfire at night, the twang of a bow string being released. Are you there?
Again this year, the Guelph Community Foundation will help send hundreds of local children to Guelph-area summer day camps through it Kids-to-Camp granting program. The application process began on Wednesday.
Some of the camps supported are outdoors ones, others are indoors. A great many local kids would not have access to them without GCF support.
“We spend a lot of time this past summer visiting the camps to see the grant dollars in action,” said Lianne Carter, marketing and communications coordinator, in an interview. “For me it was eye opening, because there are kids where it’s the only organized activity they would have that week.”
The foundation gave just over $30,000 last year. Individuals, organizations and companies are invited to donate to the Kids-to-Camp fund to help send even more kids to camp this year.
Any local registered charity can apply for the money, which helps kids who could not otherwise afford to attend a day camp. Grants in the range of $500 to $3,000 are given out. The deadline for applications is Friday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.
Summer camp can be a powerful and life-changing experience for children. The camaraderie they find, the role models they encounter, the skills they learn and adventures they have, can shape their future.
Many go on to become camp leaders themselves, said Cyndy Moffat, chair of the grants committee, in a press release.
“It is a great life experience and can open up a whole new realm of possibilities for some of these children,” she stated. The program helps children and youth from financially disadvantaged families.
Carter said she met a camp counsellor last summer who had life-changing camp experiences when she was a child, and was able to attend camp thanks to the grant program.
She revered her counsellors, thought they were cool and outgoing, and wanted to be like them. She kept coming back to camp, supported by GCF. She went on to become a teacher, but returns to the camp every year as a counsellor.
“Stories like that show that there is a huge impact,” Carter added.
Organizations interested in applying should visit the Guelph Community Foundation’s website at www.guelphcf.ca for details and application forms. Click “grant programs.” Or call the office at 519-821-9216 for more information.
Since the GCF began granting in 2001 over $214,000 has been granted to help support camp programs and send deserving kids to camp in our community.
The foundation is dedicated to the creation of permanent resources for charitable giving. Founded in 2000, it administers $13.3 million, with over $9 million in permanent endowed assets. It has distributed over $3.6 million to some 850 charitable initiatives since its inception.
The office is located at 46 Cork Street East in Guelph.
