Help needed to Send-A-Kid To Camp

The Sudbury Manitoulin Children's Foundation has helped more than 14,000 kids experience summer camp.

This year alone, 526 local kids from disadvantaged backgrounds have had the chance to attend camp. Unfortunately, there are still about 65 youngsters on the waiting list for a camp experience — without community support, they may have to continue waiting.

Tanya Tuohimaa, marketing and events director at the SMCF, said the organization is “appealing to the community for funding donations” to help these kids, aged six to 14, attend camp. All the kids on the waiting list have been referred by registered social agencies within the city.

“As summer rapidly dwindles to an end, many of these children risk being denied their chance of attending camp,” a media release stated. “It is our hope that the community will rally around our initiative and generously donate funds to allow these children the opportunity to just be kids.”

“We really don't want to let these kids down,” Tuohimaa said.

The organization uses existing overnight and day camps in the region to provide children with an authentic experience. The average cost for sending one child to camp for a week is about $380 — fees the SMCF simply can not cover.

The benefit of sending a kid to camp, however, is priceless.

“Attending summer camp provides a positive experience for children who would otherwise not have the ability to attend,” the SMCF stated. “At camp, these children have a chance to meet new friends and role models, learn new skills, appreciate nature, create positive memories, experience self growth and at the very least provide a break from often stressful home situations.”

Anyone interested in making a donation to the Send-A-Kid To Camp program is welcome to do so by contacting the SMCF at 705-673-2227 or stopping in at 84 Elgin St. Cheques and money orders can be mailed to P.O. Box 1264, Station B, Sudbury, P3E 4S7.

Visit www.smcf.com for more information.