If the pandemic taught parents anything, it was the profound importance of children being around others their age and spending time in nature.
Fewer activities bring young people and the outdoors together like summer camp, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to Lance Wright that parents would be eager to register their children to attend Cave Springs Camp in Beamsville in 2023, at least for the day program.
But Wright, Cave Springs’ Program Director, wasn’t expecting more campers keen to bunk overnight. When the final headcount was done, 150 new overnight spots were filled at Cave Springs during the first post-COVID summer. And more than 800 campers spent part of their school break there. About half of them were new to Cave Springs, and many had never been away from home or outside of a city.
“We were really, really pleased with the uptake in registration, but we were even surpassing COVID numbers in Day camps,” Wright says. “Parents want to see their kids outside of the house, away from technology and creating good memories in the outdoors, and we’re proud that we can make all of this possible.”
Cave Springs was able to be part of so many summer plans because of a Summer Camp Grant from NCF worth $1,750 that supported families needing assistance with registration fee coverage. Funding from a NCF Mini Grant also enabled the camp to purchase two new barbecues to fulfill another rite of summer.
Combined with other sources of funding the camp received, Wright and crew were able to meet every Camp Bursary request for spots at Cave Springs in 2023.
“We receive a high volume of requests for Bursary assistance and the amount continues to rise. The support from the Niagara Community Foundation was a key reason why we were able to keep up with the rising need. Attending camp is a highlight of a child’s summer, and the gift of camp through Bursary support makes a huge difference to many children and families in our region.”
