Camping Opportunities Fund (COF)
It takes a village to raise a child. United Church wilderness camping programs help kids learn that our families are bigger than we think: they can include the whole village – our friends and neighbours. At camp, we practice what we as Christians preach. The programs of Ryde Lake Camp, Sparrow Lake Camp, Camp Big Canoe, Camp Simpresca and Lake Scugog Camp benefit from the fund’s contributions.
Every year, the Camping Opportunities Fund (COF) helps send 600 children and youth to camp.
The camps are facing unprecedented challenges as a result of COVID-19 and the Ontario government’s decision that overnight camps will not operate in 2020. We’re glad that the government is placing children’s health at the fore but camps have fixed costs that happen whether campers show up or not. Anticipating this financial crunch, one of the Camping Opportunities Fund’s major donor families has made a special, additional gift this year. This gift of $100,000 has been tagged as a challenge grant to camp supporters, matching gifts dollar for dollar. This year, your gift to the Camping Opportunities Fund will help us ensure that the camps survive these difficult times and come back stronger than ever in 2021.
The Camping Opportunities Endowment Fund
Launched with a few generous gifts from faithful camping enthusiasts, the COF Endowment Fund also helps send kids to camp. The Fund and other endowed “camping” funds contribute more than $30,000 to the COF annually. If your passion is for the long term good health of your church’s camping programs, consider a gift to the fund that contributes annually, and in perpetuity, to sending kids to camp.
The Camp Capital Care and Maintenance Fund
A contribution to this fund helps secure the camp properties with annual grants in support of the maintenance of the camp properties.
