Paivika Buddies: Camp Director

Camp
Director

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To:

All Paivika Buddies

From:

Kelly J. Kunsek, Paivika Camp Director

Date:

January, 2010

Dear Friends of Camp Paivika,

With the New Year come many changes for Camp Paivika. In my last message, I outlined the challenges that AbilityFirst's camping program faces because of the loss of state regional center funding. I also stated that we were putting a lot of thought, effort and research into creating a new model for Camp Paivika, which included two surveys completed by our campers/families, as well as talking to other camp programs similar to ours. I am pleased to tell you that we are moving forward with our summer 2010 planning and have already begun camper registration. The biggest changes that we have made are as follows:

We have increased the number of sessions offered from eight to 10.

Campers may choose from a variety of session lengths: 3 night, 4 night, 5 night or 9 nights.

We have raised the entry age from 7 to 11. This decision was based on very low enrollment over the past several years for children under 11. Existing campers who are younger than 11 will be welcome to attend a children's session.

Campers will come to camp based on two age categories: children and teens (11 to 17) and adults (18 and older). Within each session, campers will be grouped into cabin groups with respect to their age. For example, 11-14 year olds will be in one cabin and 15-17 year olds will be in another cabin. The same type of grouping will apply for younger adults and older adults. We made this decision so that campers would have as many options as possible for finding a session that works well with their schedules.

Campers may now attend more than one session at camp if they like.

We will be offering limited one to one counselor care for campers that require additional supervision during sessions four through seven.

In addition, of course, as we have already stated, regional center will no longer fund camp programs, which means that we must ask campers to pay for camp. We do have an existing campership fund but we anticipate the need to be much greater this year than years past because of the state funding loss.

We are actively working to raise money to increase our campership fund through an annual giving campaign called the "Paivika Buddies Campership Campaign". With the help of the recently formed "Paivika Champions", we hope to raise an additional $40,000.00 by June to provide more campership funds for this upcoming summer. The Paivika Champions is a group of Camp Paivika alumni who have not lost their love for Paivika and have made a commitment to "championing" our cause! You may be contacted by a Champion with a request that you consider supporting Camp Paivika with a donation. Please be assured that all donations made towards the Paivika Buddies Campership Campaign will be used for just that... camperships! If you are reading this message, I don't have to tell you why Paivika is important, how it changes lives and stays in our hearts forever. Paivika needs you now, please consider supporting our campers this year. We will keep you updated on our progress through this website and I encourage you to visit the AbilityFirst Camp Paivika web page and check out our new video. You can also access our program schedule and learn about all of the programs offered at camp these days. Please give me a call or send an e-mail with any questions, concerns or fundraising ideas! All are welcome!

In the meantime, keep the Paivika Spirit alive!

Always,

Kelly J. Kunsek
Camp Director
Camp Paivika

The bond that links your true family
is not one of blood, but of respect
and joy in each other's life.
Rarely do members of one family
grow up under the same roof.

-Richard Bach, Illusions

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