Paivika Buddies Campership Campaign

Description of Fundraising Need

Camp Paivika certainly has evolved over the last 63 years. The camp isn’t exactly like it was when we were there, but in some ways it’s better because children with less disability are now able to attend regular camps. That means the children who go to Paivika for their camping experience are those who really need it. Chuck Rohe

· Camp Paivika continues the same qualities of high staff-to-camper ratio, strong supervision of the young counselors, on-site nursing, diverse programming, and all the other things that make it expensive to operate.
· AbilityFirst has relied on reimbursement from the State of California for its budget, and we now know how severely that aid has been cut.
· Starting in 2010, there will be no state funding for camp, a loss of approximately $355,000 in revenue.
· The new model for Camp Paivika requires families who are able to private pay for camp.
· For those families who are not able to pay for camp, a minimum of $300 co-payment will be required to receive financial aid.
· The cost for one week at camp is $1,175. Families will be charged $975. AbilityFirst will absorb $40 per day, per camper, in order to keep the cost of camp reasonable.
· It is estimated that 35% to 40% of campers will require financial assistance.
· The estimated financial aid is $100,000 to $125,000 for summer 2010.
· AbilityFirst is fortunate to have a camp scholarship Endowment Fund, established by donors. Interest from the Endowment Fund provides approximately $30,000 in scholarships each year.
· Annual private contributions are essential for the future for Camp Paivika.—to help to make sure that Paivika is a great place for the next generation of campers.

From Kelly Kunsek’s message on the Paivika Buddies website:
Camp Paivika has been providing quality residential outdoor camping experiences for children and adults with disabilities for over 60 years. For many years, the majority of our campers have been able to attend programs at Camp Paivika because of state funding provided through the California Regional Center system. The budget crisis that California currently faces has had a major impact on the regional centers and unfortunately one of the programs that has been cut for 2010 and the indefinite future is camping. Our commitment to quality programming and keeping Camp Paivika's doors open is as strong as ever and we are busy working to create a new model that will carry us through these challenging times. Although we will be stepping up our fundraising efforts we will also be asking that families who are able to private pay do so, and those who qualify for scholarships will be required to contribute towards their camp fee.