Our Holiday Gift Guide: One Meaningful Gift
“Do you offer scholarships?” is one of the most common questions I get asked each day working at camp year-round. One particular spring day, I had yet another parent asking me that question and I shared with her about how our scholarships were awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis and that we had given all of our money away for the year.
As I talked to her further about her son’s interests and his desire to come to camp, she told me, “He loves being outside and has been raising money on his own to save for camp. There were three lemonade stands. He rolls the trash can down to the street for our elderly neighbors for five dollars a week.” What she said next was what floored me. “He choose to give up playing soccer this year so that money could go towards tuition. It was a tough decision, but ever since he saw you at the camp fair last year, he has been trying to save enough to pay for camp.”
When a child is willing to sacrifice something that he or she loves so dearly to have the camp experience, that child should be at camp. In fact, I am a firm believer that every child should go to summer camp.
For the last four years, I have chosen to donate to summer camp in honor of my friends and family for holiday gifts. Instead of another scented candle or a Christmas sweater, my family members receive a simple card that states “A donation has been given in your honor to Green River Preserve to send a deserving child to camp.”
With this gift, I am not just supporting the development of a child. I am supporting a non-profit. I am supporting a local, small business. I am supporting conservation efforts. I am supporting the idea that every child should be instilled with a love and curiosity about the natural world.
Join us this holiday season by giving meaningful gifts. Then, share your story and love for GRP on your social media sites and encourage others to send deserving children to summer camp. Help us support the bright, curious, and creative community that is unique to Green River.
Green River Preserve is a Section 501©3 nonprofit and your gift may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes. Donate today through our website or send a check to Green River Preserve, 301 Green River Road, Cedar Mountain, NC 28718. Please designate your donation as “Gift of Camp.” We will recognize all donors to the Gift of Camp scholarship campaign via our social media outlets. If you wish for your gift to be anonymous, please let us know.
Though my sister and brother may never meet the children they have helped to send to camp, their gift is far more sustainable and permanent than anything else that I can wrap up and put under the tree. I believe that we are changing lives at camp and influencing the way children interact with the world. I believe we are raising the future stewards of the earth. I believe the world would be a better place if it were simply more like camp. The best way to get to that vision of the world is to help every child go to summer camp. If you believe in what we do and you want to give a gift that has real meaning, please consider a gift to Green River Preserve’s the Gift of Camp scholarship campaign.
