Generous Foundation Will Match Your Contribution to OHEL’s Camp Scholarship Fund
Imagine summer memories that will last forever! Now imagine that your contributions to OHEL’s Camp Scholarship Fund can double the fun for hundreds of children. Once again, thanks to a generous anonymous family foundation, a gift to send one child to camp will send two. The foundation will match every camp scholarship gift, up to a total of $100,000, for children in OHEL’s Domestic Violence Program, children living with OHEL foster families and children with developmental disabilities whose parents cannot afford summer camp fees. Over 300 children are receiving full or partial scholarships to OHEL’s camping programs this summer,
Surely you remember how much fun you had while attending camp. Now imagine Adin, a 12-year-old on the autism spectrum who loves fishing and computer games; and Toby, an 11-year-old with multiple disabilities who longs to feel accepted among her peers; and Devorah, a 10-year-old Camp Kaylie alumnus whose Dad just lost his job. They are part of the OHEL family of children who are depending on your scholarship gift so that they can attend camp.
For OHEL’s children, camp and summer recreational programs are not a luxury, but a much-needed opportunity to enjoy a normal, healthy summer away from the challenges of home and school. Camp provides opportunities to make new friends, build self-esteem, try new activities, develop skills and confidence and simply have fun. There is no government funding for camp; without the support of generous friends, many children would miss the chance to make the most of the summer. And camp is also so important to parents—it provides much-needed respite and a chance for parents to spend time with other children.
For the fourth year in a row, a family foundation wishing to remain anonymous has promised to match camp scholarship gifts. For summer 2015, the challenge has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000. A contribution of $180 to the Camp Scholarship Fund instantly becomes $360; a contribution of $500 instantly becomes $1,000; a contribution of $3,600 instantly becomes $7,200.
OHEL ensures that camp placements meet children’s unique needs and interests. Many will attend Camp Kaylie at OHEL a fully inclusive sleep-away camp where children of all abilities bunk, play and learn together. Others will attend OHEL Bais Ezra end-of-summer camps or other Jewish camping programs where they can feel safe and enjoy a great summer adventure in environments designed to help them make the most of the special joys of summer—sports and athletics; swimming and boating; games; creative activities; outdoor exploration; picnics and barbecues and trips to nature preserves, zoos, amusement parks and other outdoor sites and venues. Children receiving scholarships are from your neighborhoods—they are from the five boroughs, Nassau county, Rockland County, Lakewood, Passaic, Teaneck, Edison and other New Jersey cities.
Your camp scholarship gift makes a difference. Summer is short. But the impact of your gift can last a lifetime. Please give a gift of summer fun to an OHEL child.
It is impossible to place a dollar value on this invaluable opportunity. To contribute to the matching gift Camp Scholarship Fund, please visit the OHEL website at www.ohelfamily.org/summer or call 718-972-9338.
Since 1969, OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services has served as a dependable haven of individual and family support, helping people of all ages effectively manage disability, surmount everyday challenges, heal from trauma and manage with strength and dignity during times of crisis.
