HELP KIDS BE KIDS AGAIN
You can make this a great summer for kids. Give a gift that will help our community’s children regain a bit of what has been lost overtime, so they can focus on learning, growing and thriving in a safe, fun environment.
Remember summertime? Back in the day it meant playing ball at the park, running through sprinklers, and riding your bike until you heard the call for dinner.
Summer is different for many kids today. Too much screentime, the lasting affects of the pandemic, and a busier-than-ever society can make summer a challenging three months. But, at the Y, we understand parents need support, and kids need a chance to be kids, and we rely on generous donors like you to help fulfill these needs.
Thanks to the gifts of generous donors like you, the Y is the place for ALL kids this summer.
For over 100 years, the YMCA of San Diego County has provided a safe, nurturing environment where kids can have fun, make friends, and learn new skills. Today, we are more intentional about how we incorporate outdoor playtime, academics, and social activities to ensure kids not only have fun, but continue to grow and thrive.
Your gift will create the opportunity for more than 10,000 kids to participate in our day camps and enjoy a phenomenal summer. Here's how your support will help make that happen:
- CAMP GIVES KIDS TIME TO BE KIDS. They sing, dance, run and get creative in a space where kids gain a sense of belonging and inclusion in an outdoor, screen-free environment. This imaginative, free play is so critical to their development and has been missing lately.
- CAMP NURTURES A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. A sense of community is nurtured at camp. Kids will build friendships - new and old - as they spend the day together in new activities, rebuilding some of the social skills they may have lost.
- ALL CHILDREN ARE WELCOMED AT CAMP, regardless of their family’s ability to pay. To ensure cost is not a barrier to participation in our Summer Day Camps and Overnight Camps, your generous support helps every child have access to camp and the life-changing benefits it provides.
Last year, young campers received $924,160 in scholarships. And this year our goal is even more.
While we are proud of the number of children we serve each week during the summer, we are aware that there are many more kids on waiting lists. Rising inflation means that more parents will have to make tough decisions about whether or not they can afford to put their children into day camp or other summer programs.
We need your support more than ever to ensure that all kids who need the Y this summer can participate.
Can you help with a special gift? GIVE TODAY!
Please consider making a gift today to the YMCA Kids to Camp program. If you have made a gift recently, thank you! If you can donate again, the Y will put those gifts to work to help more kids have a GREAT summer.
Thank you for your support of our community's kids!
Shelly McTighe-Rippengale
Chief Mission Advancement Officer
Tell Us Your Camp Story
We are collecting stories from people who were impacted by a YMCA Day or overnight camp (with or without a scholarship), and we'd love to hear from you!
Contact Loena Baranoski, our director of philanthropic services, to share your story today:
- Email: [email protected]
Kids to Camp Where the Fun Never Ends!
We believe that every child is a unique individual with their own rate of development.
Our goal is to introduce children and teens to as many new positive experiences as possible and help each child feel confident and secure in a fun, safe camp environment.
All of our branches offer summer camps that have been accredited by the American Camp Association, exceeding the highest standards in the day camp industry, as well as three YMCA overnight camp locations.
The quality of our camping staff is what sets us apart. Our staff members are seasoned youth development professionals with extensive camp experience and a passion for what they do. Our number one goal is to provide the safest, most enriching environment possible for you and your family.
Contact Us
Do you have questions about the Kids to Camp program or other ways you can help people in your community?
Contact us today! Our team is happy to help.