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Camp
for Every Child: ACA's Commitment
The camp experience preserves and values
the natural environment while providing
children with unique, first-hand experiences.
Through nature-based experiences at camp,
children and youth learn, organize, synthesize,
and reflect—they experience the outdoors
as a safe place and see themselves as a
part of a larger cycle of life.
- Camp celebrates diversity and promotes
tolerance. It holds a mirror up
so children can see, no matter what
their color, gender or socioeconomic
circumstances, that who they are is
beautiful inside and out.
- Camp gets kids back to nature.
Unplugged from the computer, the videogames,
the cell phone, they gain an appreciation
for the natural environment and discover
the wisdom and fun it has to offer.
- Camp teaches children how to cope
with life's obstacles, become a leader,
think outside of the box, and succeed
at being themselves. Research by
the American Camp Association® (ACA)
showed that ninety-two percent of campers
felt better about themselves after
the camp experience.
Currently, 10 million children attend
camp each year. There is a camp for every
child, and every child deserves the benefits
of camp. However, not every family can
afford to send their child to camp. This
is why ACA's scholarship initiatives are
so essential.
The ACA camp community generates $39 million
annually for camp scholarships. And while
this is money goes a long way to help deserving
campers, ACA is striving to do even more.
A recent grant from the Lilly Endowment
Inc. provided for the development of Camp
2 Grow, an ACA program that includes
a scholarship component to increase the
number of children annually who are able
to attend camp. In addition, through ACA's Change
a Life campaign, people can make a
donation to sponsor a child's camp experience.
For every dollar donated, eighty-two cents
goes directly to pay a deserving child's
camp tuition.
These initiatives support ACA's commitment
to see 20 million benefit annually from
the camp experience by the year 2020.
Contact Public Relations at 765.349.3317
or pr@ACAcamps.org to
interview an ACA
spokesperson for more information about ACA's
20/20 Vision or the Change
a Life campaign. For customizable public
service announcements or article
reprints, visit our Media
Center at www.ACAcamps.org.
About ACA
The American Camp Association® (ACA) works to preserve, promote, and enhance
the camp experience for children and adults. ACA-Accredited® camp programs
ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally
challenging learning opportunities. There are over 2,400 ACA-accredited camps
that meet up to 300 health and safety standards. For more information, visit www.ACAcamps.org.
ACA Annual Conference
ACA will host its National Conference of over 1,200 camp professionals in Orlando,
Florida, February 17-20, 2009. The conference will bring together some
of the nation’s top child development experts to discuss the Power of
Experience. For more information on ACA’s National Conference visit www.ACAcamps.org.
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