Non-Profit camps compete for funding

Matt Sheriko helping out a camper (photo contributed by Matt Sheriko)

In the non-profit camp world, it is normal to be competing for money. Matt Sheriko and Chad Duplessie are vying for cash in the same contest-the Aviva Community Fund. They don’t know each other, but they agree on this: the dollar is always needed and hard to get.

Sheriko is the Assistant Director of Camp Triumph. He and his family founded the camp five years ago. Located in PEI, it’s a residential camp for kids with a family member suffering from a chronic illness or disability. It’s for the kids who are impacted by significant medical conditions, but who are not themselves ill or disabled.

Sheriko understands that the stresses faced by these kids can easily get overlooked. He can relate to the campers because he’s a guy who grew up with parents battling cancer.

“You go to school and the kids know you have a sick family member but they don’t really know what it’s like having conflicting emotions and trying to be there for your sick parent but at the same time, being a kid and not really understanding. Being a care giver but also kind of feeling guilty when you’re having fun because your parent is sick and they can’t do everything that they would want to do normally.”

Sheriko says fundraising, donations and grants are what keep Camp Triumph going. Until the summer of 2009, the only cost associated with running the camp was the operating budget which covered food, supplies and renting facilities. The camp never had a permanent residence but with increased growth and interest, they decided that going into their fifth year of operations, it was time to build a permanent place for campers to rely on. Now Camp Triumph is facing the challenges of running, fundraising and building.

“We felt that after four years of doing it we couldn’t stop. Having the momentum we had, we just couldn’t stop-we would totally lose our momentum and kind of disappear. And so we had to keep offering the camp because these kids need the camp. So, it’s a struggle that way trying to raise money,” says Sheriko.

A major fundraiser Camp Triumph is investing their energies in now is the Aviva Community Fund.

Some construction being done at Camp Triumph (Photo contributed by Matt Sheriko)

The Aviva Community Fund gives organizations around Canada the chance to create an idea that will make a positive difference in their community. The competition has three phases: Idea Entry, Semi-Finals and Judging. To pass the Ideas stage, organizations like Camp Triumph have three chances to get enough votes to make the top 20. These 60 finalists will advance.

Camp Triumph wants the money to build a lodge at the camp. Sheriko knows there are plenty of worthy ideas and fierce competitors.

One of the contenders is Camp Rotary, located in Grand Lake, New Brunswick.

Chad Duplessie is the Director of Camp Rotary, an established camp that began in 1952. It is a residential summer camp for adults and kids with cognitive and physical disabilities. The goal of the camp is to focus on abilities in an environment that’s safe and fun where people can be themselves.

Duplessie says the camp is always keeping their eyes open for fundraisers. What they hope to get from the Aviva Community Fund is money for playground equipment for disabled children.

“The playground project is a big ticket item. It’s something we’ve been without of for about 10 years because the old playground equipment is made of wood and it’s become unusable,” he says.  “Being a not-for-profit, it needs to be a campaign like this or something of the sort to raise that amount of money, it can’t come from our own funds because that goes towards providing and maintaining the camp.”

Camp Rotary camper and counselor (Photo Contributed by Chad Duplessie)

The playground needs to cater to the campers, so it won’t have ladders and other common things in a regular play area. There will be a series of ramps that are wheel chair accessible. The ground also needs to be rubber and slides and bars need to be set up a certain way. They are also in need of an accessible swing with a platform that a wheelchair can lock into.

Duplessie says a lot of the campers have Autism. With this disability, everything needs to be taught.

“One of the first stages for learning is everything needs to be taught for the most part and kids need to be taught how to play so having a playground on site is a form for learning, which I think is kind of overlooked by the average person.”

Duplessie and Sheriko agree that it is a strange phenomenon to be competing against other causes and ideas for funding. Sheriko says he concentrates on seeing events like this as opportunities to promote what he believes in.

“Our need is to develop into a camp that can serve our kids the best. We’re just getting established so we’re trying to serve our needs every way possible.”

Duplessie says contests are a good way to put ideas back into the hands of the people to see what they support the most. He says the way Aviva is looking for applicants is comparable to a grant application.

Camp Rotary (Photo Contributed by Chad Duplessie)

“Very often there are questions on grant applications saying “What’s the population? How is this going to be supported? How will people be made aware of this project? How many people will this serve? So I guess by going through the process they’re doing, it does that automatically.”

Duplessie appreciates opportunities like this because, win or lose, his cause is out there being seen by people who can help.

“It’s great to get the competitive nature for increasing profiles of every one of the causes.”

Semi-Finalists will be announced November 29. To know more about this competition, check out the Aviva Community Fund Website.

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Posted by Melissa Russwurm on Nov 26, 2009. Filed under Features, This Week's Edition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.