Sharing the Day Camp Load
Problem: Kids with no one to watch them during the summer, since both parents are employed.
Solution: Sponsor a day camp program—a combination of Vacation Bible School, recreation, crafts, excursions, fun.
New Problem: Good idea, but can we swing this much extra work?
New solution: Share the load with a community agency. Harvestime Assembly of God in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, linked up with Camp Fire, Inc. (formerly Camp Fire Girls) recently to co-sponsor a summer day camp. "Working together, we provided a safe and secure place for an average of 40 kids each week all summer long," says Pastor David L. Craun.
What the church provided: All personnel (director, crafts director, and a counselor for every 10-12 kids), all programming, equipment, and site (the church owns 10 acres).
What Camp Fire provided: Advance promotion in the schools and neighborhood, programming suggestions, arrangements to rent a nearby swimming pool four afternoons a week, and Camp Fire membership for each child, which included insurance. The organization thus acquired over 300 new members, which boosted its United Way allocation.
How the money was handled: The $35 per week per child was divided proportionate to the expenses of the two organizations—roughly 90 percent to the church, 10 percent to Camp Fire. The church ended up recovering all its outlays plus the cost of its custodian, maintenance on the church bus and other equipment used—and a modest surplus left over.
"It has been good for us and good for the Camp Fire people," says Craun. "Probably 95 percent of the children who came were not part of our church, and some were from homes of other religions. We saw children come to Christ every week. Meanwhile, parents and the community at large have been most ...
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