From Maine To California - Summer Camp Fun
Schoolchildren in Bangor who are in grades three through six are being offered a wonderful summer camp opportunity thanks to two foundations and the United Way of Eastern Maine. UWEM's Camp Bangor is offering pupils in these grades who are enrolled in Bangor public school a $ 1,000 scholarship to attend the Maine summer camp of their choice. Camp Bangor recently received a two-year, $ 50,000 grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation to administer the program that is funded by The Libra Foundation, a private foundation established by the late southern Maine philanthropist Elizabeth Noyce.
Since the original Libra Foundation grant stipulated that its funds were to provide camp scholarships only, and not to be used to administer the program, UWEM sought other avenues to accomplish this task and the Kings came to the rescue, providing the administrative funding to enable the program to proceed. UWEM spokeswoman Nancy Roberts explained that "the Libra Foundation approached us to administer this program, which they did last year in Lewiston." In that city, she said, "1,200 children were eligible, 900 qualified and more than 800 actually went to camp."
The Lewiston program is continuing this year, and the Bangor program will be ongoing as well, Roberts said. The Libra Foundation "wants to help kids in need," she added, and after touring this city, talking with city leaders and looking at statistics, recognized there is a need for such a program here. "The hope is that, if we do it well, we can expand the program in other areas," she said of the area UWEM serves. "We just couldn't turn away the money, so we decided to do it. "
Now that it has the administrative support through the King Foundation, Roberts said, UWEM "will be asking other community members to offer their support." While recognizing that Bangor youngsters could use camp scholarships, there is also the recognition that they might "not have money for clothes or the necessary equipment," that would be needed to take advantage of such a scholarship.
"We will be looking to the community to help supply those needs so the camp experience can be available to any child who wants it," Roberts said. In order to qualify for the Camp Bangor program, a child enrolled in grades three through six in the Bangor school system
will also be asked "to achieve good citizenship and community involvement," Roberts said of qualification guidelines "developed with school principals and the superintendent.
"Kids need to have good behavior, grades and attendance," she said. "But there are variables, based on what each individual child is doing."
The community involvement requirement, for example, could include participation in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, scouting, church youth groups, "or some volunteer work in the community," Roberts said.
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