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“It’s Still Not Easy, But Wildflower Makes It Better” –Wildflower Parent |
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Sponsor-A-Camper Program Overview The Wildflower Camp Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of an innovative giving opportunity, The Sponsor-A-Camper Program. The Sponsor-A-Camper Program is designed for patrons interested in developing a benefactor relationship with a camper by making a strong personal commitment of support. Donors involved in SCP are matched to a Wildflower camper and commit to funding their camp experience at the annual giving level of $2,000. This amount is the normal cost of sending a Wildflower camper to overnight camp each summer. The number of years of support can range from one to multiple years. |
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Becoming an SCP Benefactor carries the satisfaction of knowing that you are directly affecting the life of a child in need. You participate in the journey our campers travel as they work through the trauma of losing a parent. Because you are matched to a specific camper, you will receive updates throughout the year about your camper and their family. With continuous support, summer after summer, softening the impact of grief on a child and their family long after the immediate support from family and friends starts to dwindle. This provides a predictable and welcome respite for the surviving parent who may feel burdened not only by grief but also by the demands of single parenting. Not only do our campers benefit from this gift, the sponsoring family does, too, as a local family discovered over the past two years. Wellesley residents Scott and Elaine Ravelson stepped forward to be our first Sponsor-A-Camper donors, providing the cost of a full scholarship each year and learning about connecting to the family via Wildflower updates. In a recent conversation, our sponsor shared that "being a part of this program has been a powerful experience, knowing that our contributions are making a real difference." Wildflower is at a new juncture in our history. As word spreads about the value of our work, the number of applications we receive each year continues to rise. As a result, we have been placed in the unfortunate position of having to turn some deserving families away. In response to this demand, Wildflower is promoting our Sponsor-A-Camper Program to enable our Foundation to reach the next level in fulfilling our mission. Our goal for the future is to expand our reach. To do so we need to grow our network of committed donors. Our hope is to increase the number of families we serve and to continue our support of each Wildflower family for as long as they need our help. We intend to work diligently to fulfill the promise of summer for Wildflower’s current families and those yet to come. We hope you join us. |
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One Family’s Story This story is based on the life experiences of a current Wildflower family. Kara had just started kindergarten when my husband died; Jay was in first grade. The emotional void left by John’s death will never go away. I try to keep their father present in our lives while encouraging the kids to move forward and grow. It’s a delicate balancing act and one that sometimes gets the best of us. On a practical level, John’s death makes every-day life a challenge. I am the sole caregiver. That means I’m the only appointment-maker, lost paper-finder, teacher-conference go-er and basketball cheerleader they’ve got. It’s a big responsibility for any single parent. When you add to the equation my kids’ emotional struggles dealing with the loss of their father, it is often overwhelming. Becoming a Wildflower family makes summer a little bit easier. I work all year, so the kids need to go to camp during the summer. Wildflower has become an extra pair of hands . . . the partner I lost when I lost my husband. To me, the support Wildflower provides in identifying camps, helping match my kids’ needs with camp specialties, and supporting our camp participation financially makes a major difference in in the life of our family. When Cyndi told me my family was being sponsored by Wildflower’s Sponsor-A-Camper Program, I felt really touched. It felt good to know there was a family out there who cared about me and my kids. It felt comforting to know that someone was thinking about us; that they knew our story and they wanted to help out. I’m so grateful that Wildflower is a part of my family’s life. I know I can count on Wildflower for support, both emotional and practical, and that is often what I need most.
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| Please join us in giving the gift of camp to bereaved children and their families. | |
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