Requested Donations for Specific Equipment & Projects
Everyone is blessed in different ways. Some are blessed with excess, and some are not. The important thing is what you do with your blessings. We at St.Michael’s Camp look to use our blessings and talents in developing and providing a faith-growing community for children and families at St. Michael’s camp.
To do this, we often need to ask others for help.
Whether you might be someone who is blessed with funds, your support to specific projects is absolutely momentous.
If you are not blessed with excess, even making connections or referring others to supporting the efforts of St. Michael’s camp can be even more fruitful.
So, if you are able to donate directly or become involved in promoting the projects and equipment that are in need of donations at camp to others, it is greatly appreciated.
Here are a number of projects that we are currently looking for help with:
New Project for 2023-2024 and onward:
Capital Projects (Physical structure or camp facilities – to be used annually)
1. Additional Bunk Bed Purchases: We are limited to however many bunk beds we have in the dorms. We would like to increase the number of bunk beds so we can host more kids at camp. (Estimated 20-40 bunk beds & foam mattresses requested: Estimated Cost $500-600 per bunk bed/mattress combination)
2. New Kayaks & Canoe – Our beach kayaks that are used daily during camp to teach canoeing and kayaking are about 15 years+ old, and we are looking to expand the number of kayaks by 2-3, and also purchase one additional Canoe (Estimated Cost: $700/Kayak, $5-700/Canoe)
3. Archery Equipment – Since archery is instructed at the camp, having additional sets of archery equipment (both bows/arrows and targets) allows more of the kids to participate simultaneously, meaning the kids get to shoot more individually (instead of waiting longer for turns) (Estimated Cost: $500-700 for set(s) of bows/arrows and a target)
4. A new Campfire seating/bleacher area – If you’ve attended St. Michael’s Camp over the last decade or two, you might remember a full-round camp seating area with built-in bleachers to make the camp fire a well-used community gathering space even outside of campfire time. Over-time the wooden bleachers had to be torn down (as they were likely 20 years old), and have now been replaced by benches. These benches work, but they don’t give the community as being all in the same circle of friends. (Estimated Cost: $1,000-2,000)
5. Heavy Duty Foldable Picnic Tables – Ideally heavy duty plastic picnic tables that can be folded and stored in the garage when not in use. Likely 5-10 should suffice (Estimated Cost: $200-300/Each)
Camp Programming Projects:
At Camp, we often have camp favorite projects. Often these are faith-based or cultural based, and generally come out as spectacular first-time projects for the children, but they are generally always projects that cost more camp programming funds to do, so we can’t do them as often. A few of these projects that can be sponsored or donated for:
1. Ukrainian Folk Glass Art – Effectively, the children have a two-piece glass frame, and sketching or tracing Ukrainian Folk line art onto the glass with Indian Ink with a fountain pen, the children make a lasting art project that greater ties them to Ukrainian culture. Depending on the year, this art form project can also be used for an iconography script on the same glass. (Cost: Roughly $20-30/camper)
2. Chotky & Rosary Making – Often a solid take-away from camp is the children making their own rosary or learning how to make Chotky (prayer beads). Often for small children, this might be the first time they get their own rosary. The donation would be used to purchase beads and rosary making supplies (or chotky making supplies) to make their own rosary to take home. Given the camp programming also has the children praying (or learning to pray) the rosary, what better way than have the children use their own rosary.
3. Iconography – This project can be done a variety of ways with the children, and often involves instruction as well as religious studies of Iconography, and the meaning and process behind making Icons. Generally this might be a situation where the campers are preparing, and mounting icons onto wood, staining, and sealing the finished icon to preserve it how real icons would be made. (Estimated Cost: Varies, depending on complexity. Generally ~$10-15/camper)
4. Ukrainian Costume Making – Depending on the year, the kids might have a little bit of instruction in learning to Ukrainian Dance. What better way to motivate kids to get into the Ukrainian Cultural dance than by wearing their own Ukrainian dance costume (or at least a specially decorated cultural dance hat, decorated with bands and embroidery and perhaps even a feather to top it off). (Estimated Cost: ~$30/camper)
5. (Moveable) Sandbox with Lid – For little family camp participants) (Estimated $100-200)
Camp Meals & Foodstuffs:
At camp, we want to provide healthy food that promotes good health and lots of energy to go out and play at camp. With this, there are still limitations to budget.
If you are a food manufacturer, related in the food industry, or simply would like to donate to camp programming specific to the Meals, please consider contacting camp@stmichaelscamp.com to begin talks in how you can support the camp’s need for good food.
Opportunities exist to also sponsor a ‘Meal for a Day’, which is a good way to provide a direct donation.