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Kesem at IU seeks $5,000 to send 10 Monroe County children to free cancer-impacted summer camp
Summary
Kesem at Indiana University asked the committee for $5,000 to cover the $500 per-child cost to send 10 Monroe County campers to free Kesem summer camps and provide year-round support, including mental-health staffing and transportation reimbursements.
Mary Orr Atlas and Jonathan Orr, development coordinators for Kesem at Indiana University, presented the chapter’s programming and finances and asked the Jack Hopkins committee for $5,000 to fully cover the annual cost for 10 Monroe County campers.
"The number that's really important is $500, which is what it costs to send one child to camp and then also offer year-round support to them," Mary Orr Atlas said, walking the committee through a per-camper breakdown that includes lodging and meals, mental-health stipends and year-round programming costs. Kesem provides two one-week free summer sessions and continuous year-round supports, including bereavement resources and care packages.
The presenters described volunteer-driven programming, national oversight for standards and professional staff for mental-health and nursing needs at camp. Committee members asked about permanence of camp sites and camper recruitment; Kesem staff explained camps are rented for weeks each summer and recruitment occurs through applications, outreach events and word-of-mouth.
The committee thanked the presenters and did not vote during the meeting.
