New 2017 Summer Camp Funding Policy

15 November 2016

TO: All Parents of Youth and Children in the Mount Hood Stake

FROM: The Mount Hood Stake Presidency

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We value greatly the summer camp experiences the youth of our stake enjoy each year, especially when the gospel is taught and testimonies are strengthened around a campfire with other youth who share their beliefs and standards.

Therefore, we have tried to make these camps as accessible and affordable as possible.

The Church discourages fundraising (see Handbook 2, 13.6.8) and suggests ALL youth activities, including summer camps where possible, should be covered by ward budget funds.

While we have not been able to cover all the camp fees with budget funds, we continue to use these funds to minimize the financial burden on families. For several years we were able to reduce the family’s cost for summer camps to only $100 per child or youth.

We are happy to announce that we now have a new, and hopefully more equitable, fee schedule for families beginning in 2017, as follows:

                  • $150 per boy for Boy Scout Camp (regularly $305 to $320 per boy)

                  • $75 per child or youth for other camps, including:  Young Women Camp
                                    (reg. $125), High Adventure (reg. $150), Camp Helaman for Priests-age
                                    young men (reg. $170), and Cub Scout Day Camp (reg. $125)

                  • NO FEE for Church-operated summer camps for Primary-age children, including:

                                    Primary Activity Days (girls ages 8-11) and 11-Year-Old Scout Day Camp

The subsidized fees above are good for only one summer camp per youth except young men, ages 16-18, who may also attend Camp Helaman at the reduced $75 fee because of the value we believe this multi-stake camp provides in preparing YM to serve full-time missions.

Non-member families pay the full or regular camp fee, unless there is a financial need.

We appreciate your support of this policy and urge parents to teach their children the importance of earning the reduced share (either $75 or $150) of their summer camp fee.