Reduction in summer camp fees for families in 2018

11 January 2018

Bishops and Branch Presidents…

Attached is a letter to all parents of youth and children in our stake. 

Will you please email this letter to those in your ward / branch? Or print and hand deliver via your ward/branch leadership?

We realize we are entering “new territory” with this announcement. We’ve never lowered the summer camp fees to this level. What a blessing it will be to families! We feel strongly the Lord will continue to bless us with His generous hand as we seek ways, like this, to follow the Brethren's counsel to “reduce and simplify."

We can only eliminate fundraising and still lower summer camp fees to families by reducing the allocations to our stake and ward/branch budgets. As we have done so over the past five years, somehow the Lord continues to bless us with the miracle of year-end surpluses. It’s as miraculous as the widow of Zarephath’s cruse of oil! (see 1 Kings 17)

Our stake surplus is such that we are prepared to supplement, if needed, your ward budgets for YM, YW and Primary. Please keep us apprised of your efforts to “reduce and simplify” and still meet the needs of the youth and children in your ward or branch. If you are feeling constrained by reductions in allocations, even after your own 2017 surpluses, please let us know. We are happy to work with you in making sure you have adequate funds for all you desire to do in Scouting, YM, YW and Primary. And still meet your overall ward/branch needs.

We’re in this together and we don’t want anyone to feel they can’t function because of budget constraints, but to enjoy the blessing of the miracle we’re watching unfold in our stake year after year. Thank you for your faith and faithfulness that is bringing this about.

Will you please let us know when the attached letter has been distributed to all parents of youth and children in your ward/branch?

Thank you,

The Stake Presidency

2018 Summer Camp Funding Policy

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

FROM: The 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. In 2012 we suspended all fundraising and began applying budget funds to cover summer camp fees.

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 have been able to reduce the family’s cost for summer camps to $100 or less per child or youth.

The Lord continues to work a miracle in our stake so we are now able to announce yet another reduction in the summer camp fee schedule for families, effective 2018:

                  • $100 per boy for Boy Scout Camp (regularly $305 to $320 per boy)

                  • $50 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 above fee schedule applies to only one summer camp per youth—except young men, ages 16-18, may also attend Camp Helaman at the reduced $50 fee because of the value we believe this multi-stake camp provides in preparing young men to serve full-time missions.

Furthermore, the above fee schedule also applies to non-members, preferably those who are registered in the troop or have already been actively involved in ward youth programs.

We appreciate your support of this policy and urge parents to teach their children the importance of earning their reduced summer camp fee ($50 or $100) on their own.