Frequently Asked Questions
The Fund is an annual fundraising appeal designed to provide the Adirondack Camp experience to children who might not otherwise have the opportunity.
Whether it be sitting out on The Point on a dark, starry night or swimming The Triangle without breaking stroke for the first time, that Adirondack Camp “experience” – of engaging life and making choices in a way that reinforces both self and family — is a strength held precious in the core of the men and women who have passed through Adirondack Camp.
The Fund was founded in connection with the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Adirondack Camp’s continuing role in the development of young lives. In celebration of the 100th and to inaugurate the Fund, we asked for capital gifts a well as annual pledges. We hope the Fund will become part of your annual giving.
Yes, Adirondack Camp has a long history of granting some level of scholarship aid to as much as fifteen percent of its camper body. In the past however, this aid was awarded on an informal basis using Adirondack Camp revenues without recourse to consistent, formal guidelines. Providing scholarship aid through an independent fund ensures:
- a larger pool of scholarship funds.
- consistent and fair treatment for all candidates.
- a broader, more diverse pool of candidates.
- a stable, independent funding source for scholarships that is not dependent on Adirondack Camp’s business cycle.
An independent Board of Directors, made up of former Adirondack Camp campers, parents, and alumni, will review and consider applications on the individual merits of each child and within the confines of published guidelines. These guidelines include, but are not exclusive to:
- a finding of financial need.
- a diversity of race.
- cultural background.
- geography.
- schooling.
There is no point or quota system. Individual need and merit of each applicant will be assessed, and scholarships will be awarded, on a case-by-case basis.
The ability of a child to effectively participate in and contribute to Adirondack Camp life will be considered. Parents or the appropriate guardian will be required to complete the Adirondack Camp Scholarship Fund Application and submit an essay on why a summer at Adirondack Camp would benefit their child. The prospective camper will also be encouraged to write a brief essay.
The Board can award both full and partial scholarships. In addition, the Board recognizes that children who attend Adirondack Camp for multiple summers derive greater benefits, and for this reason, preference will be given to returning applicants.
The Fund will accept annual donations and multi-year pledges in the form of cash, securities or gifts in kind that can readily be converted to cash. While proposed gifts in kind are generally not likely to qualify, there can be moments of sheer creativity.
About 90%. Adirondack Camp will donate all normal operating and overhead costs of the Fund. The Fund only pays for special costs like a one-time rental of facilities for a fundraising telethon or the one-time printing of our brochure. Board members do not receive any compensation and their children are not eligible to receive scholarships.
The Fund is regulated as a New York not-for-profit corporation and is required to file annual reports with the New York Attorney General’s Charities Bureau and the IRS. These reports are available to anyone on request.
Additionally, the Fund will publish an Annual Report at the end of every calendar year detailing the year’s scholarship activities and accomplishments. The Report will include the names of all contributors, unless they prefer to remain anonymous.
Why is my gift so important?
If you went to Adirondack Camp as a child, you already know the answer. Simply stated, summers at Adirondack Camp, as the song goes, mold young men and women. Chances are your birth-luck had a lot to do with your coming to Adirondack Camp. That is, your family could afford to send you.
Today, most great old camps like Adirondack Camp have gone the way of real estate developments. Meanwhile the cost of operating a camp has skyrocketed. Competition for the dwindling number of spots has grown even more intense. Adirondack Camp is fully subscribed, thus making it harder and harder to ensure a diverse camper body and to provide ample opportunities to less fortunate families.
So… your gift is extraordinarily important. An Adirondack Camp experience will help children less financially fortunate to build the foundations of confidence in self, ease and mutual respect with peers, and love for the great outdoors. And it will help Adirondack Camp to continue to strive for diversity in the camp experience.
Every component in a child’s life is important. Certainly, food in the belly, proper medical care, and a good education are essentials. Adirondack Camp would add a happy childhood and character building to that essentials list. Healthy bodies, active minds, emotional intelligence and integrity — a good prescription for a saner world!
If you believe, as we do, in this prescription and Adirondack Camp’s special role in it, we hope — as a former camper, parent, staffer or friend — you will reflect back on these remarkable childhood summers and what they have meant to you or someone close to you. Then please, consider your gift.