District Foundation

Happy New Year! I sincerely hope that everyone has had a great and safe new year and I wish only positive things in the upcoming year.
Last year at this time I told you how we were able to restructure many things in the previous year, cut down unnecessary spending while keeping our standards of a great place for the seniors and children that attend our Kamp. I’m here to tell that most of our goals for last year were realized. We upgraded many cabins that really needed it. Thanks to Kyle Hoffman from the Metropolitan Division we rebuilt a cabin that was really in need and of course Herb Chan, also from the Metropolitan Division, took care of a great deal of problems that arose during the year.
All this work is always to make the Kamp Kiwanis experience for the attendees is a great one that will be never forgotten. We were able to stay fiscally sound while doing all of the aforementioned upgrades.
Of course, this does not mean that we now relax, much to the contrary; we must stay vigilant in maintaining the quality of the Kamp because upgrades are necessary. The harsh winters alone always give us many challenges to overcome before opening for the next year, then there is government regulations that give us cause for unexpected expense. For example, the pool lift that we have is no longer adequate for government regulation, so before the upcoming Kamping season we will be spending $6,000 to $7,000 to purchase and install a new lift. Thanks to some very generous people, we have already covered part of that expense.
Most importantly however, is the children that attend Kamp Kiwanis. Every year we strive to improve their experience because we know that the better the experience the more they learn and the more that they are likely to be better people as they grow up in their community.
Last year almost 600 children experienced Kamp Kiwanis. We are looking to increase that figure. We can make an impact on many more children, we just need you to sponsor more.
As always, I want to thank all of the Kiwanis clubs and individuals who sponsored children last year. Please know that you truly made a positive impact on them.
Happy New Year and see you at Mid-Winter.

Column Posted on Web Site January 17, 2016