Paid Cash. YEP! You read the title right!
I received a phone call two years ago from a veteran camper named Emily.
“CHIEF can I come to the office? I want to pay for another week of camp!”
The excitement in her voice was palpable and I could tell she was beaming with pride.
A few hours later, Emily walks into the Ranch Office with a literal wad of cash. She was smiling from ear to ear. Wow, I was so proud!
I was proud because Emily LOVES camp. So much so, she wanted to come back for a 2nd week, but she knew asking her parents to cover a 2nd week would be pushing it!
Emily asked for a 2nd week, but Emily’s parents didn’t just cave and pay for a 2nd week. Instead, they saw a life lesson opportunity. They told her:
“If YOU SAVE UP, you can go a 2nd week!”
As a result, Emily decided to set a GOAL of saving for a 2nd week of camp…and began working! Several months later, she achieved her goal and paid for camp in cash. (see pic) Incredible! Her goal of a 2nd WEEK of camp has been going strong for 3 years now!
So How Did Emily Earn Enough Cash? Let’s Ask Her:
“Well actually I did a lot, you’d be surprised. The first year I typed up letters regarding the fact that I was saving for a second week of camp and gave them to family, neighbors, and couples with small children. I asked for some odd jobs that they were maybe willing to pay a small price for. [btx_quote author=”– Emily” style=”block” position=”overlapright”]It was a lot of hard work and prayer but it was so worth it.[/btx_quote]
Sometimes I got jobs babysitting, wrapping Christmas presents, doing extra weekly chores, and picking stones out of their yard. It took all year for me to save the first year.
This year has been different. This summer I volunteered for a babysitting job over the summer for a friend. And I already have almost all my money saved for next summer. Throughout the last couple years I’ve earned some parents’ trust and they’ve asked me back to babysit many times. It was a lot of hard work and prayer but it was so worth it.”
So, you can see why I was so proud of Emily. As a middle schooler, she set a personal goal and worked diligently to achieve it!
Why Your Camper Should Help Pay For Camp:
There are many benefits of campers personally saving for camp, but I see two lifelong skills campers can immediately experience by helping pay for camp!
- Develops Personal Responsibility
- As parents, we must continue to fight and look for ways to teach personal responsibility, and help our kids recognize there are costs involved to the many things we enjoy.
- Builds Resourcefulness
- I love Emily’s scrappy attitude described in achieving her goal. Inadvertently, she learned a life lesson of being resourceful and not giving up even when the going gets tough.
Camp is much more than just a single week away from home. Even more, camp bleeds over into so many aspects of our children’s lives and personal development. I absolutely love seeing our campers gain confidence, accept personal responsibility, and grow spiritually in the process.
How Your Camper Can Save:
Emily is one of many campers who save up money each and every year for camp. If your Happy Camper would like to learn more about how they can save for CAMP, check out “CHIEF’s 7 Simple Ways To Save For Camp!”
Above all, I think every camper should have some skin in the game and help save up for camp. As Emily described… “I paid cash, it was totally worth it!”
See You On Opening Day, If Not Before!
CHIEF