As the year comes to an end, we are reminded how grateful we are for our camp families and for all the memories of Camp Trinity over the decades—including lots of fun from this past summer on the ranch.
 
Thank you to everyone who has supported our Campership Fund over the years! Your contributions in 2021-2022 made it possible for us to award more than $56,000 in Campership support this year. Twenty-seven kids were able to attend camp because of the generous contributions of our community.
 
It is powerful to witness the impact of Camp. Kids who may feel a bit uncertain as they first gather under the apple trees leave with newfound confidence, friendships and memories that will last forever. One camper this summer wrote:

“The first year that I came here I was twelve, and my confidence was nonexistent. Even just on the first day, I saw all the girls on my platform being so confident in themselves and their self-expression, and very quickly I began to feel safer expressing myself and wearing what I wanted to wear. Even just from the first two weeks that I spent at Bar 717, I became more outspoken, and I even felt safe enough to stand up for myself. I feel that because of camp, I am a completely different person: more confident, and more myself.”

We are proud of our ability to offer this support to families who want to send their children to Camp but need a little help. We believe that the benefits of Camp—of the time spent outdoors, unplugged, and with friends—should be available to all children. In May, the New York Times published an op-ed by Mara Gay called “Summer Camp for All.” Gay writes:

“The best gift America’s leaders could give young people is a healthy, functioning democracy. One small step the country could take to invest in their future, though, would be to come together around a new promise: to make summer camp available to every child in America.”

Research shows that access to experiences like summer camp is inequitable. Our goal at Camp is to continue to build the Campership Fund as a resource to make camp available to any child who wants to spend a session on the ranch.

We hope you will consider the Bar 717 Ranch Campership Fund in your year-end giving. We’re sure you agree that investing in our children is a good investment in our planet’s future.

You can donate online at our website (https://bar717.com/campership/) or by check made payable to Bar 717/ACA Campership Fund and send the check to Bar 717 Ranch, 17197 Hyampom Road, Hayfork, CA 96041.

Thank you in advance for your support. Here’s to another fabulous Camp Trinity summer, which will be here before we know it!

Sincerely,

Bob Small and Laurie Meyn Leighty
Bar 717 Campership Committee

The Bar 717 Ranch Campership program is run through the American Camp Association. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and 100% of the funds raised will be used for Camperships with no administrative overhead. You can learn more about the Campership Program on our website. If you or someone you know would like to apply for a Campership, you can learn more here.