Friday Invitation and Auction

    You are invited to our closing ceremony on Friday from 2:30 to 3:30 in the Mosier school gym.
    During the day on Friday, until just after close of camp at 3:30 we will also be running a silent auction.
Come bid and buy donated items of all sorts, many items made during camp.

Why are we still fundraising?
We have just a bit more to go to meet our basic budget for camp this year.

Where does the money go?
Our biggest budget items are not items, but people.

#1 budget category is Counselor Stipends-- we offer stipends to 2/3rds of our counseling staff. It's not a lot of money for the amount of work and heart given by our wonderful young leaders, but it's important.
        Why? Some of our Counselors have returned for 6 years now, taking vacation from other jobs and prioritizing Peace Village in their summer plans. Many simply would not be able to do so without the stipend.

#2 budget category is Instructor Stipends—This year we offered stipends to about 2/3rds of our teachers. It's not the going wage for the amazing educators and artists that we have, but it makes a big difference.       
    Why? We believe that we are not just providing a fun day camp experience, but that we are creating a real Village. In this Village, we value our teachers, artists, musicians. All peace-makers.  To be sustainable, we must also sustain them.

Why not get more volunteers is a common question, especially from folks setting out to plan their first Peace Village in other places.
    Yes, I say, absolutely. There are very lovely Peace Villages running entirely on volunteers. They are a wonderful addition to any community. They just don't happen to look much like the one that has grown in the Gorge. There is something extraordinary about anything forged in this gorge wind. While most other Peace Villages serve 30 to 50 kids, we're at 3 times that size. No other camps offer the variety of Village Fair activities, feed 220 people a day, or draw campers from two states and many communities.              Many camps are a one-time event. Volunteers are the bedrock of any Peace Village and our is no exception--- thousands, literally thousands, of volunteers hours go in to planning and implementing our Village and we would never be able to compensate for all the time, effort and love that goes in to creating this masterpiece.

The other common question: Why not just charge what it really costs to run camp?
    It's a great question. We offer a sliding-scale of camper fees ranging from full-scholarships to full camp expense of $335-- and we invite families to pay what they are able. This assures that any family who desires can be a part of the Village and means that we all get to learn together, regardless of our ability to pay. The benefits to our Village of a diverse group of folks learning and playing together far outweigh the need to keep raising additional monies. Diversity of all sorts makes for stronger communities.

Still reading with me? Thank you and thank you for your support of our Columbia Gorge Peace Village. See you on Friday!
DeLona Campos-Davis

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