Making An Impact: How the Maine Camp Experience Community Gives Back

This week, many will commemorate the National Day of Service and Remembrance by volunteering in their local communities. Participating in social action initiatives is familiar to those in the Maine Camp Experience (MCE) community since (MCE) camps engage campers, counselors and camp families in meaningful programs to help others. MCE camps provide campers with unforgettably fun summers AND they also teach kids important values like community service that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. The spirit of helping others is in the very fabric of camp, and MCE camps undertake inspiring initiatives to make giving back a part of the summer experience for every camper. One organization MCE has partnered with for several years is World of Change, which is dedicated to collecting spare coins to create an impact for those in need.  In short, they collect change to create change. This summer, 20 MCE camps worked with World of Change and tasked their camp communities with collecting valuable loose change. The effort put forth by the MCE Camps this year is expected to raise more than $25,000 (with still more change to count!). Money raised will go to organizations providing food and housing for those in need, promoting literacy, and helping the wildlife in Maine! Not only did World of Change provide campers with an opportunity to raise much-needed money for worthy causes, the organization turned these efforts into a great learning opportunity for campers about the importance and value of giving back. When World of Change founder Matt Hoidal came to my MCE camp to pick up our change jars, he delivered a powerful speech to the campers, and his message on the importance of creating change resonated with the whole camp community. Of course, MCE’s commitment to service extends well beyond the World of Change initiative. This year, some MCE camps also teamed up with Friends of Casco Bay to participate in their beach-cleaning efforts. Campers collected bags of trash and directly contributed to the beautification of Maine, something that benefits MCE campers and Maine tourists and residents throughout the year. Additionally, one MCE camp not only makes giving back a part of its program – it is a camp specifically designed to help those in need. Camp Sunshine has a mission of supporting children with terminal and life-threatening illnesses and their families. Camp Sunshine provides a no-cost haven for these kids and their families to relax and enjoy the beauty of life at camp in Maine, and supports them through an incredibly trying time. We really are proud to have Camp Sunshine as a part of our Maine Camp community. Social responsibility is a core tenant of MCE Camps, and supporting important causes is vital to who we are as a community. Camps that undertake service initiatives make a real impact in their communities, and teach campers the value and fulfillment that goes hand in hand with the spirit of giving back. — Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools

You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitude on our Memories of Camp section of our  website.

Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child?  Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks).  It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates.  Then you can research these camps in more depth.

Next, be sure to  to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.