Giving Tuesday and Maine Camps

It’s GivingTuesday. In recognition of this global movement that encourages people to do good, we at Maine Camp Experience (MCE) want to encourage people to help others today and also think about how Maine Camps engage campers in social action initiatives. We reflect on the many ways that our Maine Camp community gives back— throughout the summer at camp, and during the year when we are spread throughout the country, and the globe!Each summer, social action and community responsibility are an integral part of our campers’, counselors’, and directors’ lives at camp. Many of our MCE camps incorporate activities and programs that instill this mission to give back in all of our campers. MCE campers are actively involved with a variety of amazing causes benefitting food pantries, senior care centers, local farms, and more. You can read more here about social action at MCE camps. In addition to our campers participating in social action initiatives, our camps also help others. At Ali’s Maine camp, for example, after the main session of camp is over a 10-day program called Main Idea begins. Main Idea gives kids who might not have the opportunity to go to camp a chance to spend 10 days enjoying the beauty of Maine with fellow campers. A couple organizations we like to highlight on GivingTuesday are Camp Sunshine, an MCE member camp, and World of Change – two causes dear to our MCE hearts. At Camp Sunshine, children with life-threatening illnesses and their families are supported and get to experience activities together during week-long stays at camp. And many MCE camps support World of Change, by having campers collecting spare change for social action initiatives for children in need. Many have taken World of Change back to their hometown communities.MCE has been partnered with these organizations for many summers, and while we are all experiencing these unprecedented times, we wanted to take time to reflect on how these missions can be adapted to our current situation. We reached out to Matt, the founder of World of Change, who says: “I am reminded by our young change makers — many of whom attend MCE member camps —  how creativity and positive intent, prompted by empathy and compassion, can keep us focused and with purpose during these trying times. So many kids have delighted us with driveway change collections and other efforts to rally their communities around change these past few months.” Matt encourages the MCE community to: “Gather the change around you - at home or wherever you are - and invite others around you to do the same. You will see it add up, and together you get to choose where you want to make your impact.”So, while we reflect on what it means to give back at Maine Camp, and think about how to do so going forward, we encourage you to get involved on this GivingTuesday. Whether it’s gathering the change around your house and making a contribution to World of Change (www.worldofchange.world), donating to Camp Sunshine which has a generous matching gift program this GivingTuesday (https://www.campsunshine.org/giving/givingtuesday), or to a local charity that is important to you, we think there is no better way to spread holiday love and joy than by giving back.Help Camp Sunshine move forward into 2021 by making a donation on Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2020! Your donation will automatically be doubled up to $21,000 thanks to generous matching gifts from Louis & Prudence Ryan, The Steven M. Perez Foundation, Academy Mortgage & Tamika Donahue, and Enercon Technologies! https://www.campsunshine.org/giving/givingtuesday — 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.