Thank you to all of you who donated to our Sustainability Campaign! I hope you have had a chance to check out the Sustainability Campaign Infographic that details your incredible generosity. Together, we raised $981,460.49 to offset the impact of cancelling the in-person camp activities for summer 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic!
There are so many amazing things that I could call out about our generous Sustainability Donors. Here are some of the highlights. Close to half of you were camper parents who donated some or all of their Summer 2020 tuition. Incredibly, 196 of you gave to Camp for the very first time. And for those of you who gave to Camp last year, you donated 727% more this year during this very difficult time. All of this points to the deep understanding that you have for our unique impact on the lives of our campers, staff, and families.
I’m thrilled that Camp is now actively planning to bring the Jacobs Magic back to Utica for the summer of 2021. While there are so many details to work out to ensure that our campers and staff have a healthy, safe, and successful summer, there is one thing that hasn’t changed. Jacobs Camp has always been committed to providing financial assistance to families in order to ensure that finances never keep a child from coming to Camp. Thanks to your generous support of our Sustainability Campaign, we have a head start on our camper scholarship needs for 2021. But we know we will need much more.
During a normal year, Jacobs Camp awards $150,000 in scholarships to campers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis, we are estimating that camper families will need $250,000 for 2021. Additionally, we are estimating that the cost of extra precautions to operate safely next summer will cost about $50,000.
As excited as we are to celebrate the success of our Sustainability Campaign, we must now begin the hard work of preparing to be back in our Utica home next summer. It will take a great deal of planning for sure. But it will also take your support to make sure all our campers are able to come together with our talented staff to create the Jacobs Magic once again. Your gift to our Road to Welcome Home Campaign is vital to the success of next summer. I hope you will join me making Summer 2021 our most special summer yet!