In past years, Waypoint’s annual CampOut for Kids has been held at Storrs Pond in Hanover, bringing together community members to raise money for the nonprofit that serves children and families throughout the Upper Valley and beyond.
“It is the most fun family event. I have the most wonderful memories of looking at onto the field at Storrs Pond and just seeing families sitting in the grass, playing with each other,” said Jeannette Birge, who oversees the Upper Valley branch of the organization.
This year, like so many other events and fundraisers, the campout is going virtual. It will take place from Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 29-30. During the event, organizers will also be hosting a watch party. Dan Fraser, of Dan and Whit’s, will emcee and there will be guest appearances by the Hanover Fire Department and the Lebanon Police Department’s K-9 unit.
“We thought people would enjoy camping out in their own way,” said Kat Strange, Waypoint’s communications director. “You can be on your back porch or out in the woods or in your living room under a ceiling fan.”
People can register online at waypointnh.org and are encouraged to set fundraising goals. Those who just want to donate can do so there as well.
“It’s our major fundraiser of the year and, because of COVID, we didn’t feel comfortable asking people to come to a live event, but we certainly couldn’t afford to cancel our major fundraiser so we’re trying to do it virtually,” Birge said. “Part of our thinking was as families are looking for new stuff to do, this might be a fun something for them to do and knowing that other people they usually see at the camp out are doing it at the same time.”
Businesses would contribute to the CampOut in previous years through sponsorships. That’s more difficult this year due to the pandemic and the additional financial strain many are facing.
“One thing we’ve done this year is we’re holding a raffle as part of the CampOut and we have purchased some gift certificates from some of the businesses that have always supported us, but might not be in a position to this year, to show our support for them,” Birge said. “We’re all in this together.”
Birge has set the fundraising goal at $50,000. As of Friday evening, more than $20,000 had been raised.
“I’ll be surprised if we hit my $50,000 goal but we’ve got to try,” Birge said. “We really have to try because revenues are down this year as a result of COVID so it’s pretty important.”
While nonprofit organization’s revenue stream — which in part comes from counseling and supervising visits between parents and children and other fee-based services — has been down, the demand for their services has been up.
“Pandemics notwithstanding, care never rests. The kind of work we do, especially when times get tough, agencies like ours know how to rise to the occasion,” Strange said, adding that support groups have gone remote. “It takes the obstacles out of the way. You don’t have to worry about getting a babysitter. You don’t have worry about finding transportation. Let technology be our friend and realizing it’s creating an easier pathway for people to access services and get the telehealth that they need.”
Support groups have been particularly important for families who are struggling even more during the pandemic.
“Foster families need more support, particularly kids who aren’t in school,” Birge said. “The people we serve are strapped, therefore we are strapped because we’re determined to provide them with services they need.”
The CampOut can be a way to help.
“It’s just something a little different and fun,” Birge said. “I just hope we raise some money.”
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
