2023 Grant Recipients
$2,500 Grant Recipients
Daycholah —Begin the process of developing a new maintenance and preservation plan for the Daycholah Effigy Mounds
LaForet—Increase both their sustainability and education efforts by creating a compost system and a small garden.
Pilgrim Pines—Restore and repair the beloved Craft Lodge
$1,000 Grant Recipients
Horton Center — Assist in adding some outdoor activities such as Gaga PAit and elements for Low-Ropes Course.
Moon Beach— Assist in the purchase of a 4-6 person golf cart to aid in the transporting of mobility-impaired guests, especially to Vesper Point.
Pilgrim Park — Renovate the Summer Bathhouse facilities so they can be used as all-gender units.
One Camp’s Story
How La Foret used their Deering Grant
In the Midst of Covid Uncertainty, the Camp Nurse Was an Angel!
Over the months leading up to Summer of 2021, there was a lot of uncertainty from La Foret staff, parents, kids. Could we safely bring youngsters and teens together for their most important and valued vacation experience - summer camp? There are things lay people can do to be responsible, like following guidance from respected sources like ACA and CDC, following updates closely to make sure all the right calls are made, and keeping parents informed. THEN, there is a whole other level of information, statistics, instructions and predictions that people who work in the camp industry can't access so easily, and really cannot interpret or weigh with any certainty. That is where Nurse MaryEllen came in.
Our long-time camp nurse does so very much, and asks so very little of us. This beloved staple and hero of La Foret's camp life did hours upon hours of work before the Summer of 2021, beyond what she normally does in prep, simply to keep her finger on the pulse of COVID-19. She went above and beyond to tailor our protocols to the highest standard of safety. In all honesty, there is no way our small program could ever hope to compensate her at the level she is truly worth, but with a Deering Grant from OMA, we were able to get a fair deal closer. We are very grateful for the gift of showing MaryEllen that we truly could not hold camps without her; not when she first began decades ago, and especially not during a pandemic. Thanks to MaryEllen and the Deering Grant, we were able to provide a safe and successful camp when kids needed it most.