By Alana Butler | Executive Director
Dear Friend of Amnicon,
An Amnicon staff member, Adam, recently reported a comment he heard at a campus ministry fair. Upon seeing that Adam was wearing an Amnicon ChiRho, Erik engaged Adam in conversation about his experience at Amnicon. He ended the conversation by saying “If I hadn’t gone to Camp Amnicon, I wouldn’t have come to college.”
His life had been changed like many Amnicon campers over the last 50 years of ministry.
I wondered what kind of home life Erik had. I have a pretty good idea of what it could be like since I know something of his neighborhood.
His home life could have been one of poverty, where money is in short supply. Or where parents are so stressed out they have little time nor inclination to give him the loving attention and support he needs. Or where peer pressure at school and on the streets is luring him into trouble.
Many of the kids who come to Amnicon are “at-risk” kids which means they are at risk of not making it into a thriving adulthood. They risk failing to finish school. They risk making poor decisions which will haunt them the rest of their lives.
For many of them they truly do not know anything different than what they grew up with.
What is it about the Amnicon experience that would lead a young person to change paths in life so dramatically?
The answer to this question is clear because I know what happens on our trips. The young people are in unfamiliar surroundings, on a challenging and fun adventure, with a feeling of belonging to God, creation, and those around them.
Erik experienced this caring community, developed confidence in himself and a connection to God and creation that led him to feel capable to do more than he could have ever imagined possible.
Amnicon’s trips are adventures for young people – adventures on the rivers, on Lake Superior, and most of all, adventures in their spiritual journeys.
This summer I anticipate 70 more youth than last summer. That’s great… but it also means an additional $50,000 in gifts to the annual fund will be needed to cover the cost of serving these kids.
Did you know that every child who attends Amnicon receives campership help – that is, help in covering the cost of a week of camp?
The full cost of a week at camp is $950 per child. The fee charged is $450, so that means gifts of $500 are needed for every fee paid. And there are many children who simply cannot afford to pay much at all, if anything, toward the fee.
That’s why I’m writing you today. Will you help a young person come to Amnicon this summer by sharing a generous gift to the Annual Fund?
Your gift of $950 will cover the cost of one child… $500 will join with the fee a child pays… and every size gift – $25, $50, 100 or more -- will make it possible for children to have adventures that save their lives.
Make out your check to Amnicon. Complete the response card and mail your tax-deductible gift today. Or you can give on-line by going to amnicon.org/donate.
Young people – many of whom are at-risk – will be coming to Amnicon this summer looking for the opportunity to be real, be challenged, and be changed for a life of new possibilities. Thanks for helping them.
Sincerely,
Alana Butler, Executive Director
P.S. Please do your best to provide support for youth at-risk. Give as generously as you can today. You will find great satisfaction knowing you’re helping a young person find hope for the future. Thank you.
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