Preparing for Fire Season
The transition from April to May is, traditionally, about rain showers bringing flowers – at least that what nursery rhymes tell us. But climate change has turned that sentiment on its head in recent years, especially in the American West, where the worst regional drought since the 16th century is in effect.
That’s led to a distinct shift from wildflowers to wildfires – Arizona, New Mexico and Nebraska have already seen unseasonably early blazes – and we here at Project:Camp are gearing up for a summer where demand for trauma-informed child care is continuing to grow.
To meet the needs of families, we’ve expanded our team to include a slate of seasonal camp directors so that we can respond to multiple incidents at once and make sure more communities are supported during these trying times. We’re already prepping contingency plans and pouring over checklists so we’re ready to go when called upon.
In order to ensure we can continue to offer our pop-up camps for free, we need your help to fund these efforts. We’re specifically looking for monthly recurring donations so that we can plan ahead and have funds available when the next major disaster strikes. If you believe that what we’re doing is making the world a better place, please show us your support – even if it’s just a few dollars each month. The funds will help us provide a safe space for kids going through some unimaginable experiences.
We know not everyone has the resources to make a financial contribution, and if you’d like to help out in a non-monetary way we’d love to have your support as well!
As we mentioned in last month’s newsletter, we’re working on a proactive disaster preparedness model to make connections with key stakeholders in areas around the U.S. prone to disasters. If you know anyone who would be a good contact for us, please reach out and let us know! We’ve made great strides in the past several months building connections, but more friends in more places never hurts.
We’re also actively recruiting and training volunteers to help staff camps. If you’re interested in giving back through this type of opportunity, you can fill out a volunteer interest form and we’ll reach out! We have a number of trainings coming up, including one Tuesday, May 3 at 5:30pm PST.
There are challenging times ahead, but we’ve seen time and time again the communities we’ve visited during disasters pull together and overcome huge obstacles. Every time we see it, we’re reminded of the power of collective action and how a group of individuals acting together can have an outsized impact on this world.
Thank you all for helping us do just that.
With gratitude,
-Mikey
Bulletin Board
We are very humbled and pleased to announce that the California Fire Foundation has awarded us a grant to support Project:Camp's community organizing and preparation work in Fresno County's ridge communities. The region has been hit hard by fires in recent years and we're working hard to make sure children and families are supported and CFF's support is going a long way to making that goal a reality!
Project:Camp won a Silver Award from the Southern Chapter of the California Emergency Services Association this month, which we are over the moon about. The award is presented to organizations, agencies or individuals in the public, private, non-profit and volunteer sectors who have demonstrated exceptional efforts in the field of emergency preparedness, emergency services or emergency response. Thank you CESA!
Mikey was also given the Paul Somers Golden Acorn Award by the American Camping Association's Southern California and Hawaii chapter in April. The award is for outstanding service to the camping industry and we are all thrilled for Mikey!
Finally, one last fundraising pitch: We’re now on Amazon Smile! Add us as your charity of choice have Amazon donate to Project:Camp. Tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. Tell everyone you meet! Link to set it up can be found here.
