Web Catch of the Week: Back to School

As Camp winds down, the first day of school inches closer and closer. There's a lot of preparation that goes into getting your kids out the door on that very first day. This week's Web Catch of the Week features two blog posts about getting back into the rhythms of the school year. 

Kelle Hampton writes about "The Art of August Nesting" from her blog, Enjoy the Small Things. This blog post offers some helpful advice about gearing up for the school year from the perspective of a mom of small children. I especially enjoyed her advice about getting off on the right foot with your kids' new teachers. Read more about Kelle's insightful perspective here.

Frederick J. Goodall writes about the battle of back-to-school shopping with his 7 & 11 year old boys in his post "An Easier Way to Shop for Back to School Clothing" from his blog, Mocha Dad. Frederick explains how pre-shopping online before heading out to the store saved his family time and headaches. Check out his creative solution for back to school shopping here.

Feel free to leave your own advice about getting back into the school year routine in the comments. We'll be praying for all you campers and parents as you return to school! 

COCUSA News - Winter 2014

     Now that it’s past Thanksgiving, I feel I can finally say “Merry Christmas!” Like me, I’m sure you’re being deluged with mail this time of year, so I appreciate you taking the time to read and consider this post. This last summer 170 children attended COCUSA as part of our Scholarship program. These were families that apart from Camp, would have had very few options for their children in the summer. There are few other local childcare options that provide scholarships the way COCUSA does. Our Scholarship Committee reviews each need individually, asks the parents to pay what they can afford, and Camp seeks to cover the rest of the cost.

     Here is some feedback we received from the parents of scholarship campers about how Camp of Champions USA impacted their lives: 

“He seems to be learning a lot more about Christ and the Bible. ”

“My child is safe. She is learning about God and having fun all at the same time. It is a win-win.”

“[My son has] learned more about the Lord and his word and comes home and recites it for me.”

“Both my children have accepted Christ.”

“Your camp has been a wonderful experience each day for my grandchildren through the years. A true blessing!”

     We love serving all the campers we see, but there’s something extra special about serving families in need! These 170 children heard the Good News clearly presented, learned that Jesus is the main point of Scripture as we took them on an Expedition through the whole Bible and were loved by staff throughout the summer.

     Altogether, we waived $81,119 in camper fees so these kids could have a safe place to have a fun-filled summer and learn about Jesus. To date, we’ve raised $58,891 in scholarship funds to offset this need. This leaves a Scholarship gap of $22,228. Would you consider a gift towards this need?

     In 2014 the cost for one child to attend Camp for one week was $100 (or $1100 for the entire summer). COCUSA covered an average of $47 per week for each Scholarship camper (or $470 per Scholarship camper for the whole summer).

     Any amount you can give to help us close this Scholarship gap would be greatly appreciated, but would you please pray about making a donation to one of our Scholarship Funds in one of the amounts listed above? If God would direct you that way, please visit cocusa.org/donate. Your gift will help us close the Scholarship gap for 2014, and set us up for a great year of ministry in 2015.

Thanks,

PETER “PHEANEY” LINDELL
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR