The school’s SCOPE club recruited new members at the club fair on Sept. 25 by giving out s’mores.
The national SCOPE (Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education) organization is partnered with teens who are dedicated to helping others. These teens are planning to get involved with fundraisers, service projects, junior leadership council, celebratory milestones and local SCOPE club chapters, like the one here. “I found out my school did not have a club focused on sending kids to sleep-away camp so I created a chapter of SCOPE by getting involved with the junior leadership council,” club co-president Jenna Goldberg said.
Teens who have attended overnight summer camps help promote youth leadership in SCOPE to allow others to gain access to the same opportunities they had. “Summer camp has always been a big part of my life. My experiences at camp and the friends I have made have helped me through a lot and really grown my independence. I love being able to help provide other kids with the experiences sleepaway camp has to offer, that’s why I am so passionate about SCOPE,” club co-president Lainey Berman said.
SCOPE club chapters are created in schools around the country. These clubs tend to hold fundraisers and informational meetings. At these meetings, the members of the club talk about how they can help spread the word and share new ideas.
In previous years, the school’s SCOPE club has held fundraisers at popular food chain spots such as Chipotle and Ledo’s Pizza. The club has also partnered with Label Daddy. A percentage of these sales go to SCOPE.
The funds collected from these fundraisers are later sent to the SCOPE organization in a contribution to help others out. “ When given the opportunity to create learning and educational opportunities for low income children, it feels good to give back,” club sponsor David Bitler said.
SCOPE is a non-profit organization designed to provide less fortunate children with experiences of a lifetime. The program funds money with their partner camps and puts it into what they call a “campership.” Over the past 30 years, more than 27,000 camperships have been funded. The value of a campership depends on the region the child is from. The Southwest, Southeast, and Midwest are priced at $750 while the Northeast is priced at $1,500.
Families apply for SCOPE support directly with the camp they wish to attend. The SCOPE partner camps also tend to recruit campers on their own. A child has to meet certain requirements in order to get approved and attend one of these camps.
The child must be between the ages of 7-16, enrolled in a public school/ public charter school, qualify for the USDA free or reduced lunch program, and must be committed to staying in school. If they are eligible, the family will further work with the camp and program to receive their campership, the child will attend the camp for about one to two weeks.
