Fall is the time of year when we plan our budgets, start marketing, continue recruiting, and begin fundraising for the following year… and occasionally, like last week, I get to work the top of the zipline for a few afternoons!

The last few weeks I’ve been especially thinking about our awesome scholarship fund donors and what a HUGE impact they make in kids’ lives.  We raise over $100,000 every year for about 300 scholarship campers to attend Camp Ernst.  Those campers try new things, learn independence, and grow in spirit, mind, body, and friendship in their week at camp. We couldn’t do it without love and resources from committed volunteers and generous donors, many of whom fondly remember their own camp experiences from their youth. 

I wanted to share some sweet (and some funny) quotes from Thank Yous written by a selected few scholarship campers:

“I also get a week away from my brother and that makes me want to hug you”

“I also like to do the airwalk as well, because it seems like you are jumping off of the empire state building and you are soaring in the sky and you’re trying to save the women falling and when you get to the bottom you have saved her and the job is over.”

“You rock! This Sponsor rocks àYou! Your awesome! Your cool! Your cool! Your spectacular”

“Last year I ran a marathon and got 8^th place out of 9.  Pretty bad right?”

“Another thing I love about Camp Ernst is the energetic exciting and loveable counselors.  They always make you feel better when your upset or just not having a good day.”

“I really appreciate the deed you have done to allow me to go to Camp Ernst”

 On behalf of the entire YMCA Camp Ernst family, THANK YOU.

Ernstlove,

eli