Camp Gifford is like Heaven on Earth!
Recently, Mark, director of The Salvation Army of Spokane’s Camp Gifford, cooked 200 hundred hamburgers for the Thursday night cook out. The aroma of hamburger meat on a BBQ brought a young camper named Steven over to say hello. The following are Mark’s words…
“Steven was around 8 years old, a bit of a loner, and he really wanted to talk. He proceeded to tell me how he has earned over $1000 in his lifetime. I thought wow, that’s pretty good for someone your age, so I asked him how he was able to make so much money. ‘Mowing lawns’. he said. Then in great detail he told me how much he charged for a super large, large, medium, and small lawn. Steve was a very thoughtful young man.
So, I asked Steven what he did with all his money. His answer was pretty much like any boy his age, ‘I buy Legos!’ Without much thought, I asked him why Legos? And, simple conversation turned rather profound when Steven said, ‘Well Mark, in Legoland everyone likes me.’
We aren’t a make-believe land, but I know exactly the very real hurt Steven was sharing. We see that as an opportunity in real life to walk along-side hurting children, and to invest in making a week at Camp Gifford a place where kids can feel loved and accepted.”
It is through the generosity of local supporters that The Salvation Army is able to send Spokane’s at-risk children to camp each summer, and to help instill in children like Steven that they are loved for who they are. The five-day camp session is invaluable, as it allows a child to be a child, while giving a camp counselor time to interact with each youth and help build his/her self-esteem for the obstacles they’ll face in life.
To attend a week-long camp at beautiful Camp Gifford, which sits on Deer Lake, the real cost is around $500. However, thanks to caring donors, scholarships are made available so low-income families only have to pay $60 per camp session.
A typical week at camp includes five days of lodging, three nutritious meals a day, and many activities including: boating, wall climbing. zip line, arts and crafts and the chance to make lasting friendships.
Please consider giving a contribution to Camp Gifford to help give a child a positive experience that will last a lifetime!