Camp is Coming!

I know, it's only January and summer seems so far away. Well, it's not! Summer is creeping up and we are getting ready for it here at the Sunshine Fund. We are working on getting our 2012 applications ready so you can start applying and get the spot you want for your children.

While you wait for us to get our application ready, you can start getting all your documents ready too. This will make your application process go faster and seamlessly.


What we need you to send in:
1. Camp Application
We need you to send in a completed camp application with your Sunshine Fund application so we can hold that spot at the camp for your child.

2. Income Verification
Income verification means we need your 2011 Income Tax statement. We need Line 150 we we can verify your total income. If you do not have your 2011 Income Tax statement back by the time you wish to apply please call our office for other options of verification. Our phone number is 204-784-1130.

3. Manitoba Health Card
We need a copy of your MB Health Card to verify that you and your child are both residents of Manitoba and to confirm how many people live at the same address as you. 

4. Parent Contribution
We do not have the new chart for the 2012 parent application so this part will have to wait until our applications come out.


5. Letter
We would love it if you and your child sat down and wrote us a letter saying why they want to go to camp and if they have been before why they love going to camp. We love to share these letters with the donors of the Sunshine Fund (all while keeping the identity of the child and family anonymous.) to increase our donations and to show everyone the real impact the Sunshine Fund has.

So this is what you need to apply for funding. If you have any questions please call our office, we are open Monday to Friday 9-4:30pm.

Also please note that our 2012 application will be available for download on our website mbcamping.ca and if you applied last year we will send you one by the end of January. If you did not apply last year please call us with your mailing address.

204-784-1130

Camp Fire Stories: A counselor's point of view

Counselor: Heidi Peters

 

Camp History:

She has worked at Winkler Bible Camp for 7 summers, 3 springs, 1 year all year round, and went to Bible School there for another one year.

I've been a Jr. Counselor, Sr. Counselor, Lifeguard, Cross View Assistant Director, and Cross View Director. Cross View is one of our two sites at WBC.

What Heidi has to say about Camp:
 
"Camp, well to say it short and sweet, camp changed my life!

Camp is a place where children and staff are safe. They have the opportunities of a lifetime and I believe not enough children in our world get to experience camp. Camp is where children can learn to have fun, try new activities, make friends, and learn about God! I have worked at camp for seven summers and I would never trade any of those summers to work anywhere else. I love working at camp! Seeing the children's faces when they come back from an activity, or when they have learned something new about God, cannot be put into words. Camp changes children's lives forever! I know some of our staff at camp would not be where they are spiritually if it were not for camp. I would not be where I am today if it were not for camp.


I have learned so much at camp. I have learned how to teach others about God, I have made lifelong friends, and I have learned how to have a real conversation with God. I really cannot put into words what camp has done for me. It has been so much a part of my life. Although I have learned so many things at camp, camp has not always been easy for me. I have had to learn how to deal with misbehaving children, which has taught me patience and I have had to deal with situations that I never thought were possible. Camp was not always easy for me, but I would not trade it for anything! I have learned so many lifelong morals and skills through camp.

I love camp! I love the children, I love the staff, I love the activities, and most of all I love God! Seeing the children's faces running through the playing field, swimming in the lake, or just hanging out in their cabin makes me love my job. I also love seeing the campers grow up and become counselors and seeing their relationships with each other. I remember seeing a female camper at camp and wondering why she was at camp; it seemed she was there just for the boys. However, as the years went by she became a counselor and today I would say she is one our most mature female counselors we have.

My favourite part about camp is when I get to hear of campers that made their first time commitments to asking Jesus to become their personal Saviour. It makes me so excited just thinking of it. Just to think that because campers have the opportunity to go to camp, I will one day see them again and they can live eternally in Heaven with God.

Another huge highlight for me is seeing the campers connecting with their counselors. They look up to them so much. I know some of the campers go back to broken homes and I can only hope that those couple days at camp can show them that they are loved, even if they do not see that at home.

I am not sure what your background looks like, I am not sure what you have done, but I know camp can make a difference in a child’s life.

Thank you so much for everyone who has helped a child go to camp and if you have not had that opportunity, just talk to a child who has gone to camp and ask them about their experiences; ask them if they would like to go again."
 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

This year on the Sunshine Fund blog we want to share real camp stories with you. We want you to hear how camp has impacted the lives of the kids that have gone there, some are now grown up and have also worked at camp, some are kids looking forward to going again this summer and some are parents who are sending their own children to camp to have the experiences they've had. We will call these posts Camp Fire Stories, so keep an eye out for this new series on our blog.

If you want to contribute your own story on how camp has changed your life or your child's life, please email us at sunshinefund@mbcamping.ca. We would love to hear from you!

We are also gearing up for Summer 2012 here in the office. Our new applications will be available by the end of January. If you want to receive one please call our office at 204-784-1130 so we can mail one out to you. If you applied last year an application will automatically be sent to you when they are ready. We will also have a downloadable copy on our website mbcamping.ca 

Speaking of our website, we had it updated so go take a look mbcamping.ca . We are still updating it so please be patient as we get all our information up there.

Camp Arnes, year unknown.