Camp Ojibwa Campership Program

The overnight summer camp experience at Camp Ojibwa has always been about more than playing sports and hanging with friends. For young boys, overnight camp is often their first extended time away from their parents. Camp teaches and fosters independence, selfsufficiency, self-advocacy, teamwork, and what it means to belong to a community. It breaks down barriers, whether they be social, geographic, religious, or economic. Campers build selfconfidence, even in the face of occasional (and inevitable) setbacks, and learn to be leaders, friends, and mentors. And at Ojibwa, more than any other camp, campers learn what it means to be a part of a brotherhood; a group of people who share a deep common bond forged in their youth on the shores of Catfish Lake. That bond – that connection to Ojibwa through fellow campers, counselors, and friends – is one of the many things that makes Ojibwa so special.

Every young boy deserves a chance to experience the lifelong benefits of going to overnight camp, but for many the cost of camp is prohibitive. Overnight camp has the potential to be the ultimate equalizer. Boys who attend Ojibwa, once they arrive, all have the same cabin, the same bed, and the same access to amazing food and exciting activities. Run in conjunction with the American Camping Association (a non-profit, public benefit corporation), the Camp Ojibwa Campership Program exists to provide full or partial Camp Ojibwa scholarships to children who might otherwise not be able to afford camp. Contributions are tax-deductible. Learn more about the ACA Camp Scholarship Program here.

There are three ways to make a contribution: (1) donate online here; (2) make out a check payable to the “ACA Camper Scholarship Fund – Camp Ojibwa” and send the check to Camp Ojibwa at 1195 Somerset Ave., Deerfield, IL 60015, or (3) make out a check payable to the “ACA Camper Scholarship Fund – Camp Ojibwa,” and send it directly to the ACA Camp Scholarship Program, 5000 State Road 67 North, Martinsville, IN 46151-7902. The ACA credits funds received to Ojibwa’s account, and we select our Campership recipients. Camperships are awarded on a confidential basis and no campership recipient will be publicly identified by Ojibwa. You will receive an acknowledgement of your donation from the ACA for your tax records.

Thank you so much in advance for your contribution towards making the amazing Camp Ojibwa experience available to as many young boys as possible. If you have any questions about the Camp Ojibwa Campership Program or would like to apply for a Campership, please contact Ross Friedman (ross@campojibwa.com). The Campership application form can be found here.

BENCHMARKS FOR PARTICIPATION

The following benchmarks qualify an individual for eligibility for a Campership:

The Camper is a boy between 7 and 16 years old;
The Camper’s family supports the Camper’s attendance at Camp Ojibwa;
The Camper’s family is otherwise unable to afford (in part or in full) sending the Camper to Camp Ojibwa (Camp reserves the right to ask for certain financial information from potential recipients; any such information will be kept strictly confidential);
The Camper’s family fills out the Campership Application form;
The Camper writes a short statement outlining why the Camper wants to come to Camp Ojibwa; and
The Camper promises to at all times at Camp uphold the ideals of the Ojibwa Way – Kindness, Respect, Trustworthiness, and Fair Play.

SELECTION FOR CAMPERSHIPS

While we strive to make Camp Ojibwa available to everyone, not everyone will be eligible for a Campership. Camperships will be chosen based on a number of factors, including economic status, family status, geographic location, and various other factors, with Camp retaining full discretion in determining eligibility. Camp Ojibwa prohibits any form of unlawful discrimination against its Campership applicants, and all campership awards will be kept strictly confidential. No other discounts or promotions apply to a camper receiving a Campership.

Dear Camp Ojibwa Families

For more than 92 years, Camp Ojibwa’s mission has been to help turn boys into men and to teach them strength and perseverance. We live that mission every single day, and will continue to do so for years to come.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a significant challenge for Ojibwa. From the very beginning, we believed we could overcome the hurdles that the pandemic would set in our path, and open Ojibwa for our boys this summer. We developed a comprehensive plan with protocols and procedures based on guidance from the American Camping Association and the CDC. Our Plan was thoroughly reviewed and vetted by our internal leadership team of Camp alumni and by medical professionals across multiple disciplines throughout the country. We were, and remain, convinced that we had the expertise, the training, and the ability to execute the plan this summer. As we have said in numerous writings over the past three months, our goal was to make Camp Ojibwa the safest place on Earth in the summer of 2020. Therefore, in the true Ojibwa spirit, we fought “with all our strength and might” for Camp Ojibwa. We believed that we could conquer all obstacles and barriers, and overcome all health-related issues. We stayed in the game as long as possible and refused to give up, including conversations held in the past 48 hours with Government officials

Ultimately, however, we were defeated by the State of Wisconsin and the Vilas County Health Department. As we compiled all of the data, reviewed the current trends of Wisconsin’s cases, and analyzed the local healthcare system, we determined that we could not proceed with our regular camp operation and programming this summer. It was particularly significant that the Vilas County Health Department advised us that it would be unable to provide us with any support this summer, and may shut us down should we have any positive COVID cases. As you know, most of our brother and sister camps are located in counties in Wisconsin other than Vilas. Ojibwa is one of the few of our peer overnight camps located in Vilas County and subject to the stringent regulations issued by that County. Nevertheless, we respect the County’s position, and we will accept and abide by its determination. We therefore have no choice but to cancel the 2020 camp season.

This unthinkable outcome came as a blow to all of us. We are grieving the loss of this summer alongside all of you. The two of us, as Directors and as parents of campers and staff, know personally how significantly this impacts the lives of our campers, staff, and families. We are deeply hurt, but we are not down. We learn at Camp that we must always be resilient, and must never give up. We did everything humanly possible to open Camp. We did it for Ojibwa because, as we sing in our fight song, “we love her truly and for her we’ll always fight.”

During the past three months, we received an outpouring of support and encouragement from our camper families, staff, and the entire Ojibwa community. The letters, emails, texts, calls, and video messages demonstrate your passion and commitment to Ojibwa, and reaffirms what makes Ojibwa so special. We are grateful for all of you, and take great pride in being a part of the lives of our campers and staff. The two of us are here for all of you in any way that you need. Do not hesitate to reach out at any time. We are together, we are PureBWA.

We will send follow-ups to you about tuition refunds, and our great plans for the summer of 2021, as soon as possible. Until then, please click here to watch this video and join us in appreciating the true spirit of Camp Ojibwa. Here’s to Camp Ojibwa,

Joel and Joey