Dear Campers, Members and Friends,
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Silver Lake Campers Association, this letter will outline some details regarding the status of our camp. We believe that the majority of our campers are not going to really appreciate this gem until it’s gone, and at this moment, we are at a tipping point as to whether we can open this year or ever again. It is a lengthy story.
In 2009, an eclectic handful of “visionaries” stepped up to take over operation of the camp from the City of Stockton. What a learning curve it is, still! We have done so much, just a handful of us on the Board, but what we learn each day continues to swell and complicate all our lives. We have learned about profit and loss and walked the delicate line of keeping our rates family-friendly and still affordable for families, one of our primary goals. We designated ourselves a 501c3 not-for-profit charity, elected a board of 9, wrote bylaws, held meetings, meetings, meetings, marketed, advertised, solicited donations (even of food), hired the best cooks and managers we could find, and ran this camp even though the odds were declining all along. We simply have too much heart but not enough money.
As we try to put together another season of camp, we are faced with dire financial challenges, and without an influx of serious cash, and soon, we will be forced to close. In a nutshell, last season’s late and monumental snowfall (and that of the year before, actually) caused this downward financial spiral. Capping that off, our generator broke down last summer and the repairs on it, fuel, and interim rental of another were staggering: $7,000. In our three full seasons, we have struggled, unsuccessfully, to build a reserve for emergencies, as we have learned that all unexpected expenses are expected! In trying to keep the camp fees as low as possible, this is a goal we have not reached. Add to this the cancellation of two large youth groups, due to the snows, and we have been sandbagged to the tune of more than $50,000. Just like that!
Some of our normal expenses in running the camp will stun campers! A mandated groundwater testing bill (about $10,000), hanging over our heads, is required because we maintain a septic system. Add in more “fees” from the State Water Resources Board. The septic, the garbage services, the Forest Service fee to lease the land (once $1 per year, now upwards of $6,000), propane, insurance costing about $7,000 a year, bookkeeper and CPA and fees, and food, salaries and taxes round out the biggest expenses.
Owing to this difficult economy, large charitable donations are difficult to come by. We have been aided by a few moderate and many, many small donations, and we cherish these supporters.However, as you can see from the above figures, we need much more. The market is full of charities with their hands out to big donors, and we are no exception, but are currently out of ideas, unless we could find ten donors at $5,000 each, a tall order indeed! Where could we find these people?
We’ve had almost no advertising/marketing monies, and filling Family Camp has been difficult. Add to this the serious issue of changes in school calendars, essentially putting many area children back into school in July, during the heart of Family Camp, so that we cannot fill cabins into July and August anymore. We no longer know where we should reach out in order to populate the few weeks of camp.
The City of Stockton has given us little support, certainly nothing financial. There was never any transparency on their part about what all the huge, hidden fees and costs were—we were blindsided! The City could shuffle monies from other budget areas when needed, and clearly did,while we never had any such capability, so we can deal only with what we bring in and what is donated. We found (too late) that the camper fees the City charged when it ran the camp were far too small to sustain the camp. Naturally, we have had to raise them each year, not without criticism.
We were promised fundraising and grant-writing efforts by some volunteers to help us, and found many broken promises, building our hopes and dashing them by inaction. We few on thisBoard have exhausted our energy to mastermind suggested fundraisers such as, golf tournaments, garage sales, chili cook-offs, crab feeds, and so on. At annual meetings of the Association, we have tried to recruit volunteers to spearhead some of these things, but people do not come forward. It’s easy to say, “I want to help,” but rolling up sleeves and plunging in is a far different matter. We have a long list from campers about what to try, but few who will help us do the work. Surprisingly, most of our campers do not even join the Association annually to show their support. So the Board plugs on, desperate to save this camp for all those who seem to want it so much.
It is our firm conviction that, should we return this camp to the City, it will be left to abandonment and disrepair very soon, and then the Forest Service will charge The City to bulldoze all the cabins, buildings and the historic lodge and take back the land. It is for this reason that your Board members are losing so much sleep. We all need to decide how much this camp means to us and what we want to do about it, remembering once again that many of us are not likely to appreciate our little gem until it’s gone.
Please let us take a moment to thank, from the bottom of our collective hearts, those people whohave stepped up to help, especially in camp opening and closing weekends, from snow-shoveling to repairs, to volunteering in leadership roles at camp. And every single smaller donor is special to us. It should not go unmentioned that many Board members, in addition to the incredible number of hours donated to the Association, have put much of their own money into saving the camp, and it looks now like they may never be reimbursed.
In closing, we ask that you jump in as quickly as possible with your ideas as to what we should do, but more importantly, help us to carry them out—the effort has never been collaborative enough. Too soon, it will be out of our hands. At the very least, attend the annual Silver Lake Dinner on March 24 and keep abreast of this whole issue. We are on the precipice and have to do something very quickly.
Sincerely, on behalf of the Board of Directors,
Robert Bonfilio, President
NOTE: Donations toward camp received after this date will be held until and unless camp opening goes forward; should camp close, they will be returned.