Camperships

The Campership Assistance Program is a 3-dimensional partnership between the local churches and other community support agencies, the NC United Methodist Camp & Retreat Ministries and families of campers.  When local churches or community agencies provide financial assistance to families, NC UM Camp & Retreat Ministries provides matching funds. Camperships can be awarded for one week of camper per child each summer.  Camperships are based on financial need and unusual family hardship and are considered on a case-by-case basis. 

​

Steps to attaining financial assistance are as follows:

• Register for the desired camp program 

• Begin the campership request form by clicking "Apply Online" or "Download to Print" below

• Contact a local UMC Church, other denominational church or a local support agency to seek possible financial support with the Campership need.  If you are not a member of a local church, request assistance.  We’ll help you locate one.

• Return Campership Assistance Application with secured funding from local church or support agency to preferred camp.   Attach to camp application form. (ALL Checks should be made payable to preferred camp.)

• The Campership Application will be reviewed by the camp, and parents will be notified of the availability of Campership Funds.

• Camper Parents/Guardians provide balance of camp registration fees

Our Campership Fund is funded by an endowment and the generous gifts of individuals and local United Methodist Churches each year. We are able to grant a limited number of partial camperships. It is our expectation that the camper and their local church or one in their community will have made commitments to the cost of the event prior to seeking campership funds. These funds are intended for use by those campers who have extreme need or circumstance.

The Board of Directors has adopted the policy of funding most of the camp’s annual operating expenses with user fee dollars. This decision means that fees control, in large part, the quality of the ministry experience Chestnut Ridge seeks to offer. While recognizing that some sacrifice is appropriate for something as vital as children’s summer experience and spiritual growth, we benefit from financial assistance from churches, civic organizations, and external sources such as the Myra Morris Campership Fund. Campership assistance will continue to be necessary in order to build and maintain the sort of camp alumni Chestnut Ridge aspires to have. Consequently, significant matching funds have been devoted toward camper fee assistance.

In an effort to allocate resources wisely and fairly, Chestnut Ridge uses the campership request form to determine what a family should reasonably contribute toward summer camp fees. All information from the form, as with all personal camper files, is kept confidential.