Troop 85 has begun earmarking a portion of troop funds to be used as “camperships.” A “campership” can be made available to scouts with a family financial hardship to help make it possible for scouts to participate in summer camp, high adventure camps, or other higher‐cost outings, while preserving the principle that a Scout helps pay his own way.
Conditions
Confidentiality
Camperships applications are evaluated and awarded by a subset of the Committee, typically the Committee Chair, Treasurer, and Advancement Chair. In the event there is a conflict of interest (e.g., the Treasurer’s son is making the request), an alternate committee member will be selected by consensus of the un‐ conflicted members. “Direct contact adults”, i.e., Scoutmaster & Assistant Scoutmasters, will not be informed of campership awards – only that a payment has been received and credited to the Scout’s account. Also, the campership committee will not inform the Scout that an award has been made – that is up to the Scout’s parents if they choose to do so.
Maximum award:
Camperships typically cover 50% of the total cost of the outing. Amounts can be varied with the circumstances and availability of funds.
Participation in troop events and fund raisers
To be eligible for a campership, the scout is required to participate in troop fundraising activities to build up his scout account. Participation in the Council Popcorn Sale is required if the scout is registered with the troop during the sale. Participation in Troop 85 fundraising events, such as our pancake breakfasts is also required. Participation can be excused in the event of academic, extra‐curricular, medical or religious conflict.
Earning personal funds
The Scout and his parent are expected to prepare a plan for the Scout to earn funds toward his goal on his own, and track progress against that plan. Examples are paper routes, lawn mowing, leaf raking, babysitting or similar chores that may be performed in the scout’s neighborhood. (The scout might want to consider completing the Personal Management merit badge as part of this process).
Willful Cancellation
When applying for a campership to an outing, the Scout is required to commit to participation in the outing barring a family emergency or similar unplanned change in circumstance. Willful cancellations (i.e., choosing to participate in an alternate activity, joining the family on vacation, etc.) are not considered a family emergency, and require repayment of the campership. In addition the Scout will be barred from applying for future camperships.
- If full refunds are available for the outing: Then scout‐paid funds will be reimbursed (to the Scout account or by check to the parents, corresponding to how the money was originally paid), and the campership funds reimbursed to the troop.
- For high adventure trips and summer camp, full refunds are typically not available once funds are committed and a scout changes his mind about going (willful cancellation). If this occurs, scouts may:
- Find a qualified substitute participant, acceptable to the tour leader to replace his spot on the outing and willing to pay the full rate for the outing. In this event, Scout‐paid funds will be refunded per the terms of the outing, and the campership funds will be returned to the troop.
- Forfeit the scout‐paid funds for the outing and repay the campership to the troop.
- Partial Refunds: Some outings offer partial refunds for dropped participants. Any partial refunds to the troop for the dropped scout will be applied first to re‐pay the campership to the troop. Once the campership is repaid in full, then the remainder of the refund will be returned to the Scout as described above.
- Replaying the campership: In the event of a willful cancellation, the Scout’s parents are responsible for repayment of the campership funds to the troop. This can be a combination of personal check, available scout account funds, and future scout account funds. The specific plan is to be determined by the Campership sub‐committee in consultation with the Scout’s parents.
Applying for a campership
The parents of the scout should contact a member of the campership sub‐committee (committee chair, treasurer or advancement chair). A meeting of the parents and the subcommittee will be arranged to discuss the specific outing request(s), amount requested, and review the plan for the Scout’s contribution to paying his own way. Campership decisions will be made at the end of that meeting, and require consensus of the sub‐committee.
The current contact positions are:
Committee Chair: Mr. Harry Heaton
Advancement Chair: Brad Bernard
Treasurer: Jerry Heaton
Troop 85 