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Rebuilding The Harriman Group Camps
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THE NEED:
Today, 32 lakefront children's relief camps survive within the sprawling 47,000-acre Harriman Park. Accredited welfare and other organizations (like hiking groups and canoe clubs) operate the residential and day camps. The infrastructure is comprised of sleeping cabins, lean-tos, meeting halls, kitchens, dining rooms, shower-restroom facilities, nurses' stations, recreation buildings, administrative offices, baseball and soccer fields, lakefront beaches, and docks - all in need of repair!
Two critical factors make it urgently necessary to improve these facilities:
1) More and more children are homeless and require care and an understanding environment, a situation that has severely stretched the capacity of our program. For example, our camp program served 6,800 homeless children in 2004 alone.
2) Our buildings, grounds, and infrastructure are in seriously deteriorated conditions,
due to their age. Many were constructed in the 1940s and need rehabilitation.
Leaky roofs, eroding roads, rotting docks, dilapidated or broken windows, outdated plumbing, and an ancient electrical infrastructure may create future hazards. Also, only a few camps have access for the physically handicapped, which means that we can serve very few children from this population. In fact, we have had to close several camps in the last four years, making a summer camp experience available to fewer children. For instance, PIPC served 90,000 children in 2000, but only 80,000 in 2004. The number will drop below 72,000 in 2005.
However, obtaining funds for constructing new buildings or repairing the old ones at each of the 32 sites is proving a daunting challenge. The PalisadesParks Conservancy was established in 2002 as a separate 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization to help solicit tax-deductible donations from foundations and individuals.
The response often given by potential funders to PIPC, however, is that either the public sector should take care of this or that those who rent the sites should make the improvements. Certainly both strategies have been pursued tenaciously with some success. But, the accelerating rate of deterioration far outpaces the rate of fund raising success. Moreover, because the camp users don't own the facilities and are themselves strapped for cash, they don't have the wherewithal to help. So, where does that leave the kids for whom summer camp is an escape from their often dreary lives? The necessity for immediate action has become imperative!
POPULATION SERVED:
Collaboration with social organizations helps stretch resources. We provide the buildings and grounds, and the organizations provide the programs. The camps are rented by the Girl Scouts, YMCA, YWCA, Henry Street Settlement, Homes for the Homeless, and many others that serve the homeless, the disadvantaged, and the handicapped. For example, each summer Camps Lanowa, Kiwago, and Wakonda provide two-week retreats for 1,000s of homeless children, allowing them to explore the outdoors and enjoy a break from inner city life. The majority of kids come from New York City. However, 20,000 come from Orange County and 20,000 from Rockland County.
Many kids are touched by poverty. During the summer, the problem becomes more acute as children, who at least have the advantage of being in school and approved for participation in breakfast/lunch programs are now on the streets, left to fend for themselves. Children in these circumstances experience a profound loss of confidence and self-esteem. PIPC's Group Camp programs help children learn basic skills and develop strategies to overcome their difficult home environment. We need additional summer alternatives that provide safe housing and nutritious meals for the growing numbers of children. Our camps need to be safe, and in good condition, with a supportive atmosphere.
We have seen children react well in this environment. Within a natural, caring, fun-filled setting, children are given a respite from the harsh reality of their lives. They learn and practice traditional camp activities like nature study, arts and crafts, hiking, canoeing, swimming and dramatics. The rugged settings and small cabins promote a sense of personal responsibility while inspiring group loyalty.
You should know, that while the majority of the camps are leased to groups like those mentioned above, several sites are used by outdoor enthusiasts and family groups, like the American Canoe Association, Woods & Water in the Park, Ltd., German Ski Club, Adirondack Mountain Club, Green Mountain Club, and others. These organizations have the capacity to maintain their camps. Hence this proposal does not include funding to rehabilitate those sites. (See attached Camp List.)
GOALS and CAPITAL COSTS:
To Repair the Group Camps over a Ten-Year Period
Thanks to a current $10 million grant from the State of New York, improvements in the drinking water infrastructure for the camps and bathing beaches will be undertaken over the next two years.
However, there are significant additional capital needs for rehabilitating and making safe these camp structures to ensure their long-term purposes and viability. Delineated on a separate page is an annual budget of $250,000 for the ten-year capital plan that will address the highest priority repairs.
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Since our founding over a century ago, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission has depended on donations as well as public funds for financial support to meet our mission to promote and expand the preservation of natural, historical and cultural resources. These donations enable us to conserve and protect open space and wildlife habitats, improve facilities and enhance programs and services for our visitors. Today, the need is greater than ever.
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