Summer camps work to keep campers coming back

YAKIMA --  Kylie Glover spends part of her summers hiking through the wilderness, waterskiing with friends and sitting around the campfire at Ghormley Meadow Christian Camp in Rimrock.

For her, the camp gives her a chance to flex her independence and commune with nature.

"You can't help but love it," said Glover, 15, of West Valley. "I think it's a really good way to take a week away from home."

But because of the declining economy and competition from other activities, people like Glover are becoming harder to find. Either families can no longer afford to send their children to camp, or youths are more interested in getting part-time jobs, playing their Xboxes or training for team sports.

These challenges have taken a financial toll on camps in recent years, which have responded by creating new marketing strategies, promotions and activities to bolster enrollment.

"We try to offer something new each year, so it's not the same old, same old," said Mark Washam, executive director of Camp Ghormley. "We change up our format and offer new kinds of camps. We do need to stay fresh."

Locally, one longtime camp has already folded because of financial hardships. Camp Roganunda, located on U.S. Forest Service Land in Chinook Pass, closed this spring. The camp was established nearly a century ago, offering everything from swimming and skits to hiking and horseback riding.

The camp endured unexpected repair and maintenance costs in recent years, in addition to a sharp decline in enrollment. According to figures provided by the Camp Fire USA Roganunda Council, enrollment went from a high of 456 in 2005 to 204 in 2008. Last summer, organizers ran only two sessions, which attracted 94 campers.

Camp Ghormley, too, struggles with enrollment, Washam said. Typically, about 850 youths enroll in a summer session. The number dropped to 720 last year and inched up to 800 this summer, due in part to new promotions.

Established in 1939, the camp has an annual operating budget of about $700,000 and is open to various churches, schools and community groups throughout the year.

"Our goal is to get back to where we were before and go beyond that," Washam said, hoping he can finish this year in the black. "We got fairly aggressive this year in promotions."

To stay competitive, Camp Ghormley gave campers a discount by registering early or bringing friends. By bringing two friends, they'd get 50 percent off. By bringing four campers, they could attend for free. The camp also experimented with new marketing methods, including placing fliers on cars during community events and investing in Facebook, Google ads and other social networking sites.

"I just tried to get the word out in a lot of ways," Washam said. "We're trying to utilize new media and be a little more aggressive in incentivising people to come to camp."

Scholarships are another means of attracting campers, a practice long offered by Camp Dudley. The camp, located by Clear Lake near White Pass, is a full-service, year-round summer camp and retreat founded in 1937.

There, children and teenagers are promised a traditional camping experience that includes swimming, canoeing, archery and arts and crafts.

Director Matt Rusch said Camp Dudley boasts steady enrollment of about 400 kids each summer -- which is mimicking national trends. According to the 2010 Spring Enrollment Survey from the American Camp Association -- an agency that has accredited more than 2,400 camps -- 67 percent of the responding camps reported stable if not increased enrollment and 60 percent of the respondents reported the same rate of returning campers from last year.

This is based on feedback from 431 camps.

The results show a market improvement over 2009 data. In a poll of 2,600 camp directors, 399 responded. Of those, about half had lower enrollments than the preceding year and 60 percent experienced increased requests for financial aid.

The ACA camp community generates $39 million in scholarship dollars a year to help families offset camping costs. Camp Dudley, too, awards an average of 10 percent to 20 percent of its campers with some form of assistance, Rusch said.

"We can figure out a way to make up the rest of that money," he said. "There are several different resources we can turn to."

The camp is affiliated with the YMCA, a national organization known for its youth programming. The YMCA is a natural feeder for the camp, as is the community itself -- which includes families of grandparents, parents and children who've all attended Camp Dudley, Rusch said.

"Being affiliated with the Y and great word of mouth are the two biggest assets to recruit new folks," he said. "A lot of families feel it's an important part of growth and development for their kids to get outside, get out in the mountains and experience what camping is like."

For Mark Glover of West Valley, these reasons help explain why his three daughters clamor to attend Camp Ghormley every summer.

"They expect it," said Glover, Kylie's dad. "My youngest had her bags packed the day after school was out. ... The anticipation is the highlight of their summer."

Camping not only keeps his daughters busy, it helps with their development, he said. That's why he hasn't balked at the price. Like many camps, the cost ranges from about $165 to $400 per session, which lasts an average of five to seven days.

"With the bad economy, it's something that we prioritize for because it's helped them be better, more well-rounded kids," Glover said. "They get away from home, get to be with kids their own age and get more counseling."

Differing from the traditional camps, Central Washington University is the site for an average of 75 to 100 summer camps this year. Most target specialized youth groups, such as cheerleaders, musicians and student leaders, said Ken Baxter, senior director of conference and retail services for the university.

Average summer enrollment nears 10,000 people, but this year, some camps have lost as many as 20 percent of their attendees -- a reduction Baxter attributes to the recession.

"There's no doubt that the economy has played a significant factor in camp numbers," he said. "There's high unemployment and concerns about money."

These factors could help explain the growing popularity of commuter camps, which could save people a couple hundred dollars, Baxter said. Although cheaper, he said there's less programming and fewer opportunities for team building.

"Some things you can only learn by being together," he said.

To gain a competitive edge, Washam said he tries to offer new programs and activities each summer at Camp Ghormley. Contemporary music is played, skits make use of high-end video equipment and a different theme is featured, from super heroes to mysteries, Washam said.

Camp Ghormley gains revenue by offering off-season programming for families and home-schooled students. Administrators also recently installed a giant swing and an extreme, mountain golf course to give youths another reason to enroll.

Because of its diversified offerings and revenue sources, Washam is optimistic Camp Ghormley will remain in business for many more years to come. But he's less certain about the fate of the overall camping industry.

"For camping as a whole, there will be a period of consolidation," he said, noting that camps are pressured to sell to housing and commercial developers. "Without predictable revenue streams, you can't stay in business."

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 509-577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.