Back in March of 2013, the American Cancer Society announced it would focus mainly on its key mission of funding cancer research instead of camps across the nation, but locally, kids affected by cancer will continue to have the week of medically supervised fun known as Camp Goodtimes. After eight years at Ross Point Baptist Camp in Post Falls, the camp will return to its original home at Camp Reed.
"We welcome the return of Camp Goodtimes to Camp Reed and are committed to a smooth transition for the families. Our number one priority is making sure these children have the best week of their summer," says YMCA Camp Reed Executive Director Lisa Vogt.
The American Cancer Society established an application process whereby campsites could still apply for endorsement, and approached Camp Reed to suggest it go through the process for the continuation of Camp Goodtimes. Thanks to support from community organizations like Coaches vs. Cancer, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Cancer Care Northwest and Providence Health Care, Camp Reed's bid for endorsement and funding was a successful one.
"Because Camp Reed is an established camp, we are able to serve more children than they've been able to in the past, and so the donor dollar will go farther because we already have so much of the framework in place for providing a camp," Vogt says. "We'll be able to serve almost twice as many kids with the same dollar amount as in previous years."
The camp will run from Aug. 3-9 and registration is now open.
