At the Happy Camper Foundation, we believe that all children deserve an opportunity to experience what it feels like to be a happy camper, regardless of their family’s financial situation. Our mission is to sponsor youths aged 18 and under to attend and participate in the rich overnight camping traditions throughout the state of California. We accomplish this through the generosity of our supporters, many of whom have grown up at their local summer camps throughout the state. With your help, we can enable a new generation of children to experience the love and joy of the many overnight camps throughout the beautiful state of California.
We believe summer camp offers children a way to step back from the stress in their lives and focus on just being a kid. Our organization’s 30+ years of experience with summer camps around Southern California has shown us that a parent’s biggest determining factor in deciding if their child will attend camp, is the cost. Our goal is to remove that factor for these families and ensure that their child has every opportunity to learn what it means to become a Happy Camper.
I first learned what it means to be a Happy Camper in 2003, when I attended my first ever week of summer camp at the ripe age of 10 and haven't missed a summer since! Overnight camp helped shape me into the person I am today and I will forever be grateful to these amazing places I've been able to grow up at. After thousands of volunteer hours helping to continue the camping traditions that were passed on to me from volunteers before, Amanda and I started work on Happy Camper Foundation. I am excited and committed to utilizing this nonprofit organization to help children experience what it truly means to be a Happy Camper and keep the century long tradition of overnight camp alive in California!
My first experience with summer camp was as a volunteer camp counselor for the first time in 2011. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but camp had a way of pulling me out of my shell and making me feel at home. Over the last decade of volunteering, I have been privileged to witness hundreds of campers go through the same transformation and end up performing on stage at campfire and begging not to go home at the end of the session. The magic of camp is being able to step away from the stresses at home and get back to our roots: enjoying life. That might be completing the ropes course, canoeing in the lake or screaming songs with your friends at campfire; ultimately we end up a Happy Camper!
Most resident camps in South California rely on their passionate volunteers to make camp possible.
The average cost for a week of resident camp in Southern California is $850.
Happy Camper Foundation has offered an average of $350 in tuition support to our Happy Campers.
Thank you for considering the Happy Camper Foundation for your charitable contributions. All donations are tax-deductible and a donation receipt will be emailed after funds have been received. Please reach out to us if you would like a physical copy and we will mail one out to you as soon as possible.
We take your privacy seriously and will never share your information with another organization without your permission.
We accept all major forms of payment and process all card donations through PayPal, so you can rest easy knowing your information stays secure.
Your receipt will be emailed automatically upon the completion of your donation.
We are happy to accept your donations via check. Please make all checks payable to Happy Camper Foundation and include your email in the notes. We will provide a donation receipt via email unless otherwise requested.
Happy Camper Foundation
PO Box 664
West Covina, CA, 91793
Thank you for your interest in Happy Camper Foundation! Please feel free to send us an email and we will get in contact with you as soon as possible. If you prefer to send a letter instead, our PO Box is listed below.
info@happycamperfoundation.org
Happy Camper Foundation
PO Box 664
West Covina, CA, 91793
ⓒ2022 Happy Camper Foundation Federal Tax ID# 87-2910374