Understanding Fees

To understand the fees for Gales Creek Camp, consider this: the organization's total spending budget is about $500,000 in any given year—this includes camp personnel, costs of ownership of the property, and all the program supplies used to make camp happen. Now consider that we serve about 500 campers per year. In simplified terms, that means it costs about $1,000 per camper for Gales Creek Camp to operate*. Camper fees are expected to cover only about 30% of expenses.

From the beginning, Gales Creek Camp has been committed to affordability. Children and families who are affected by type 1 diabetes have enough to worry about. So fees have always remained low. Gales Creek Camp is proud to remain one of the lowest-priced summer camps in the United States.

In fact, according the American Camp Association, in the U.S. the average cost for a week of camp is $880, and that includes non-medical camps. As far as other diabetes camps across the country go, we can't find any that even come close to GCC in price. We will always work hard to keep fees to a minimum—it's integral to our mission and vision.

This is made possible thanks to generosity of our donors who share this vision and annually give the critical gifts that close the gap.

The key to this shared vision is Gales Creek Camp's commitment to erasing financial barriers to camp, ensuring fees do not prohibit any child with type 1 diabetes from attending. That's why we offer several means of financial aid, including pay-what-you-can "camperships." About 1 in 3 Gales Creek Campers pay little or nothing out of pocket to attend camp. Per year that's more than 150 kids who, like all our campers, face the challenges of type 1 diabetes each day—but they do it with the additional burden of financial uncertainty. These kids may benefit most from Gales Creek Camp because they are the most at-risk. A little camaraderie and self-care education goes a long way for kids in this population.

Every child with type 1 is different, and every family is in a different financial situation. For some, the regular fee may be a stretch, but because of the value it brings to their family, it's a stretch they are willing to make. For others the financial impact of the fees will go unnoticed. Still for others, the camp fee could mean the difference between camp being accessible to their child or not. To those families, we want you to understand that what you can afford is what you will pay. The primary goal of Gales Creek Camp is to give kids with type 1 diabetes the experience of camp, no matter what their financial situation. Financial aid is here for you.

Annually, you will see a small fee increase, not to exceed 3% a year. This helps keep the big price jumps to a minimum.

Thank you for being a part of this type 1 community. If you have additional questions or want to know more, please call or email our office. We'll be glad to hear from you. If you have a concern about the financial impact of camp on your family, we will work with you to resolve it. More contact information can be found below.