Arts for Cambodian Children & Teens at Champey

July 15 is GlobalGiving Bonus Match day  featuring a 50% bonus match while funds are available and  we are hoping to raise funds for a 2015 Summer Arts Camp!   We will be sending details for the Bonus Match day separately.

A brief history of our  Summer Arts Camps

We have offered a Summer Arts Camp program  to disadvangaged kids  in our AIDS Patient Family Support Program , medically fragile kids from  Phnom Penh Municipal Orphanage and other disadvantaged children   for 7 out of the past 8 years.  

Our  school,  Champey Academy of Arts , establshed in 2013, hosted its first  Summer Arts Program in August and September 2013 . Last year, we again hosted   the 2014 Summer Arts Program in August and September. Due to funding shortfalls, we shortened the 2014 camp from  the traditional 8 weeks  covering  the full school break during the summer,   to 6 weeks and from 6 days to 5.

In 2014  our local, daily attendance swelled  beyond our usual roster of students as many local children came to participate, with many days seeing as many as 100 children. Champey's  goal to  become a place for kids has quickly gained ground with local residents and street vendors who found the summer program a great way to safely occupy their children, while parents had to work . Alternatively most of these children would be left alone at home or brought to street and market stalls for the entire day from early morning until late at night.

If we can find the funding, we would like to offer  a Summer Arts Camp 2015 .

Summer campers ( ages 4 ~ 16 years)  will include approximately 30 medically fragile children invited from the National Orphanage in Phnom Penh and as well as several   children from our   AIDS Patient Family Support Program ( FSP)  and local neighborhood children whose parents are street vendors  or who have market stalls near  the school. Children will enjoy a half day session learning traditional Cambodian dance and music and learning the stories and history that created the dance.   This year we will continue the popular  painting and drawing classes we began last year to enrich our program.

All campers will get a “ Summer Arts Camp” tee shirt ( $ 2.50 each) , and a small daily snack ( $0.50 each) . We hope that this year we can reinstate our camp outing where we host all of the campers to a visit to a local water park ( $ 3.00 admission each) . This had to be cancelled in 2014 due to lack of funding. Campers also receive a graduation certificate ($0.75 each) and have a small party after their " show performance"  to demonstrate and  celebrate their accomplishments with their parents.

If we are not able to raise full funding for the camp during the GlobalGiving Bonus Match Day  and/or  other fundraising events  in July, based on the funds that we do  raise, we will offer either a pared down program or some summer activities at Champey   to neighborhood children . Transportation is a significant cost for the camp, as children ( other than neighborhood children)  must of course, have transportation to and from the camp.

We hope that you will join with us to help send our kids to camp!

Thank you,

Barbara & Mark

2015 Budget Estimates  for the Camp

Anticipated census: 100 campers ages 4 to 16

T-shirts $ 2.50 x 100         $ 250

Art Supplies                        $ 200

Snack $0.50 per child      $2,400  ($0.50 x 100 kids x 6 days = $ 300 x 8 weeks = $2400)

Certificate $0.75 x 100    $     75   Completion certificates used in end of camp ceremony

Transportation 1              $1,920   (2 tuk tuk for 30 kids $ 20 round trip x 6 days = $ 240 wk x 8 wks = $1920

Transportation 2              $  960   ($20 round trip est. 10 kids from FSP x 6 days x 8 weeks = $960

Party supplies & Food    $  200    ( estimated 150 persons)

Buses for water park      $   300    (estimated 3 buses)

Entry fee water park     $   300    ( estimated at $3.00 per camper)

Misc. expenses 8 weeks               $1,000   ( covers unanticipated expenses, supplies, extra transportation, more

                                                         campers,  etc)

Fund raising costs            $ 750   ( estimated average fundraising costs on GlobalGiving site for project)

Total Budget 2015            $8,255

Links:

• Summer Arts Camp 2015