Camps & Conferences Participates in The Big Give SA 2020

The Camps & Conferences Department of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas will participate in the The Big Give SA, an online day of giving supporting nonprofit organizations in South Central Texas on September 10, 2020. Providing summer camp and year-round retreats for children, adults, and families, our diocesan camps are premier providers of experiences in the outdoors, grounded in the Christian faith and Episcopalian tradition, where children, youth, and adults work, play, and grow together as they develop a community of trust, openness, and sharing. In 2019 over 4,000 individuals attended camping and retreat programs at Camp Capers, Mustang Island Conference Center, and Duncan Park.

Beginning in March 2020, retreat groups began canceling reservations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cancellations of group retreats have been steady through the fall. Recognizing it would be impossible to have a full summer of camp that would fit with our mission and adhere to CDC and American Camp Association recommendations, we started rolling back youth camping experiences across the Diocese beginning in early June. While all youth sessions were eventually cancelled, all sites hosted modified family camps and small family retreats. These necessary adjustments severely impacted the revenue our camps rely on to operate.

This year, all proceeds from The Big Give SA will help diocesan Camps & Conferences to continue providing safe opportunities for members of our congregations to deepen their faith and experience the transformative love of Christ through our programs - in this year, and for many more years to come.

Church leadership, members, and camp participants are invited to participate in The Big Give SA in three different ways:

• Donate on Thursday, September 10 - Mark your calendar and make your gift online at www.thebiggivesa.org/organizations/dwtxcamps. If you're eager, you can make a donation now!
  

• Personally Invite Your Friends and Family to Give - Help fundraise by personally inviting at least ten of your friends and family members via email, text message, and social media to support DWTX Camps for the Big Give SA 2020. We understand this can be intimidating, so we've provided an example text, email, or social post for you to utilize, "I am participating in a 24-hour online fundraiser called The Big Give SA on Thursday, September 10, where people throughout South Texas donate to a nonprofit cause they care about! One of the missions I am supporting is Camps & Conferences of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, a premier provider of camping experiences for children and families in Texas. Please consider donating on September 10 at www.thebiggivesa.org/organizations/dwtxcamps."
  

• Engage and Share on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter - Spread the message with your network by posting the donation link on social media, adding our photo frame to your profile image on Facebook, and sharing promotional posts from our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. Be sure to add a personal message to your post by sharing why you chose to support our camping ministries.

You can equip young people and families in our community with the emotional, social, and spiritual tools to transform the world and sustain the future of the church with a donation to the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas.