#7 Summer Camp Scholarship Report
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES MEMORANDUM
September 11, 2009
TO: Community Development Authority
FROM: Linda Moses, Customer Service Representative
Jennifer Petruzzello, Neighborhood Services Director
RE: Agenda Item #7 - Summer Camp Scholarship Program Report
This report highlights the 2009 Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Program and provides a
spreadsheet detailing costs of the scholarship program, information on participating
organizations and scholarship utilization.
Overview
The purpose of the Youth Summer Camp Scholarship Program is to provide low-to-moderate
income children the opportunity and financial means to attend summer camp. Scholarships
defray the majority of registration fees and field trip costs associated with the camp.
To be eligible for the program, families must live in the City of Janesville and fall within the
income guidelines established by the federal government. There were a variety of camps to
choose from and as a general rule each child could attend up to two sessions of camp, up to a
scholarship maximum of $310.
Scholarship Recipients
In 2009, 176 scholarships were awarded. This is a decrease of 1 scholarship, or a 1% decrease, in
comparison to the 2008 program. In 2009, 140 children received scholarships. This is a 17%
increase from 116 children in 2008.
Participating Organizations
The City’s Recreation Department and eight outside agencies participated in the scholarship
program this year. Examples of Recreation Department camps included in the program are the
Kids Count Camp, Kids Count Camp ½ Day, the Extreme Sports Camp, Youth Soccer Camp,
Boys Basketball Camp, Girls Basketball Camp, Youth Tennis Camp, Pom Camp, CIT Extreme
Sports Camp, and Swim Camp. Outside agencies participating included day camps organized by
the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the YWCA Summer Discovery Day Camp, YMCA, Janesville
Youth Baseball, Sky Lodge Christian Camp, KCC Extra, and Horse Camp. One hundred and
three (103) scholarships, 59% of all the awards, were awarded for Recreation Department camps.
Seventy-three (73) scholarships, 41% of all the awards, were awarded to outside agencies.
Funding and Cost
Funding for the Youth Summer Camp Scholarship program is partially provided by the
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. This program is designed in part to
improve livability for low to moderate income families. The CDBG funds all awards to camps
provided by outside organizations. The total CDBG funds awarded for outside agency camps
was $11,437.99 this year. The budget for non-city camps for 2009 was $11,000.00. Actual
expenses exceeded the budgeted amount by $437.99. Awards applied to Recreation Department
camps were to be paid for by the department (Actually appears as revenue not collected). The
total amount of awards to Recreation Department camps was $11,240 this year. In 2009,
applications received past the deadline were denied scholarships because of the limited funds
available. The total of awarded scholarships for the 2009 program was $22,677.99. This
equates to an average of $128.85 per scholarship or $161.99 per child.
Table 1 specifies the organizations that participated in the scholarship program, the number of
awards and the amount of funding each organization received.
Table 1: Participating Organizations and Awards
Awards
Camp Name Utilized Amount Utilized
Recreation Dept
Camps
KCC 38 $5,440
KCC ½ 21 $1,470
Extreme Sports 23 $2,715
Youth Soccer 1 $77
Girl’s Basketball 3 $231
Pom Camp 6 $372
CIT 1 $50
Swim 5 $450
Tennis 5 $435
Rec Total 103 $11,240
Outside Camps
YWCA 27 $5,293.99
Horse Riding 4 $758
Boy Scouts 20 $2,370
CSA 5 $1,075
Girl Scouts 4 $344
Sky Lodge 1 $185
YMCA 4 $532
Youth Baseball 8 $880
Outside Total 73 $11,437.99
Program Budget $11,000
Balance ($437.99)
Grand Total 176 $22,677.99
Recommendation
While this program has had a large impact on the summer experience for many low to moderate
discontinue
income children for the past 8 years, I am recommending that the CDA the CDBG
funding and thus the program for providing scholarships for outside camps. This
recommendation is based upon the Consolidated Planning Process and the CDA’s identification
of public service priorities. At the September meeting, the CDA identified healthcare, job
training and employment services, and rent assistance as their priorities. In addition, youth
services were not identified by the focus group as a priority. The Recreation Department would
continue to offer a scholarship program for city-sponsored camps.