Fucking over Fircom.

I may be too old to go up as a camper now, but … my childhood summer camp still has value to me. And the higher-ups are fucking it over. Because of administrational red tape, my favourite camp from my childhood, Camp Fircom, is facing possible closure.

See, Camp Fircom needs money – bad. They always have. Its a camp for underprivledged youth & kids, as well as a church camp. No shit they have no money. So, in order to run this summer, they have to do maintenance, and some of that is the kinda stuff that only comes around every 10 years or so, like replacing floors and roofs and shit like that. They need $300,000. No one out there can really afford to just give them that much, so they proposed selling a few beachfront properties in an area that the camp never uses to pay this off and give them some running money. But, the BC Conference (provincial governing body of the United Church, actual owners of the land or something – Fircom is essentailly a subsidiary of them) shut that down – for whatever reason, they don’t like it.

Fircom isn’t just a United Church camp, it caters to people of all faiths and types, and was one of the best camps within reach of the city, especially within its price range. There are probably 5 – 6 camps withing easy reach of the city, and 3 of those are hugely expensive. The others are situated in urban areas, which essentially kills the camp experience, if you ask me. Fircom is, as far as I know, the only one of its type within the area.

I sent the 3 people they mention a letter, to put forth my opinion on their move;

For almost half my life, I’ve been attending camp Fircom in different capacities. I started as a camper at Junior at 11, then attended every camp session possible except teen, which I missed because of a scheduling conflict that summer. The summer after I missed teen camp, I volunteered as a leader, and led cabins for four weeks, as well as working maintenance for another week just so I could stay up there longer.
The summer after, I got a job leading cabins at Evan’s Lake, but missed Fircom so much that I took a week off so that I could volunteer for a week at Fircom. Last summer, I was overjoyed that there were spots offered as paid leader, and was hired briefly until budget difficulties led to me being laid off. I hope to take a week off my job this summer so that I can go up as V Team, and lead program of some sort, and plan on doing so as far into the future as I can, and they have need of me.

…and that’s just as a summer camp. I’ve attended May retreat there for most of my time as a youth, and that was the event that got me involved in the United Church’s youth program to begin with – I know that it is Van South / Van Burrard’s biggest event, and our biggest recruitment opportunity for new youth, new leaders, and new friends. Being interested in making May Retreat happen was a key factor in getting me involved in Youth Council, and later as a youth rep – all because of Camp Fircom, your church gained a youth. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. I go to other youth events not because of the church affiliation, or the event topic, but to hang out with people I met at May Retreat. I know almost everyone who goes to youth events, and most of them know me. And a majority are there for the same reasons that I go.

Fircom was hugely important to my childhood, and my … teenager-hood. All my best friends, I know from there, and I hope to continue making new good friends there well into the future. Without Fircom, I never would have had those good times at camp, or met those cool people. I never would have attended May Retreat, and never would have gotten involved in the United Church’s youth movement. I would have stopped attending church as soon as my parents stopped dragging me, and never would have ended up helping out with my church’s youth groups, or community activities.

I trust that the Fircom board knows what they’re doing, and I’m very sure that the camp needs money. I has ever since I started going, and with revenues going down, combined with increased expenses, how they made it this long without needing drastic measures is beyond me.

Sure, I’m just one person, but I’m betting that for every person like me, who does send you and email, there are at least ten who don’t know to do so, or don’t have time, or wont, for whatever reason. And for everyone who has been, there must be easily a hundred, or more, who will, in the future, be affected to the same degree I was. From what I’ve read, I suspect that you have somehow underestimated the importance of the camp to the development and recruitment of future members of our church.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration, and I hope you will decide to allow this to go through – the camp needs it, and Vancouver’s United Church children & youth need it.

~TheEarthman
I have gone to find myself.
If I should return before I get back, keep me here.

I certainly hope it helps – and any Fircom people out there should share their passion and send emails of their own to President Darryl Auten – dauten AT telus.net, President-Elect Janice Young – janiceyoung AT telus.net, Executive Secretary Doug Goodwin – dgoodwin AT bc.united-church.ca.

My Opinion – Camp is a necessary experience for any kid, and the closing of any camp is always a tragedy. Closing the only decent camp for average kids, rather than just the rich ones, within an hours travel of the city is more than a tragedy – its a fucking shame, and could be completely avoided with a essentially painless sale of unused property.