A beloved upstate camp operated by the YMCA of Greater New York for more than a century will be sold off as the non-profit struggles with staggering revenue losses during the pandemic.
The non-profit said in a statement Friday it’s lost $100 million during the pandemic as programming revenue has declined dramatically, necessitating the sale of its camp facility—which includes Camp Talcott and the Greenkill Retreat Center—in the town of Huguenot in Orange County. The YMCA of Greater New York is asking $5 million for the parcel, and is “evaluating all offers” including a rumored $4.6 million offer from a private camp operator.
“We truly wish circumstances were different, but sadly, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the Y. We’ve had to make several difficult and painful decisions over the past year,” including layoffs of thousands of staffers, said YMCA spokesperson Erik Opsal in an email Friday.
The YMCA Camp Talcott has hosted about 1,400 kids each summer for sleepaway camp, as well as a day camp operation—one board member, John Block, estimated at least 100,000 New York City kids have participated in the camp over its 102-year history.
Block and a group of board members, camp alumni and volunteers are now frantically trying to fundraise the millions necessary to buy the camp, though a GoFundMe had raised less than $20,000 by Friday afternoon.
“They've given us—the ragtag group of board members and alumni—until today, to match the offer, and obviously that's an unrealistic timeframe for us,” Block said. “In any event, we're looking for angels to partner with, to keep camp alive and to keep the camp mission alive.”
While there are many sleepover camps in the tri-state area, the YMCA camp is uniquely accessible, with most campers receiving scholarships to attend, said board member Emily Van Ingen.
“We from the early days have really made a conscious effort to attract and bring young people from New York City who would not otherwise necessarily have an outdoor experience, said Van Ingen, who grew up attending the camp as a camper and counselor, and now sends her own child to the camp.
“Prior to COVID when we were operating, about 80% of our campers received some type of scholarship, which is obviously a significant number. For affluent families there are lots of camp options—you could go on a website and see all kinds of beautiful facilities and have lots of choice,” Van Ingen said. “But when you're a young person—particularly a young person of color from New York City with limited means —you don't have the same opportunities and the same choices, and our camp provided that for young people.”
Emily Van Ingen's daughter Cate Jennings has carried on the family tradition of attending YMCA camp in Orange County.
“It's just always been this place that has welcomed a diverse group of young people from all kinds of economic backgrounds and all parts of the city,” Van Ingen added.
Another board member said the camp was an equalizer for young kids to mingle across socioeconomic lines, and offered them opportunities to engage with societal issues.
“If you are interested in environmental issues, then getting kids in touch with nature makes a lot of sense. If you're interested in social issues, then getting kids from different backgrounds together in a place where you've taken away all of the sort of superficial conflicts—everybody's wearing the same camp t shirt, and eating the same food and sleeping in the same place and doing the same things—I think it's an incredible sort of social experiment,” said board member Josh Heitler, and pointed out the camp serves kids from the very communities that have suffered the most losses from the pandemic. "Given what's happened over the last year with COVID, and how it's just unfortunately devastated certain communities, it seems now more than ever, that it would be important," Heitler said. "The purpose of this camp needs is needed more than ever."
Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced that the state's camps can begin operation in June this year.
The camp’s legacy is vast and beloved, the YMCA representative acknowledged. “We know how much our sleepaway camp has meant to generations of campers and staff. Our camps have provided priceless and irreplaceable memories, friendships, and experiences to countless children who would not otherwise have had access to such an opportunity,” Opsal said, and added that the YMCA is exploring ways to use its endowment to send New York City campers to other neighboring and partner Y camps outside the Orange County facility.
