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 Putnam Valley, NY - Thad Gifford-Smith is a not-so-happy camper. As executive director of the Camp Combe YMCA in Putnam Valley, N.Y., Gifford-Smith has a ton-and-a-half of work ahead of him to prepare his popular Y summer day camp for the crush of campers he and his staff expect to see next season.
As the economy gets bad, he points out, registration at Camp Combe goes up.
To help Gifford-Smith get along, he needs a backhoe to get the jobs done.
Camp Combe, which serves hundreds of children each summer and hosts other events during the rest of the year, is in the midst of a $3.5 million improvement program, and Gifford-Smith said the non-profit organization spends thousands of dollars a year renting backhoes for projects such as spreading wood chips on trails and demolishing old buildings. This reduces the amount of scholarship money available to help subsidize fees for low- and middle-income children, and it leaves less money available for other improvements.
“We don’t need a backhoe often, but when we do it makes a big difference and helps us save a lot of time,” said Gifford-Smith. “It’s much easier to tear a building down if you have a backhoe, and it’s also safer than doing it by hand. We also use them for tasks like minor grading work, or to lift supplies when we’re building a deck or a new treehouse.
“But backhoes cost a lot of money to rent, and we’d love to acquire one as a year-end tax donation or find a contractor who would let us occasionally use their backhoe in exchange for being able to store it here when they’re not using it. That way everyone benefits.”
The Camp Combe YMCA is a non-profit charity, and Gifford-Smith noted that donations to the YMCA are tax deductible.
“It’s possible a contractor who is downsizing or completing a large project might have a backhoe they don’t need any more, and we’d love to have them donate it to us,” said Gifford-Smith. “We’re able to accept the backhoe as a charitable donation, while possibly making it available to that person again in the future if they need it. There are many ways we could arrange something that benefits both parties. We rely on support from area companies to help us keep fees affordable enough for middle-income children to attend the camp every summer.”
Camp Combe is set on 80 wooded acres with a 30-foot-wide brook and provides a wide variety of activities and programs for 490 children from 4 to 15 years old. The programs range from traditional day camp activities for children of all ages to Adventure Bound camping expeditions for teenagers that last up to five days and include activities such as hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, sailing and canoeing. The Adventure Bound trips take the teens to exciting places such as Lake George and the Delaware Water Gap in small groups that have an average of only 10 children. This allows a child-to-staff ratio of 4-to-1 that ensures all children receive the supervision and training they require.
Other programs include a “Service Corps” for children who wish to volunteer at places such as parks and food banks and a “Leaders in Arts” program with activities focusing on visual arts and theater. The oldest children at Camp Combe can join counselor-in-training, junior counselor and junior lifeguarding programs.
Camp Combe has a large pool, sports fields, basketball courts, an archery range, a Zipline cable ride and an indoor rock-climbing wall. Young children use the playground while older ones test their mettle against a wilderness challenge course. If it rains, historic buildings providing shelter at Camp Combe include a main lodge, a barn, pavilion, art and nature huts, an amphitheater and a game room.
The YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester, the Camp Combe YMCA’s parent organization, has been recognized for its fiscal stewardship. The YMCA has received the top charitable organizational standards rating from the New York State Better Business Bureau for meeting the BBB’s extremely rigorous Standards for Charitable Accountability. The YMCA provides $300,000 in financial subsidies each year to ensure that all people can benefit from its services, regardless of their ability to pay, and much of this money supports discounted enrollment at Camp Combe.
About The YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester
Headquartered in White Plains, NY, the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester has a long history of being an important community resource. The YMCA is dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone through programs and services that stress personal growth, self-improvement, self-reliance and service to others through mental, physical and spiritual development. The YMCA is one of Westchester’s largest childcare providers, serving 1,200 children who are able to build skills, values, self-esteem and a lifelong love of learning in a safe, nurturing, developmentally oriented environment. A similar number of children attend the YMCA’s summer camps. Health and wellness programs and well-equipped fitness centers and pools serve people of all ages.
The YMCA also provides safe, clean workforce housing for 200 men who otherwise might not be able to live and work in Westchester County. The YMCA has received the top charitable organizational standards rating from the New York State Better Business Bureau for meeting the BBB’s extremely rigorous Standards for Charitable Accountability. The YMCA provides $300,000 in annual financial subsidies to ensure that all people can benefit from its services. In addition to its flagship center in White Plains, the YMCA of CNW also has facilities in Mount Vernon, N.Y., and the Northern Westchester Community program, based in Somers, N.Y.
More information about the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester, including addresses, hours and activities listings, is available at its website www.ymca-cnw.org or by calling (914) 287-2021.
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