One of NZ's Largest Camps for People with Disability

Elevate Christian Disability Trust run a national camp every year over Labour weekend. The Trust has been running this camp for over thirty years now and each year it gets stronger, more fun and greater impacting. We are blessed every year to have fantastic speakers to encourage and inspire us all, as well as all the fun you can have at Totara Springs Christian Camp in Matamata.

We have approximately 300 people attend this camp every year. For some of our campers three days are the only holiday they get all year, which also means, the only respite family and carers get each year. There are so many activities to go along with the speakers, such as swimming, sports afternoons, sharing with friends, craft time and chill out time. All just great fun.

Of course there is always a cost. The camp fee for adults is $200 plus the expense of getting to camp, which for some is an airfare as well. For a person with a disability to attend with their carer it would cost well over $400. A lot of the campers are on benefits with very little discretionary spend available and sacrifice all year just to save enough money for camp. Helpers not only give up their time to volunteer at camp but also pay the camp fee. Elevate does all it can to cover the additional costs which can exceed $7100.

The costs of some things are:

• Hire of hoists and other equipment for personal cares $650

• Hire of trailer to get gear to camp $650

• Transport in Mobility Taxi's for campers from Auckland approx. $300 return each

• Transporting from other regions $600 per region on average

• Hire of audio visual equipment $250

So any amount you can give us on this “Give a little” would be so much of a blessing. Every $5, $10, $20 goes along way but the blessings would be even more if you could sponsor someone to camp or help pay the running expenses and we would be so grateful. For many sponsorship is the only way they can afford to come.

I have been volunteering at Camp now for approximately 20 years and every year I ask the question when going home “who is the disabled person, me or one of the campers?” and the answer is always “me” but I have had so much fun giving all I can so these amazing people can have fun and fellowship for three days and for some the feeling of being “normal”. Hamish Muir

SO PLEASE GIVE A LITTLE SO SOMEONE CAN HAVE A LOT.