Help Send a Kid to Camp Jorn — and Double Your Impact

This Summer, Your Gift Goes Twice as Far

Hello, friends.

A few years back I wrote a post about YMCA Camp Jorn. I told you about hopping an Amtrak from Portland as a teenager, showing up in Wisconsin Dells not really knowing what I was getting into, and spending the next several summers figuring out who I wanted to be. Those summers are the reason I became a teacher. I've told that story before, so I won't retell it here.

But I do have something new to share — and it's worth your two minutes.

This year, every dollar donated to the YMCA Camp Jorn Strong Kids Campaign will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $250,000, through the generosity of Anne and John Mueller and G&W Electric. Your gift immediately doubles. That's the short version.

Here's the longer version.

I'm in my 27th year of teaching 8th graders, and I want to tell you something I genuinely believe: kids need unplugged outdoor experiences more right now than at any point in my career. I watch it every day. The anxiety, the screen fatigue, the difficulty just being bored for five minutes without reaching for a phone. Camp is a direct response to all of that. A week at Jorn — no devices, real friendships, actual dirt under your fingernails — does something for a kid that I simply cannot replicate in a classroom. I've seen it. I lived it. And I think we owe it to this generation to make sure as many of them as possible get that experience.

This spring, two of my own students will attend camp on a scholarship funded by this campaign. I know these kids. I know what this week is going to mean for them.

And on a personal note — my oldest daughter is counseling at camp this summer. My youngest is in the leadership program. We'll all be back in Whitetail during the 4th of July for Family Camp, same as always.

One more thing — and I'll be transparent about this. There's a friendly competition happening among Camp Jorn board members right now to see who can bring in the most new donors to the campaign. I'm a middle school teacher and a competitive guy, and I would really love to win this thing. So if you've never donated to Camp Jorn before and you're even a little bit on the fence, consider this my personal ask. You'd be helping kids get to camp AND helping me beat my fellow board members. Everybody wins.

Click below to donate to the Strong Kids Campaign. Every dollar is doubled, and first-time donors are especially appreciated — by the campers, and by me.

Donate to the Strong Kids Campaign (Thank you!)

Warm regards,

Jeremy Jorgensen Camp Jorn Board of Directors