North Star’s Settle Up Challenge

Starting with North Star’s founders Lou and Renee Rosenblum and continuing with Leb and Sue, it has always been very important to create a culture of philanthropy and giving back at North Star. In each “settle up” at the end of the summer, the directors would ask staff to donate a small portion of their paycheck to support the scholarship fund. I am proud to carry on that tradition today and very proud of our staff for their hard work, character and generosity.

Camp for All Kids is a scholarship program that facilitates racial diversity at North Star and six other summer camps (Birch Trail, Chippewa, Kamaji, Marimeta, Menominee and Timberlane). Through our community’s donations, Camp for All Kids provides scholarships called “camperships” to kids of color from underserved communities. Camperships are renewable and many of our campership recipients return summer after summer. It’s a simple and highly effective way to benefit kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a summer camp experience and gives all of our campers an opportunity to build lasting relationships with kids who they would never have had a chance to meet without camp. Diversity and inclusion have always been important values at North Star and our partnership with Camp for All Kids goes a long way in teaching our community the values of anti-racism and inclusivity.

Here’s how the Challenge works: We ask alumni and parents to show their support for this initiative by contributing in honor of the Staff of 2024. In addition to being a way to say “thank you” to the staff for taking great care of your kids this summer, this program will incentivize North Star counselors who contribute, say, $20, knowing that there are many alumni matching that donation which will help send several kids to camp in the future. This is a great way to show your gratitude for your children’s counselors and Camp for All Kids will send them an acknowledgement as well.

To contribute, you can donate directly on the Camp for All Kids website here (choose Camp North Star fund).

This year, North Star awarded 35 camperships. These kids not only make lifelong friendships and experience the magic of camp, they also contribute so much to the camp culture. North Star contributors have been the heart and soul of Camp for All Kids since its inception. North Star also proudly hosts the Four Star Fellowship, now a Camp for All Kids program, which will provide 150 high school participants from the South and West of Chicago with a week-long camp experience next week.

Thanks and Remember the Scholarship Fund!

-Andy