Ways to Give

The Campaign for Onaway went over its goal on December 10, 2022, thanks to your wonderful generosity!

Click here to watch a video of the completed projects!

WIDE AWAKE was our ambitious $4.25 million community-wide effort to move camp forward by revitalizing her aging infrastructure and increasing her endowment to better fulfill her mission of providing the best possible Onaway experience to girls and young women.

You took WIDE AWAKE over its goal by giving over $4.38 million!! We can't thank you enough for your amazing support!

Click Here to View Architectural Sketch of Woodland Hall Interior

In our technology-free environment of simple living surrounded by nature, Onaway’s activities, traditions, rituals, and duties provide relief from over-busy lives and awaken the mind and spirit, just as Mabel Hollister envisioned when she founded Onaway in 1911.

We invite you to help move Onaway forward and make her even stronger for the girls and young women who need her.

Please consider jumping in with your best gift!

WAYS TO GIVE

Thank you for your generosity!

Already Completed Capital Projects

The generosity of early campaign donors allowed us to complete our most urgent projects:

Click photos to learn more.

A New Forty Winks (Health Center)

New Arts Spaces from the Old Infirmary and Apartment

Two Senior Staff Cabins

New Septic Systems

Crew Shell House Porches for Camper Cubbies

Toilets Near the Waterfront

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Sally Jones Orr
Campaign Director
sorr@camponaway.org or 610-525-0676


Meredith Funston
Director of Advancement
mfunston@camponaway.org or 610-525-0676

WIDE AWAKE CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE

Liz Porter Hawkins, Chair
Susi Mudge, Honorary Co-Chair
Gevvie Stone, Honorary Co-Chair
Barrie Pendergast, Camp Onaway Director
Meredith Funston, Director of Advancement
Sally Jones Orr, Capital Campaign Director
Helen Gemmill
Bill Matthai
Lisa Sarno
Bill Tweedy
Gillian Van Schaick

https://camponaway.org

Add $1 Million to our Endowment for Tuition Assistance

Adding $1 million to Onaway’s Endowment for Tuition Assistance will substantially increase the support we can offer girls who want to want to be Onaway campers. It is one of the most important and pressing needs we have.

Onaway families request tuition assistance for many different reasons. Some may need only a small boost to add to what they can afford, others may ask because of a job change or other temporary situation, and some may need significant support, especially with more than one camper in the family. While Onaway tuition is affordable by comparison to many overnight camps today, it is still unaffordable to many families.

For most campers, Onaway is life-changing; for some, Onaway is the only place where they can experience such a loving and vital community. We are committed to helping any girl who needs support, and we are committed to creating a camp community that is economically diverse. To that end, it is essential that Onaway retains the resources that ensure access to her unique program and alumnae network.

The infusion of an additional $1 million, specifically for tuition assistance, will almost double the funding for this essential program. Because endowment funds are carefully invested and only the interest used for annual camper awards, they will live in perpetuity in Onaway’s portfolio, generating OPPORTUNITY forever.

Rebuild Off-a-Way to Provide a Family-friendly Cabin for the Director

Nestled on the shores of Onaway Point, Off-a-Way was the infirmary in the 1920s and called Forty Winks. It became the director’s cabin in the late ’20s. Because of its aging structure and the presence of uninvited critters, it needs to be rebuilt. This will allow for an expanded new design that can accommodate a family.

  • Situate it slightly back from the lake and further away from the outdoor theater.
  • Upgrade current half-kitchen.
  • Add a second bedroom and sleeping loft.
  • Retain its historical and cherished “chalet” appearance.

    • Renovate Sections of Woodland Hall to Better Serve our Growing Arts Program

    Woodland Hall is the heart of Onaway’s campus. It is where we gather as a community and it is our center for self-expression through dance, drama, arts & crafts, ceramics, sewing, fiber and textile arts, and music. Arts programming is stronger than ever at Onaway and this beloved building deserves expert renovation to make it more functional and to ensure that it will last another 100 years!

  • Enlarge the stage and raise its ceiling for actors and dancers.
  • Provide an area below the stage for building sets (and to allow a trap door onstage!).
  • Adjust doorways to improve entrances for performers and sightlines for audiences.
  • Add porches to increase backstage space and keep muddy feet outside.
  • Renovate Arts & Crafts and Ceramics to increase workspace for campers, prep space for counselors, natural light, and storage.

    • We invite your generosity to Camp Onaway for the WIDE AWAKE Capital Campaign!

    Here are some ideas on ways to give:

    • You can make a one-time gift online in any amount by credit/debit card.
    Give to WIDE AWAKE Now
    • You can give a one-time gift in any amount by check. Make payable to Camp Onaway, write “capital campaign” or “WIDE AWAKE” in the memo line, and mail it to Camp Onaway, P.O. Box 339, Glenside, PA 19038.
    • If your gift will be $1,000 or more, you can pledge over two years (2022 and 2023) by contacting Campaign Director Sally Jones Orr for a pledge form to indicate the amount of your gift and when you will make annual pledge payments. We will send email reminders when pledge payments are due.
    • Consider the increased tax benefits of using appreciated stock or giving directly from your IRA if you are 72 or older. Consult your tax advisor for guidance. Contact Campaign Director Sally Jones Orr for instructions on transferring stock to Onaway for you and your broker.
    • Become a member of Onaway’s Campfire Rock Society by including Camp Onaway in your will, trust, or other estate plan, such as naming Onaway as a beneficiary of your 401(k) or a life insurance plan. Contact Director of Advancement Meredith Funston for more information.

    Please continue your annual giving to the Onaway Fund! Campaigns build buildings but annual giving keeps the lights on! Onaway needs your valuable support for both purposes and we are truly grateful for your generosity.

    All campaign gifts are unrestricted and allocated according to campaign needs unless otherwise noted and all campaign gifts are tax-deductible. Camp Onaway is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Federal Tax ID #02-0261393.

    Questions? Please contact: Sally Jones Orr, Campaign Director, sorr@camponaway.org or 610-525-0676 or Meredith Funston, Director of Advancement, mfunston@camponaway.org or 610-525-0676.

    Thank you for your support of WIDE AWAKE!

    Camp Onaway
    P.O. Box 339, Glenside, PA 19038
    610-525-0676
    www.camponaway.org/wideawake

    A New Forty Winks

    Onaway’s commitment to enabling each camper to develop her best self begins with a focus on her health and wellness. Our fresh and modern new Forty Winks features:

  • A dedicated treatment area for privacy.
  • Two cheerful twin bedrooms (no more four-bed ward!).
  • An isolation bedroom and bathroom in case of communicable illness or other need for privacy.
  • An easily-accessed dispensary for campers to pick up daily/weekly medications.
  • A small kitchen to keep supplies on hand for simple meals and a washer and dryer.
  • A fully functioning two-bedroom apartment for our full-time nurse and family.
  • A private bedroom and bathroom for our second nurse.


    • Nestled in the woods adjacent to the old infirmary, this new wellness facility also anchors a more welcoming entrance into camp.

     

    New Arts Spaces from the Old Infirmary and Apartment

    Building a new Forty Winks gave us the opportunity to renovate the old infirmary and nurse’s apartment into three new indoor activity spaces:

  • A large cozy room where campers can enjoy games, puzzles, reading and writing, etc. It even has a fireplace for chilly days.
  • Sewing has an expansive new name – Fiber and Textile Arts – and has moved to a larger space with easy access to materials and storage for costumes.
  • A music/multi-purpose room for Select Choir and other activities such as yoga, with storage for sheet music and the musical instruments campers bring from home.

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    Toilets Near the Waterfont

    The bonus of our new septic system, they:

  • Add to everyone’s convenience (especially counselors who spend all morning at the lake).
  • Are located near the Woodshop and well back from the beach.

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    Crew Shell House Porches for Camper Cubbies

    Our creative architect (an alumna) devised a budget-friendly solution to meet campers’ need for places to stash their gear instead of dropping it on the beach. Rather than building a whole new bathhouse, she proposed adding porches to the sides of the Crew Shell House. They feature:

  • Camper cubbies with numbered hooks for campers to hang up their daypacks and towels. Their cubby number matches their tagboard number.
  • Benches to sit on for removing sneakers and storing them underneath.
  • Dedicated changing areas with curtains for privacy.

    •  

    New Septic Systems

    A campus-wide review of our septic infrastructure prompted:

  • Three new systems to handle the new buildings and tie into existing structures.
  • These improvements were essential to the longterm protection of our campus and Newfound Lake.

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    Two Senior Staff Cabins

    Since its inception, Onaway has benefitted from the maturity and wisdom that senior counselors and our loyal full-time staff bring to camp. They mentor younger counselors and provide a diverse, multigenerational atmosphere that benefits everyone. Next to Northpoint, we have built two cabins where adult staff can bring a family if needed. They:

  • Allow us to hire the best candidates for senior staff and counselors who may have families.
  • Provide housing that is “on campus” but not “on the hill.”
  • Improve security at the west entrance onto camp property via Onaway Point Road.

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    Increase Onaway’s Campfire Rock Society to 100 Members

    We are humbled and grateful to recognize the thoughtful individuals who include Camp Onaway in their will or estate plans with membership in our Campfire Rock Society.

  • Planned gifts are among the most satisfying gifts one can make because they are both an expression of gratitude and a practical way to support Onaway and her future campers without having to use current cash.
  • Unless otherwise directed by their donors, realized bequests are invested in our endowment so they grow, but remain available to help Onaway weather a storm, take advantage of an unexpected opportunity or meet any need that arises in the future.
  • Our goal is to increase the Campfire Rock Society from 67 to 100 members before the conclusion of the WIDE AWAKE Campaign.