“It’s a pretty daunting task and harder than ever this year with the economy as it is,” she continues.

Programs can receive funding from three basic sources: local corporations, who have a vested interest in supporting the camps; grants or foundations; and individual donations from students, friends and parents, according to Takvorian.

And all the camps have to raise $7,000 more this year than they had to last year because they won’t be receiving the grant from Harvard’s Office of Community and Government Affairs.

“That money is being made up through a combination of individual camp fundraising and PBHA central,” PBHA President Kristin M. Garcia ’05 writes in an e-mail, referring to last year’s $7,000 grant. This year, she says, they did not reapply for the grant.

Garcia says while SUP has already received aid from the Stride Rite Corporation—which will match individual gifts up to a total of $1,000 for each camp—this year the program is moving away from relying on outside grants.

“Also, SUP is doing very well financially. We’ve put ourselves in a position to do lots of creative fundraising and though we welcome any support from Harvard, it’s also important to be financially independent,” she says.

Planned fundraising efforts are both camp-specific and SUP-wide. Yesterday’s auction was an example of an SUP-wide fundraising event, as well as a Bowl-a-thon planned for next month. Last night, SUP earned $12,500 through the auction.

Even Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 chipped in, forking over $600 for a week-long dream vacation in Maine.

These earnings, as well as all SUP-wide fundraisers, will pay for shared costs—like counselor training—and be split among the camps “on a per camper basis,” writes Garcia in an e-mail.

“We also distribute money on a need basis for camps, but all of the camps have a team mentality, and realize that they need to put in a lot of effort in order to make the need based distributions fair,” she writes.

SUMMER LOVE

While money may be their temporary top concern, the program directors all say that fostering a sense of community in low-income areas of Boston is what drives them to log 20 to 40 hours a week.

“One of the things that’s really special about the camps is that they’re so community-based,” Garcia says.

Garcia recalls that when she directed the Franklin I-O camp last year, “Franklin Love” was the theme of many camp activities, and this year’s Franklin I-O directors say that “love” is still the best word to describe the camp.

Garcia adds the camp’s history is kept alive by the campers—some of whom are the children of those who attended 20 years ago. They return year after year, Garcia says, and sometimes go on to work as junior counselors, senior counselors or directors.