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Grant provides scholarships for Hocking College camp

Hocking College instructor Dave Sagan with summer campers, 2006Hocking College is offering a summer camp that provides a little more than the usual arts and crafts.  The Summer Experience Camp ’07 allows high school students to enroll in a one-week college class session.  During this time campers live on campus and have the chance to experience college life and earn college credit at the same time.

The college recently received a $3,151 grant to fund scholarships for the camps as part of the 2007 Fostering Access to Education Mini-Grant program in Appalachian Ohio.

The camps allow students the opportunity to choose their own program of study that most interests them. Classes are taught by Hocking College faculty.  Offerings for this year’s curriculum include: culinary, theater, rock (music), alternative energy, wilderness horsemanship, radio broadcasting, natural resources and police, fire and emergency services.

“The activities and workshops provide an educational, hands-on, fun experience for high school students,” said Matthew Waldman, camp director.

In addition to the curriculum, students are able to live in the dormitory and participate in a variety of campus activities.  Regardless of the program they are enrolled in, all students unite at night for hiking, volleyball, ping pong and other recreational activities.  

With the help of the mini-grant, The Summer Experience now can offer financial aid to those wishing to attend the camp.  14 full scholarships and 5 partial will be given to Appalachian students who demonstrate a need as well as provide an essay stating why you would like to attend the camp.

“These scholarships will allow students to open educational doors that have previously been closed,” Waldman said.

The college camp is one of 17 grantees receiving a total of $70,000 in funding has been awarded to the area nonprofits through the mini-grants program, a partnership between the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville (OHFN), the Ohio Children’s Foundation (OCF) and the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO).

The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio is the managing partner for the mini-grants initiative and is a 501(c)(3) public charity and regional community foundation. FAO’s mission is to enrich the current and future quality of life in the 29 counties of Appalachian Ohio by fostering access to opportunity.

2007 is the third year for the regional partnership and mini-grants program. Past distributions have focused on improving quality of life and access to opportunity in Appalachian Ohio. Since the program’s inception in 2004, more than $213,000 has been awarded to regional non-profits. Projects were recommended for funding by the FAO Grants and Program Advisory Committee, which was comprised of 11 leaders from the region. Many grantees also are able to use the mini-grant dollars to leverage more funding for their programs.

For more information on Summer Experience Camp ’07, contact Matt Waldman at 740-753-7091 or waldman_m@hocking.edu.