Save HAUNT CAMP: an art program for rural teens

Team fundraiser

JR Rymut and Nash Wadhams are organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

HAUNT CAMP is an uproarious confluence of art, education, & multigenerational community in rural Wallowa County Oregon. Under the mentorship of adult professional artists, students aged 13-21 enroll in a summer-thru-fall program to design & build an avant-garde haunted house, which opens to the public on Halloween weekend. Last year, we produced "The Cheesecake Laboratory," an otherworldly & nightmarish romp through the horrifying depths of America's favorite upscale chain restaurant.

In the last several months Haunt Camp collaborators and The Josephy Center for Arts & Culture have been excitedly preparing for 2023's kickoff: planning several additional weeks of summer classes, lining up more guest artists, and scheming on how to make Haunt Camp bigger & better than ever.

Unfortunately, in late April, we received a devastating letter from the director of the Oregon Department of Education saying "it doesn't appear there is the needed legislative support" to approve $50 million in statewide Summer Programming Resources funding. This affects over 6,000 programs across the state and will eliminate summer education opportunities for around 340,000 Oregon students. The letter can be read here.

Haunt Camp & our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, The Josephy Center for Arts & Culture, are scrambling to piece together summer funding. While we are applying for several alternative grants, we're asking you for support.

WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO RAISE $50,000 BY AUGUST

If we meet this $50K goal--through small grants and a goal of $10,000 in crowdfunding--we will deliver another riotous haunted house performance in Wallowa County for Halloween weekend! More importantly, we will be able to provide rich, creative, one-of-a-kind summer programming for youth in our underserved area.

Any money we raise under our $50K threshold will be used to develop an alternative special effects course for teens (without a public attraction) and bolster our 2024 budget.

2022's "The Cheesecake Laboratory" could not have happened if not for hundreds of hours of volunteer labor in our pilot year. Our full program budget, $74,000, is the number at which all participating adult crew, artists, & educators are fairly compensated. Please help us support the underpaid teachers & creatives who make this incredible program possible with a living wage.