FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Camp Rae has been a bright spot in the sometimes difficult lives of the Pee Dee children it serves. So, it came as a shock to many when a press release informed them that their favorite camp may not be back next summer.
According to a press release by camp president Denise Finklea, the overwhelming efforts to try and find funding to provide all of the services Camp Rae provides is the main reason for the closure. Many of the children served by the camp use wheelchairs or are otherwise mobility- or cognitively-impaired.
Public programs for these campers are rare and the children served by Camp Rae have few other summer therapy options available, according to the release.
Over the years the camp has offered therapy and education opportunities for those with special needs and a chance for them to participated in activities like bowling, fishing, cooking, painting, and others.
Finklea and the board say they have been searching for over two years to try and solve the money problems the camp has been having with no luck. According to paperwork obtained by News 13, there is little space between the camp’s expenses and the camp’s incoming donations. This means that any loss of funding along the way would certainly prove fatal for the camp’s ability to continue services.
News 13 tried to reach out to representatives with Camp Rae and were told they were unavailable for comment. The board of directors will meet Monday night to decide the fate of the camp as well as what to do with any monies leftover.
