The MDA Camp Mystery
I have a confession to make.
I started researching for this article in hopes of finding answers, but weeks later I’m left with more questions than before.
One thing the Muscular Dystrophy Association did right over the years was MDA Camp. It was a week packed with fun for kids and it gave their parents a break as well. I have some amazing memories from MDA Camp that I will always cherish.
MDA made a huge deal of camps, and it was understandable. Local newspapers and TV stations were sent out to get footage of the kids swimming, riding horses, and having dance parties. When social media came about, you could easily find hundreds of photos of camps from around the country, showing the kids and campers having a great time. Camp footage and photos were the perfect fundraising tool. How could you not donate to MDA after seeing all those smiling faces? YOUR donations did that, so donate more!
So why is it that I’ve been struggling to find any photos or footage from MDA Camp for the last two years?
We already know some MDA Camps were cancelled last year, and at least one was because of a less than honest reason. My local camp emailed parents to tell them they weren’t able to find camp counselors, which is a valid concern — until you realize they never contacted any of the counselors that had volunteered for camp for the last 10, 20, or 30 years. Dozens of volunteers who had spent decades giving up a week of their summer vacation to help at this camp. Suddenly, they were shunned while MDA claimed they had exhausted all means finding counselors and had no choice but to cancel.
I did a search in late 2022, trying to find photos or videos of other MDA Camps. I checked MDA’s social media. I couldn’t find anything from 2022. Everything was from 2019 or prior.
That begged the question — did any MDA Camps occur in 2022?
On August 12 of this year, I decided to try to find out.
I emailed 20 of the 22 in person camps listed on MDA’s site for 2023. Most of them were listed in 2022 as well. I didn’t email the last two since their scheduled camps hadn’t taken place yet. Out of 20 emails, I received six replies that provided the following information:
-One camp confirmed MDA Camp was held this year and they had 18 campers. This same camp had about 65 in the past.
-One camp confirmed MDA Camp was held this year and they had 80 in attendance (notice that does not say campers. The camper to counselor ratio is usually 1:1, not to mention additional staff like nurses, so the number of campers could possibly be under 40).
-Three camps confirmed MDA Camp was held this year, but they did not want to share the number of campers they had.
-Three camps confirmed MDA Camp was held there last year, but they did not share the number of campers in attendance.
-One camp refused to confirm anything about MDA Camp and copied an MDA employee in my email, letting me know she could answer my questions for me. She never did.
-The 14 remaining camps never replied.
Oddly enough, as I was compiling information, I went back to MDA’s 2023 camp list. Two of the camps I had emailed had disappeared from the list since August 12. Why? You’d have to ask MDA.
I did another photo search for 2023 pictures. I found three photos on MDA’s social media of the same camp.
So we have confirmation that at least six MDA Camps occurred. Great! I’m sincerely happy for the kids who got to go and I hope they had a blast.
But let’s take a look at something. On the top, you’ll see all the MDA Camps in 2019. On the bottom, you’ll see the ones in 2023.
Excluding virtual camps, MDA went from having 40 camps to 20. That’s 50% less. And in at least one case, the number of campers has dwindled to less than a third of what they used to have, even when the camps in neighboring states disappeared. We should be seeing larger camper numbers per camp, not smaller. More kids should be enjoying camp, not less.
So how many kids actually went to MDA Camp this year? Unless MDA tells us, we may never know.
September was always a big month for MDA. It’s funny how all their “new breakthrough” news would come out right before the Telethon. Even as a child, I noticed that and found it disingenuous. This is when you’re going to start seeing more MDA press releases about how they “celebrate” new breakthroughs, some of which they didn’t even provide funding for.
Fire fighters across the nation, who I have so much respect for, will be filling the boot for MDA this weekend, not knowing the money goes back to the firefighter’s union.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — know where your money is going. Ask questions and get detailed answers. Pay attention to their words and what they AREN’T saying. Look at what they’re paying their executives and the IAFF and compare it to how much money they provided for research and camp.
And please remember, as much as they try to ride on the nostalgia from when they actually helped people, MDA is not the same organization it used to be years ago.
