Become a Sponsor

… and make it possible for youth to attend University of Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond!

Over 60% of the young people (and teachers) who attend U-Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond use either full or partial scholarship support. This means we truly reach children from all walks of life and from all corners of Maine. Each year, however, there are many parents, grandparents, relatives, or guardians who cannot locate scholarship support. Please join our family of sponsors to help young people from all over Maine share the lessons and fun of the UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond.

How to help:

  1. The easy way! Call our office and ask for Bethany, or e-mail her. She is ready to answer all of your questions and guide you through the process.
  2. You or your group should look at the following scholarship options and decide what works for you and your budget, and then fill out the appropriate paperwork.

There are several options available:

  1. You or your organization locates campers and offers them a full scholarship. (Ask us about the many different ways sponsors locate scholarship recipients.)
  2. You or your organization locates campers and offers them a partial scholarship. (Some sponsors ask camper’s families to pay the UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond deposit or a portion of the program fee, to ensure a commitment.)
  3. You or your organization donates scholarship funds directly to UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond, and we find the campers for you, based on your criteria. (Some donors have specific requests or criteria attached to their donation.) This option has become increasingly popular as organizations have funds available but are unable to locate children to support.

Registration and Payment Options:

  • Your organization uses and collects UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond reservation forms (adding parent deposits, if appropriate), sending all forms and all payments to us. We send confirmations, clothing lists, and directions directly to campers.
  • You give UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond registration forms to parents (write your name or your group’s name on each form first) and ask parents/guardians to complete the registration process and send the form and their portion (if any) to us. (If you are asking for a certain amount of parent contribution, just mark that on the form, so we know what balance you or your organization will be paying). Send us the camper (or campers) names so we can track the receipt of registrations and bill you or your organization for the scholarship funds.
  • Deposits are due with the reservation. (Either you or your group pays the deposit or parents might be asked to pay.)
  • We need to have the balance of scholarship donations here at UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond at least two weeks before camp begins.

All of our campers are asked to write a thank you letter during their week at camp and we encourage you to invite campers to meet you and club members or co-workers and share their stories.

Girls and Boys! If you are sponsoring more than one child, we ask that you make strong efforts to make sure that the number of boys and girls are as equal as possible. This goal supports opportunity for all our young people and allows us to create effective group dynamics.

Deposits: Long-time sponsors tell us that having parents pay the deposit usually ensures that campers and their families will follow through on the scholarship offer. Some organizations refund the deposit after the camper returns home. (One club invites campers to dinner and refunds them after they’ve had a chance to talk to the group!)

Thank you for helping young people to develop confidence as they learn to travel in and take care of Maine’s woods, waters, and wildlife habitats. Feel free to visit UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond anytime! We enjoy sharing experiences with sponsors.