Experience Camps for Grieving Children believe that every grieving child deserves to live a life rich with possibility. The organization’s mission is to give grieving children experiences that change their lives forever. Experience Camps provide a free, one-week summer camp for children and teens who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. Staff help reframe the experience of grief and motivate kids to develop invaluable coping skills that enable them to move forward with their lives in a positive way.
Aron Weingard first got involved with Experience Camps in 2009 as a founding volunteer camp counselor. He not only volunteers for one to two weeks of camp every summer, but has also served in numerous leadership positions, from chairing the Emerging Leaders board to serving on the Leadership Committee of the national board. Along the way, he has recruited hundreds of volunteers, board members, and supporters. In 2020, during the height of COVID, Aron chaired the Fundraising Committee and restructured the organization’s fundraising culture by creating a Signature Initiatives program focused on crowdfunding strategies. Between 2020 and 2021, crowdfunding totals were at nearly $1.2 million versus the $500,000 raised by crowdfunding between 2018 and 2019. Aron’s contributions to Experience Camps are many and his service has impacted thousands of campers over the past thirteen years.
I didn’t set out to become a charitable professional. This came on my radar, and I really gravitated to it because we are changing the trajectory of these kids’ lives.
