Fundraising launched to renovate student camp

The Merced County Office of Education is holding a fundraiser Sept. 10 to help support its educational camp in the Sierra Nevada.

The event, called the “Return to Camp Green Meadows,” is part of a drive to raise $150,000 over three years to help fund renovation of a new nurse’s station at Camp Green Meadows near the Sierra National Forest.

The $400,000 renovation also will be supported by an allocation of $250,000 from MCOE.

The event will offer participants a chance to dine under the stars. MCOE will transport supporters to and from the event, where they’ll enjoy entertainment along with dinner and adult beverages. The cost is $50 per person.

Each year, about 3,200 students, mostly sixth-graders, take hands-on classes at Camp Green Meadows, according to an MCOE news release.

“The outdoor education facility ... has served tens of thousands of students from throughout Central California,” the release states. “And while many sixth-grade students are looking forward to their weeklong stay at Green Meadows this school year, the camp soldiers on with somewhat primitive facilities that need upgrading to serve new generations of students.”

MCOE Superintendent Steve Gomes and Lee Lor, the Merced County Education Foundation executive director, believe the community can raise the $150,000 in three years, according to the release.

Any funds raised beyond the goal will go toward renovation of student cabins.

Those participating in “Return to Camp Green Meadows” will depart at 3 p.m. Sept. 10 from 632 W. 13th St. in Merced. For more information, call MCOE at 209-381-6601.

This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Fundraising launched to renovate student camp."