Camp Hillcroft Needs You!

When you think about Camp Hillcroft, what memories come to mind? My summers as a counselor at Hillcroft have taken on a magical quality over the years. My days on the hill (from 1986 to 1989) were filled with natural beauty, fun, bug spray, laughter, swimming, songs, hugs, and friends from all over the world, many of whom still feel like family. In fact, one of them IS family. I met and married another Hillcroft counselor, Andy from Scotland, 35 years ago! My parents, Maurice and Chris Godsey, were also Hillcroft counselors for five summers in the 60s with Louis and Friedl who started camp in 1950. The magic of Hillcroft is in my family's DNA! 

Since its beginning 70 years ago, the Camp Hillcroft experience has positively affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and young adults around the world. Greg and Sally Buttinger, the third generation of Buttingers to run the beautiful summer camp in Lagrangeville, New York, were forced to make a devastating decision last spring to cancel the 2020 summer season for the first time ever, committing to keep their camp families and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this was the caring decision to make, the ramifications of having no income in 2020 has placed an enormous financial burden on the family, and there has been much uncertainty about the future of camp during this challenging year. The wonderful news is that the Buttingers plan to open Camp Hillcroft for the summer season in 2021! The key to a safe 2021 season will be having smaller numbers of campers and staff, and keeping everyone outside as much as possible. Your help is needed to make this happen!

Camp Hillcroft needs us - the families need us - the children need us. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and give back to the place and people that had such an incredible impact on my life, and I hope you are, too. With your participation in this fund-raising effort, it is our hope to raise the money necessary to make safety adjustments to camp, creating a beautiful, child-centered environment that allows for physical-distancing while carrying on the magic of Hillcroft - at a time when children need it more than ever before.

Here's what your donation will fund:
- building outdoor dining areas
- building a Welcome Center in the Gab Circle to reduce foot traffic in the office
- updating/relocating some program areas to outdoor spaces
- hiring additional cleaning staff
- purchasing high-grade cleaning and disinfecting supplies
- adding ventilation to indoor areas
- adding more outdoor activities to the Outdoor Ed program
- relocating Cooking (one of the busiest spots on camp) to an outdoor area
- improving Lake Friedl to include dining areas

Because 2020 was to have been Camp Hillcroft's 70th season, the Buttinger family has set a fund-raising goal of $70k for these improvements. They are extremely grateful for a donation of any size, because every dollar helps to get them closer to keeping the Camp Hillcroft magic alive for this season like no other - THE BEST SUMMER EVER!

If you are a member of the extended Hillcroft family, as either a camper or counselor, present or past, now is the time we need to come together to give something back to our beloved Camp Hillcroft, in this its hour of greatest need. To ensure that Hillcroft survives for future generations of children and counselors, please consider giving what you can to help us achieve our goal. 

With warmest thanks and much love,

Andy and Amy (Godsey) Alexander, Cincinnati, Ohio
Camp Hillcroft counselors, 1986 to 1989

*Greg and Sally Buttinger are the only ones who can withdraw funds from this account. Feel free to change the GoFundMe "tip" to an amount you choose (including $0) before submitting.