New advocacy group aims to save historic Lake Wenatchee YMCA Camp

LAKE WENATCHEE — A group of alumni, former staff, and community supporters have formed Friends of Lake Wenatchee YMCA Camp in an effort to preserve the near-century old summer camp property.

In April, the Wenatchee Valley YMCA announced its decision to sell the Lake Wenatchee YMCA Camp property, reasoning that the number of kids attending from the region could no longer justify the capital and operating losses, which totaled more than $2 million over the last 10 years. According to the YMCA, it only served 300 campers a year, with only 125 campers being from Chelan and Douglas counties.

The Wenatchee Valley YMCA also stated that the cost to renovate the buildings in order to meet today’s child safety policies reached tens of millions of dollars. Instead, the organization moved to put the property on the market, and use the sale proceeds to create an outdoor recreation endowment.

“After 98 years of successfully operating this camp and transforming countless lives, we’re now at a crossroads where the future hangs in the balance, and where selling camp makes as much sense as selling Wenatchee High School because it’s too expensive to run,” said former camper and counselor Mac Bledsoe, in a Friends of Lake Wenatchee YMCA Camp press release.

The group is pursuing several strategies to secure the camp’s future, including direct acquisition, partnership support to help the camp transition under new ownership, operating programs if it becomes state park land, and continuing the mission through other environmental education avenues if the property is lost.

It is in the process of obtaining nonprofit status, working to connect alumni, collect and preserve the camp’s history, organize alumni for camp maintenance and building work, form a board of directors, and accept pledges and donations.

"This camp changed our lives. As Friends of Lake Wenatchee Y Camp, we exist to honor the transformative spirit of Camp by uniting alumni, preserving our cherished history, and championing outdoor environmental education that inspires future generations to connect deeply with nature," said former camp director and Friends spokesperson Bonnie Hilory.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media