stephenwinbaum
Communications Coordinator
Jun 1, 2005, 2:31 PM
Post #1 of 1
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President of mySummerCamps.com goes Across Canada
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On May 22, Evan Heltay, the founder and president of mySummerCamps.com was heard across Canada when he was interviewed by Stirling Faux of the Corus Entertainment Network.
Stirling Faux is a syndicated on-air favorite at CKNW AM980 Vancouver. The interview with Evan was broadcast to nine cities – a Canada-wide listening audience.
Stirling Faux - Mr. Evan Heltay is the founder and president of an outfit called mySummerCamps.com. Tell me about mySummerCamps.com.
Evan Heltay - mySummerCamps.com is the most trafficked and comprehensive camp directory on the internet. It is a hub for everything that's camp-related – with 17,000 camps, and one of the largest camping staff recruitment tools on the internet. It also has facility rental and vendor areas - whether it’s for a family, a camp owner or director.
Stirling - Is mySummerCamps.com expensive or can you just browse for free?
Evan - It is an absolutely free resource to the public! There's no charge – whether you're looking for a camp, a camp job, or a camp facility.
Stirling - Does mySummerCamps.com cover all of Canada?
Evan - It does! In fact, it's international. Eighty per cent of our camps are American-based, ten per cent are Canadian – and then we have a number of camps that are based all over the world.
Stirling - What percentage of Canadians send their kids to camp?
Evan - It's interesting. An organization called the Canadian Camping Association states that about 50 per cent of children - at one point or another - have an opportunity to attend a camp. But the definition of camp varies. Some people define camps as an overnight or residential experience. Other people say that a day camp or a clinic constitutes a camp.
Stirling - We hear a lot about specialized camps. Are they becoming more popular or is the traditional camp still tops?
Evan - The specialty camps continue to grow. For instance, there are environmental camps, rowing, farming camps, space and aviation, etiquette; and a variety of sports. There's almost everything you can think of – in fact we added yoga camps to our directory this summer.
Stirling - Really? For kids?
Evan - There are teens who are getting involved in yoga summer camps. We have some very unique programs. Some of the more popular programs include marine science camp, as far north as Alaska and down into the Caribbean. We have about 20 marine science camps for children to attend.
Stirling: Maybe families don't have much camping experience or they’ve moved to another part of the country and don't know where to look. How do they know what's good and what's not?
Evan: They have the opportunity to go on our website and look at a variety of different camps, and then it's imperative that they speak with the camp director. Contact the camp and get their information. Then, make sure it is an accredited program. If they’re looking in the United States – it's the American Camping Association – in Canada – the Canadian Camping Association.
Stirling - So that's the seal of approval?
Evan - It will give you confidence that the people involved in the program are meeting federal regulations and guidelines.
Stirling – What will it cost parents to send their children off to camp for a week or two?
Evan - Most families can find a YMCA or non-profit camp program that shouldn't cost more than $500.00 for two weeks.
Stirling - That's reasonable.
Evan - The other side is the proliferation of specialized programs that are significantly more expensive.
Stirling - So if you want your kid wants to go to a specialized computer camp you know that it will be expensive.
Evan - That's the bottom line. But, I always like to think that there's an opportunity for families to send their children to traditional camps and discover that summer camp experience - to sleep under the stars, get out into the wilderness, and try different things that they might not do during the regular week.
Stirling - In addition to being former campers - we are both former camp employees. My first real job for the summer was working for a camp north of Toronto. And, your website is a great place for camps and potential camp employees to get together.
Evan – We have a high volume of people that visit the site. Last month we had over 275,000 unique visitors. A high percentage of those people are looking for summer employment. There are some fantastic jobs if you want to work as a counselor, lifeguard, and cook - perhaps a nurse or doctor.
Stirling - It's not all the money in the world but you get room and board and all the food you can handle, a few bucks, and a terrific summer.
Evan - Listen. If you're looking to work really hard for very little money - but have a great summer - this is the place to do it!
Stirling - Alright! From mySummerCamps.com - Evan Heltay!
Stephen Winbaum is the Communications Coordinator for mySummerCamps.com
stephen@mysummercamps.com
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(This post was edited by stephenwinbaum on Jun 2, 2005, 12:25 PM)
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