Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa presents UCLA UniCamp with Wildlands Conservancy Grant for $500,000!

Mayor Villagraigosa, David Myers of the Wildlands Conservancy,
and UCLA UniCamp Volunteers!

UCLA UniCamp has enjoyed an exciting history with the Wildlands Conservancy since May of 1998…..when, during a visit to the site, the staff of UniCamp was asked if the use of the Camp River Glen site would be helpful to its program.  Only then did UniCamp find out that The Wildlands Conservancy was prepared to contribute the funds for its purchase.  At the time, UCLA UniCamp was leasing a temporary campsite from summer to summer to run their summer camping program for low income and foster care youth in Los Angeles .  Camp River Glen has changed the future for UniCamp much the way UniCamp hopes to change the future of its campers.  The Camp River Glen site sits on 10 1/12 acres of land along the Santa Ana River in the San Bernardino Mountains .  It houses open air sleeping cabins, a dining hall, swimming pool, archery range and of course a magical and beautiful mountain fed river that babbles through the site!  UCLA UniCamp's new permanent site opened its operation in the summer of 1999 to almost a thousand needy children from Los Angeles that year. 

At the time, Camp River Glen ($325,000) was the largest in UCLA UniCamp's 65 year history!  As time went on, and improvements were slowly made to the campsite, The Wildlands Conservancy helped with a gift of $80,000.00 grant to improve the fresh water supply with a new filtration system and help in the construction of a new access bridge crossing the river.

Even with these and other improvements to the Camp River Glen site, UCLA UniCamp was facing a huge roadblock.  In its quest to serve more and more children each summer, UniCamp hit its ceiling.  Despite willing volunteers, and growing annual fundraising efforts, there was no way to increase the amount of children UCLA UniCamp served each summer without somehow adding more facilities and accommodations.  Once again, The Wildlands Conservancy stepped in without UCLA UniCamp really asking.  The act of offering to help when not asked shows the uniqueness of The Wildlands Conservancy and its sometimes overwhelming generosity.  These are qualities we strive to instill in each of the campers who enjoy a UCLA UniCamp experience annually. UniCamp and The Wildlands Conservancy have continued a partnership that allows even more children the opportunity to escape to the forest for a week of summer camp.   

This latest endorsement of the work of UCLA Student Volunteers means nearly twice the number of campers will one day have the opportunity to experience UniCamp.  Kids, campers, parents, future UCLA UniCamp Student Volunteers will express their heartfelt gratitude to The Wildlands Conservancy for this $500,000.00 grant to expand the capacity of Camp River Glen for generations to come.  More bunks, more biffies, and more showers will open the way for more kids to become campers and hopefully, for more of those campers to become UCLA Student volunteers and UCLA graduates! UCLA UniCamp's hope is to give all campers the chance to become leaders with the knowledge and experience that can only come from experiencing the wonder of the wilderness…