Level 5 issued a $10,000 challenge to help raise end-of-year donations to Care Camps, which lost a couple of its big donors last year. The campaign was a success, with the winners of the $10,000 prize paying it forward in a big way. Here is the story, courtesy Care Camps.
“When Jennifer from the kids cancer charity Care Camps made the call to Randy and Teresa Wagner, she thought she was going to be making their day. Randy and Teresa with Wagner’s Outdoor Express RV had just won a $10,000 grand prize from a contest designed to raise funds for kids with cancer. Instead, it was Randy who made Jennifer’s day when he inquired ‘Would it be OK if we donated the money back to Care Camps to help more kids?’
Last month, Level 5 marketing company issued a year-end charitable giving challenge to RV, marine, and motorsports dealers all over the U.S. and Canada to inspire them to make a charitable gift to help the kids cancer charity Care Camps. To add a little ‘incentive’ to give for the first time, Level 5 ponied up an amazing $10,000 grand prize to be given away to one lucky winner. Fortunately for Care Camps, the family that won the grand prize happened to be a couple with incredibly generous hearts.
“Randy and Teresa Wagner are the proprietors of a small, family-owned RV dealership in Falling Waters, West Virginia, called Wagner’s Outdoor Express RV dealership. The dealership is not large, and the family would not ordinarily have the chance to make a large donation like this, but winning this unexpected prize immediately brought forward their chance to make a difference in the lives of kids who have had their lives turned upside down by cancer, and they did not hesitate. The Wagners family themselves have been impacted by the trauma of childhood cancer, and they knew how devastating a cancer diagnosis can be on the entire family.
“Teresa said, ‘Our family has experienced childhood cancer twice, once with a nephew and again with a niece. Fortunately, both survived. Randy lost his father, sister, grandmother and two aunts to lung cancer. I lost my father to cancer. We know firsthand how terrible this disease is. No kid should have to suffer cancer. The RV industry experienced a tremendous year, and we were all presented with an opportunity to give back. We would love to see all RV dealerships and RV manufacturers match this donation and support Care Camps moving forward. Let’s help all kids with cancer experience the healing power of camping.’
“Care Camps is a non-profit charity that helps kids with cancer experience hope and healing in the great outdoors by sending them to special oncology camps. Thanks to donations from the camping and RV community, Care Camps financially supports 135 camps, serving kids with cancer and their families in every single community in the U.S. and Canada. At camp, kids get all the medical care they need, along with specialized counseling, and they get to do it while experiencing the healing power of nature. These camps allow kids struggling with cancer to find friendship and healing in the great outdoors setting, all at no cost to their families. Care Camps is funded entirely through private and business donations, which were impacted last year due to COVID. Thanks to the generosity of the Wagner family and Wagner’s Outdoor Express RV, 2021 is looking a little brighter for Care Camps.”
For more information on how to help, contact Jennifer Mercer by phone at 406-671-0447 or by email at: jmercer@carecamps.org.