GREENVILLE — The 11th annual Michawana Bike fundraiser is one of the first outings post COVID-19 giving people the chance to stretch their legs, gather in community, and raise money for kids who can’t afford summer camp.
Camp Michawana’s annual fundraiser kicks off May 16, covering 42 miles of the Frederick Meijer Heartland Trail from Greenville to Edmore and back. $50 gets you lunch, prizes and a t-shirt. Organizers say it’s important riders practice social distancing while participating.
“I think it's kind of a fun thing that a lot of our kids come to camp on scholarship,” said Rochelle Visser with Michawana Camp. “We’ve raised over $100,000 in previous bike trips. Our goal is $30,000 this year, and we're not sure if we'll end up hitting it with all of the restrictions and things, but this will for sure be fun.”
In addition to camp scholarships, funds raised will be used to purchase disinfectant while covering post covid-19 requirements set by the state for summer camp to operate safely.
“I would just encourage you to come on out and fight with us, and we're being safe while taking the safety precautions, but also we're not letting fear grip us,” Rochelle said.
Even though summer camp is still up in the air, she’s hopeful to do business as usual.
“Our campers are just begging and pleading to please do anything, Rochelle said. “So we're looking at safety things, you know. Our cleaning services, dining services, and programming. We're also looking at tweaking things like cabin sizes and numbers. We are very hopeful and anticipating a good summer."
