Since 2012, AGS has made more than $138,000 in cash and in-kind donations to KOA Care Camps, a network of 112 medically supervised cancer camps across the U.S. and Canada.
According to a press release, these camps provide a mix of recreational and therapeutic activities as well as emotional support for children with cancer and their families, including special support groups for siblings of children with cancer who feel that all of the attention goes to the child suffering from cancer.
The AGS donations include $21,000 in cash and $117,000 worth of advertising promoting the KOA Care Camps program in guest guides AGS has designed for hundreds of campgrounds across the U.S. and Canada.
Now AGS is taking its support for KOA Care Camps a step further by developing a texting program that enables campers to text their donations using their cellphones.
“The timing couldn’t be better,” said Karen McAndrew, executive director of KOA Care Camps, who also co-owns and operates the Cardinal/Ottawa South KOA in Ontario, Canada. “KOA Care Camps’ fundraising goal for 2015 is $1.5 million, a half million dollar increase over last year’s figures. We are really hoping this texting program will have a big impact on our fundraising. Given today’s society, where everybody is constantly connected on social media and their cell phones, the ability to have someone text in a donation will make it much easier for donors to support our cause.”
“We believe in this cause,” said Brian Schaeffer, president and CEO of AGS, adding that his company approached KOA Care Camps with the texting concept a couple of months and agreed to not only provide all of the necessary collateral materials, but to pay all of the administration fees to maximize the fundraising potential for KOA Care Camps using the texting program.
Parks wishing to sign up for the program can simply email Guides@AGSpub.com or call (817) 426-9395 to get started. “All parks have to do is provide their campers with the texting code, which identifies each park that serves as the referral source for the donation,” Schaeffer said.
KOA Care Camps is part of the AGS Cares annual donation program. AGS also makes individual donations on behalf of its many KOA corporate and franchise parks. For more information on KOA Care Camps, visit www.koacarecamps.org.
Based in Crowley, Texas, AGS provides guest guides, site maps and website services through TXAD Internet for more than 1,000 campgrounds, RV parks and resorts across the U.S. and Canada. For more information about AGS, visit www.agspub.com.
