Beacon Lodge Camp has operated for 75 years on the belief that every person with a disability deserves access to a genuine, high-quality camp experience. That belief has not changed. What has changed is our willingness to be fully transparent about what it costs to deliver on it — and what the gap between that cost and what families can pay actually means for the camp’s future.

As Lions — as the people and organizations who fund, promote, and champion this camp — you deserve the complete picture.

What a session actually costs

Every camp session at Beacon Lodge is built from four core cost categories. These are not estimates or projections — they are the documented, per-session costs that make each program possible.

1. Counselor staffing — the largest and most important investment

Counselors are the backbone of the camp experience. Every program at Beacon Lodge maintains a staffing ratio appropriate to the disability population it serves — ranging from 1 counselor per 3 campers in high-support programs to 1 per 8 in more independent adult programs.

Each counselor costs $1,620 per week. That covers their weekly stipend of $500, plus meals and lodging on site. For a session running 10 counselors, that is $16,200 in counselor cost alone for one week. For a session running 3, it is $4,860. The ratio is not a budget decision — it is a care decision. The budget follows from it.

2. Nursing and medical coverage

A trained nursing team is on site and on call 24 hours a day for every session. Campers arrive with a wide range of medical needs — medication management, mobility support, emergency protocols, and routine health monitoring. Nursing coverage is not optional. It is the infrastructure that makes it safe for campers with complex needs to participate fully.

Nursing cost runs approximately $432 per day for the camp. Across an 11-day session, that is over $4,700 in nursing costs alone.

3. Meals and lodging

Three meals a day, plus snacks, for every camper and every staff member. Most cabin facilities are air-conditioned with private bathrooms — designed for campers who may have medical, sensory, or mobility needs that make basic comfort a functional requirement rather than a preference.

Meals and lodging run approximately $160 per camper per day. For a 6-day session with 30 campers, that is $28,800 in direct meals and lodging costs.

4. Facility and operations

Beacon Lodge operates on 583 acres. Maintaining that facility — the accessible infrastructure, utilities, equipment, trails, pool, and program spaces — is a year-round operational cost. It does not pause between sessions. The climbing tower, zipline, archery range, and accessible pathways that make these programs possible require ongoing investment to remain safe and functional.

The sustainability imperative

As part of the restructuring and optimization of Beacon Lodge Camp, it was discovered that prices had drifted far from actual hard costs — let alone the sustainability and financial health this camp requires to serve its mission long-term. In some cases, the gap between what was charged and what was spent exceeded $1,500 per camper per session.

A planned three-year pricing correction is now underway. But pricing alone does not close the gap. Sponsorships, donor support, and Lions club contributions remain essential — not as a supplement to operations, but as a core part of the financial model that makes this camp viable.

Project New Hope — fully funded by donors and sponsors

Project New Hope — the weekend retreat program for Pennsylvania disabled veterans and their families — is provided completely free of charge. There is no transition pricing, no fee schedule. The full cost of every retreat is covered by Beacon Lodge and through donor and sponsor support.

The actual cost of a Project New Hope retreat is $1,000 for the veteran, plus $300 per additional family member. A family of four represents a $1,600 investment per retreat — funded entirely through generosity.

Lions clubs wishing to support this program directly can do so through the Sponsor-a-Veteran option. At $750, a club covers the majority of one veteran’s retreat cost. At $1,500, they cover two families or a family with additional members.

What your club’s support makes possible

Sponsor-a-Camper: Covers part or all of a camper’s session cost, depending on the program. Every contribution brings a camper closer to attending.

Sponsor-a-Counselor: $1,620 covers the full weekly cost of one counselor — stipend, meals, and lodging.

Sponsor-a-Veteran: $750 covers the majority of one veteran’s retreat. $1,500 covers two families or one family with additional members.

General operational support: Contributions toward nursing, facilities, and meals fund the infrastructure that makes every program possible.

Beacon Lodge was built by Lions. It has been sustained by Lions. The decisions being made now — on pricing, on programming, on operational structure — are decisions made to ensure it is here for the next 75 years. Your club’s investment in that future is not peripheral to the mission. It is the mission.

This camp belongs to every Lion in Pennsylvania. What it becomes next depends on what we choose to invest in it now.