MORGANTOWN — The National Youth Sports Program, a long running summer camp serving low-income families, is in jeopardy and WVU’s College of Physical Activity and Sports Science says it needs community partners if the program is to continue in 2020.
“We value it. I don’t want to portray it any other way. We value it and we want to be part of a solution for this, but I don’t think that solution can be entirely CPASS anymore. I think the community needs to step in and help as well,” CPASS Interim Dean Jack Watson said.
NYSP began in 1988 as a federally funded program through the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. When the federal dollars dried up in 2005, CPASS stepped in to keep it alive.
Watson believes it may be one of only two remaining programs carrying the national youth sports title — but it’s going to need new life, leadership and funding if it is to continue.
There are a number of factors at play, one being the June retirement of former CPASS Dean and NYSP champion Dana Brooks after 41 years with the university.
Money is also a factor.
“I think CPASS, in terms of actual cost and in-kind cost, has been chipping in almost $54,000 a year and that’s really an understatement. If anything, that’s a low ballpark number,” Watson said.
He estimates that CPASS has funded the program to the tune of $625,000 since federal support was cut.
Additionally, increasing food costs, difficulty in finding qualified counselors and the loss of the WVU Natatorium pool is a blow for the summer camp, which runs half a day for four weeks.
Projected costs for the 2020 camp is $85,650 without swimming, or $107,650 if the kids are taken to the new aquatic center at Mylan Park.
Federal assistance and community donations average about $36,000 annually. NYSP has also been supported by community partners like the Monongalia County Board of Education, which provides busing.
Families pay based on a sliding scale. In 2018, 145 kids participated. In 2019, participation fell to 130. Of that number, Watson said 51 were not charged.
This past summer, the camp included trips to Pirates games, a day at the Mountainlair, a visit from the Morgantown Public Library and lessons on bugs, robotics and fire safety.
“It’s worth saving because it’s serving the most underserved individuals in this community in terms of family income. These are people, the children of parents who are working and they struggle to have enough money to pay for the camp experience — swimming, sports opportunities and other enrichment activities,” Watson said.
He said the program needs new life, and while WVU intends to play a significant role going forward, it needs partners.
“Budget tightening at the university has been part of it. We need a new leader for the program. CPASS has been running it for a long time,” he said, adding “We need someone who’s going to be able to step in and provide some leadership for the program. It needs some refreshing. We have struggled.”
A meeting is scheduled for Monday with representatives from across the community to discuss the future of the camp.
The issue comes at a time when another valuable summer resource for families, The Mountaineer Boys & Girls Club, is working to get back on track after its summer programming was abruptly halted by mandate of the national organization last July citing the need for “important operational improvements.”
Accessibility issues with the 100-year-old former Woodburn School building the program calls home has been identified as the primary reason behind the closure. Work on features like ramps, an elevator and more accessible restroom facilities are part of a $700,000 overhaul of the building.
MBGC resumed with its after school programs at most of its school sites starting in late August and MBGC Interim Director, Tammy Whitacre said full summer programming will resume in 2020.
“We absolutely believe that we are going to be up and running in our building as soon as the kids get out of school in the spring,” she said.
