On November 30, 2021, the Cosmosphere will participate in Giving Tuesday, an annual effort to emphasize philanthropy following Thanksgiving and a weekend focused on shopping. This year, funds raised on Giving Tuesday will support Cosmosphere Camp Scholarships.
What Are Cosmosphere Camps?
Scuba diving to train for spaceflight, Moon and Mars landing simulations, and training for a Martian settlement mission 650 feet below the surface of the Earth are among the unforgettable adventures awaiting participants in 2022 summer camp experiences at the Cosmosphere.
Building on a rigorous base of Next Generation Science Standards and work readiness skill development, Cosmosphere Camp participants learn how a broad range of skills, from journalism to health care and agriculture, contribute to the excitement and success of living and working in space. Cosmosphere’s 2022 camp line-up includes nine space and STEM camps for students entering grades 3-12, plus Merits of Space camps for youth organizations. You can read all about what’s available at cosmocamps.org.
Who Gets a Cosmosphere Camp Scholarship?
Campers with Financial Need: Our scholarship recipients come from every background: military families, single parent families, immigrant families, families dealing with financial stress like medical bills or the loss of a loved one. Every student who wants to experience Cosmosphere Camps’ robust, life-changing experiences should be able to engineer their own great summer here. Scholarships make that possible. In 2021, we distributed more than $60,000 in scholarships, and we want to keep that trend going!
Campers with Scholarly Merit: Some campers come to camp to make friends and be inspired by learning about new subjects. (And we love that!) Others come with a mission. They have a career direction they’ve decided on, and they are going to make it happen. A portion of our scholarship funds are given to campers who go above and beyond to make their dreams happen. We’ve had campers tell us about their robotics competitions, community service projects, hours spent learning to pilot a plane, and so much more. We always want to be ready to make sure those campers get to a Cosmosphere Camp and meet their people!
Campers that Fit Restricted Scholarships: We manage some scholarship funds that have specific restrictions to serve specific camper profiles, such as female campers, campers from particular rural counties in Kansas, or Boy Scouts. We have donors that have specific types of campers in mind to support, and we do our best to bring their vision to life!
Ways To Support Cosmosphere Camp Scholarships
Donate to the Cosmosphere Scholarship Fund
- Give on Giving Tuesday at cosmo.org/donate with the Scholarships dropdown.
- Give anytime at cosmo.org/donate by choosing the Scholarships dropdown.
- Send your donation check with memo line “Scholarships” to:
Cosmosphere
Attn: Development
1100 N Plum
Hutchinson, KS 67501
We’re Investing in the Future: The Cosmosphere is working hard to ensure scholarships are always available. One way we’re doing that is through another scholarship initiative: the Cosmosphere Scholarship Endowment. An Endowment is a fund that uses the interest of the fund every year, so a gift today could fund scholarships for years to come.
If you’d like to invest a larger gift in the Cosmosphere Scholarship Endowment, reach out to Mimi Meredith, chief development officer, at 620-665-9339 or email. For higher donor levels, named funds are available and are a wonderful way to create a lasting legacy.
