The Squamish Easter Seals camp will be closed for the remainder of this year and for all of 2018.
It's unclear whether this will be permanent, as the charity will be taking the time to reassess its situation.
The closure stems from declining revenues.
Charlene Krepiakevich, the president and CEO of Easter Seals for 小蓝视频 and the Yukon, said it costs between $700,000 to $900,000 each year to operate each of its camps.
However, the organization will be recording a $1-million loss for the last fiscal year alone, she said.
"What we've seen in this last year 鈥� and actually a trend over the last nine years 鈥� that philanthropic giving is declining; government support is declining; assets are aging; technology is changing the way people are giving," said Krepiakevich.
"There's a lot of things kind of happening in the charitable world that are impacting our ability to get the dollars we need to deliver the program."
As a result, the Squamish and Shawnigan Lake camps will be shut down for the foreseeable future. Easter Seals' Okanagan-based camp in Winfield will be the only one still running.
Krepiakevich said she hopes some of the children displaced by the Squamish and Shawnigan Lake closures will be able to attend the Okanagan camp.
However, it will be a challenge to determine how many more people can attend this camp because the organization's uncertain finances make it hard to know how many extra spots can be added.
"We can't operate at a loss," she said. "So we have to rethink how we deliver these programs."
The Squamish camp is operated for about five to six weeks a year. The facilities are rented out during the off time, but the income hasn't been enough to make a significant dent in the operating costs.
Krepiakevich said one of the problems the Easter Seals has had to face is increased competition.
When the organization was started in the early 1950s, there were only a handful of charities, but now people have thousands to choose from, Krepiakevich said.
She said the organization will be re-evaluating whether it will offer different programming.
Instead of bringing children with disabilities to camp, perhaps Easter Seals will focus on providing skills training and other types of assistance, Krepiakevich said.
The organization is open to suggestions from the community. Ideas can be sent to [email protected].
In the meantime, it's unclear what the organization will do with the land on the closed properties.
Krepiakevich added that the organization is hoping to find partners to help out with its financial situation.
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