Yesterday, the big manila envelope arrived in my mailbox. In it? The application for summer camp at Clara Barton. Already.

Olivia loves camp, so we'll definitely be sending her again but I was dismayed to see that the price has gone up. It's now $2,225 to go for two weeks. Last year it was around $1900. That's a big jump.

I understand why they charge so much - the staff is huge there. The buildings are in excellent condition (way better than any camp I ever attended, that's for sure!) and the grounds are very attractive. Because they have such a large medical staff, I feel really secure sending Olivia there year after year.

Plus, the camp is really great about granting camperships. They also send out information telling you how you can put together your own fund raisers and how to solicit organizations like The Lions Club or Kiawanis to help subsidize some of the cost.

We've tried the fund raising route in the past, with limited success. I don't think I'm aggressive enough to go asking people for money. Thankfully, we've always been able to get camperships. Last year, Olivia got a $1500 one, which was fantastic.

We'll apply for one again this year, but even if she doesn't get it, we'll figure out a way to get her to camp. She absolutely loves it there. It's done so much for her, given her so much confidence and knowledge that I would crawl over broken glass to ensure that she continues to go for as long as they'll have her.