The Washington County Riverboat Foundation is handing out over $240,000 in relief grants to several area organizations including $25,000 to the Lake Darling Youth Center in southern Washington County. While the financial assistance is welcome news, Youth Center Board President Jerry King says it may not be enough to keep their operation viable after a rough summer due to COVID-19, “We had cancellations for the whole summer. We lost 10 full weeks of camperships or income, which is probably $50,000 or more. Of over $50,000 or more, that $25,000 is about half of what we need for the next year. But if we have another summer like this next summer, we’ll be history probably.” King says their efforts to recoup some of their losses from last summer have raised about $10,000 and they’ll continue to ask for additional help.

In addition to the financial sting brought on by the pandemic, King notes the lost summer of 2020 came in what is Lake Darling Youth Center’s 70th year of offering camps to area youth.