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Camp Wildcat receives $1,000 grant from ASA

Camp Wildcat, a UA community service club, received a $1,000 grant from the Arizona Students' Association to sponsor "Challenge Camp," which will send 60 UA students with 80 fourth graders to Mount Lemmon next month.

"Camp Wildcat is pretty amazing and we know how expensive their camps are, so we wanted to help them," said Sam Leyvas, executive director of ASA, the state's student lobbying organization.

Andrew Edmonds, Camp Wildcat's vice-chair, said the club's event will help raise the children's self-esteem.

"It's a good opportunity for these students to participate in higher education," Edmonds said.

University of Arizona's Camp Wildcat is a student-run organization that works with Tucson's financially, mentally and physically disadvantaged youth. More than 100 UA students are involved with the club, which plans activities like weekend-long camps, special day events and a week-long summer camp.

"It's fantastic and an honor to have received the grant this year and we hope they (ASA) continue to support us in the future," said Raghu Nandan, Camp Wildcat community relations director.

"Challenge Camp," held April 7 to 9, will be the fourth and final weekend camp of the year. It will take place at Camp Whispering Pines on Mount Lemmon.

ASA Communications Director Steve Cecil said this is the first year ASA is giving away grants to one club at each of the three states' universities.

"The inaugural grant was named after Dr. Frank H. Besnette because he retired from ASA last year and we wanted to honor him," Cecil said.

Leyvas said the grants come from money ASA has earned in interest from one of its accounts.

"We first though about using the money for scholarships for individual students, but we decided the money would benefit more people through clubs," Leyvas said.

Leyvas added that ASA hopes to distribute this grant every year for community service based clubs.

"If they (other clubs) are anything like Camp Wildcat, we want to continue giving money out," Leyvas said.