Campership Campaign
Summer Campership Program
Operation Sunshine began with the summer campership program that was created in May 1968 by the Observer-Dispatch.
The late Victor Ehre, once president and general manager of Utica Mutual Insurance Co., now Utica National, had been active in Boy Scouting and realized how important the camping experience was to youths’ development.
Mason Taylor, then-executive editor of the Utica newspapers, agreed to support a community fund drive, and a goal of $7,000 was set to send an estimated 265 children from needy families to camp.
That effort has grown through the years, and today Operation Sunshine works with 10 area agencies to send children to camp.