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The 2025 k.o.d.a. (kids of deaf adults) camp season is upon us. Some kodas will be attending their first koda camp, and many others will be returning.
It’s a time of fun, excitement, celebration, growth, self reflection and self discovery. Since its inception, CODA Midwest (CMW) has financially assisted kodas in attending summer camps of their choice. This year is no exception. A total of 12 campers applied for the Kamper Grant. We were able to assist all of them in one amount or another. Each applicant had to insure their camp deposit was paid, and when awarded, CODA Midwest covered varying amounts of up to $700 depending on the camp that the camper chose. Eight campers were from within our region, with the remainder being out of region. The camps kodas will be attending include KODA Nation (Ohio), KODA Midwest (Wisconsin), Camp Mark 7 (New York) and KODAWest (California). In 2025 the Board budgeted $7,000.00 toward Kamper Grants. The total awarded was $5,990.00. The difference will be rolled over into next year’s Kamper Grant cycle. CODA Midwest was also able to assist Family Services, Community Services for the Deaf (Ohio) with $300.00 toward their free CSD Koda Camp. We have received some letters of appreciation from the camps themselves. KODAWest said, “Thank you for supporting our campers! That is so very generous of you and your organization.” KODA Nation said, “Thanks to your support, more children will have the chance to build community, celebrate their identity, and grow in confidence alongside peers who share similar experiences. Your commitment to uplifting the next generation of KODAs is truly appreciated.” Also, we've received letters of appreciation from kodas and their parents. "He is excited that he has been accepted for the grant. Hands waving!" "I’m really looking forward to attending [camp] and being part of a community where I can connect with others who share similar experiences." "Thank you for the good news. [My koda] said THANK YOU!" On behalf of the Board, and all those Codas who support CODA Midwest, it is our honor to support younger kodas on their journeys toward becoming the next generation of Codas. And on a final note specifically to ALL the younger kodas attending camp this summer - HAVE A BLAST!  CODA Midwest would like to thank MinnieCODA for their generous donation. Their donation will go towards assisting individuals wishing to attend CODA International Conferences, KODA summer camps, and CODA Region 3 retreats.
A mistake was brought to the boards attention, corrections have been made, and the 2024 waiver application window has been extended.
The CODA Midwest 2024 Retreat, Back For The Future, Early Bird Registration is now open until June 30.
Registration includes all retreat activities, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night lodging; Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Sunday breakfast. Look to see you there! https://www.codamidwest.org/2024-retreat-registration.html In place of our previous payment processing platform CODA Midwest is now using Zeffy. Doing so saves CODA Midwest at least $450.00 in processing fees for each retreat. However, Zeffy requires a drop-down contribution option to the Zeffy platform. This can be easily circumvented by selecting 'Other' and entering a lesser amount of your choice, as low as zero. (see screen shot below). Retreat registrants are not required to contribute to the Zeffy platform, but doing so helps keep their platform free for us to use. Again, registrants are not required to contribute to Zeffy. Just select 'Other' from the drop-down menu.  The CODA Midwest 2024 Retreat, Region 3 Discount, registration is now open until June 16.
If you reside in a CODA Region 3 State (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin) you can register at a discounted rate up until June 16. Registration includes all retreat activities, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night lodging; Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Sunday breakfast. Look to see you there! https://www.codamidwest.org/2024-retreat-registration.html CODA Midwest appreciates our donors, supporters, and retreat attendees. We also appreciate our volunteers.
The Awards committee, chaired by the Member-at-Large, is an important, busy, and appreciated group of volunteers. Their process starts in January, when the budget for each award category is approved. Amounts are budgeted based upon the previous year’s surplus, primarily from retreat and donations. Kamper Grant applications open in early spring, CODA Conference Stipend applications open in late spring, and Retreat Waiver applications open in late summer. KAMPER GRANTS In 2023 $10,000.00 was budgeted toward supporting koda’s to attend KODA camps. From that amount $5,975.00 was spent to assist 20 kodas in attending the camp of their choice. Specifically: ~15 kodas supported to attend KODA Midwest ($5,100) ~3 kodas supported to attend KODA Camp Ohio = ($375) ~ 1 koda supported to attend KODA West = ($400) ~ 1 koda supported to attend Camp Mark 7 ($100.00) This year, (2024) $7,500 was budgeted toward supporting kodas to attend KODA camps. From that amount $6,000.00 was spent toward assisting 17 kodas in attending the camp of their choice. Specifically: ~13 kodas supported to attend KODA Midwest ($5,500 total) ~4 kodas supported to attend KODA Camp Ohio = ($500 total) STIPENDS TO ATTEND CODA CONFERENCE Last year (2023) $3,000 was budgeted toward supporting Codas to attend the CODA conference. The full amount was given to CODA International and went toward assisting 3 Codas (two from Japan and one from India) in attending their first international conference. This year (2024) $4,500 was budgeted toward supporting Codas to attend the 2024 CODA conference, and $4,000 total was awarded to 2 applicants (Indiana and California). CODA MIDWEST RETREAT WAIVERS Last year (2023) $5,000 was budgeted for retreat waivers. Ten applicants received waivers for a total of $2,000.00. As of this time, the 2024 retreat is still in the planning stages. We look to have more information after retreat. While CODA Midwest supports all codas, preference is given to those residing in Region 3 of CODA International (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky, and Wisconsin). Basic rubrics of the point-based grading system as to how applicants are graded to be chosen can be found on the CODA Midwest website at https://www.codamidwest.org/awards.html Awards Committee volunteers have been an integral and important component of CODA Midwest since its inception. Without them, CODA Midwest could not do what it does, and countless applicants would not receive support in a fair and timely manner. If interested in volunteering with CODA Midwest, please contact any board member, or complete the web application at https://www.codamidwest.org/join.html We’re receiving inquiries regarding the 2024 Region-3 Retreat.
While registration doesn’t open for another month, we can share some information. When: Thursday, October 24 - Sunday, October 27. Where: The Skyline Retreat Center, Almont, Michigan. Registration:
Waiver Application Dates:
When available, additional details will be posted on our retreat page. Yesterday (2/20/24), the CODA International Board sent the following message to their members...
The CODA International Board, at its 23 March 2024 meeting, determined with a heavy heart that the 2025 Annual Conference will not be held in person. We understand and share your disappointment as we recognize the value of the in-person conference experience. We carefully evaluated various factors while making this decision and considered all pertinent information before reaching a conclusion: Financial: Cash flow is a concern. The 2024 conference is underperforming in terms of registration and hotel room nights. We are working hard to break even, but it is unwise to commit to an additional hotel contract for 2025 (a new hotel contract will require a deposit amounting to thousands of dollars in 2024) at this time to avoid over-committing our limited finances. Manpower: Conference preparation is very demanding on the board and requires a minimum of 2 years for favorable hotel negotiation, budget planning, training and organizing, which we have not undertaken for 2025. Conference work is done while doing the everyday operational work for CODA International, wrapping up a current year conference, planning a conference for the following year, and trying to fulfill membership expectations of activities during the year doing administrative, fundraising, and outreach activities. The burden has been significant for our volunteer board and limited resources. Restructure: The main focus of the upcoming year will be implementing restructuring efforts to support International and USA CODA entities. Virtual events in the coming year will allow Codas from around the world to participate in new ways as this restructuring effort is implemented. Virtual Alternative: We propose having a virtual conference or series of events to bring members together for social and reorganization purposes. Information about 2025 virtual event plans will be shared with the members as they are put into place. We are excited about the positive aspects of meeting virtually, including offering accessible and affordable experiences that will allow us to experiment with new approaches, and we hope you are too. We urge anyone who wants to enjoy the in-person conference experience to attend the CODALeague conference in San Diego, California, USA this June. Please note that partial refunds are available until 10 May 2024. Registration transfers between individuals will be permitted until 10 June 2024. Please monitor the conference website for more information. In addition, the regular registration rate of US $795 has been extended until 19 June 2024. We hope you will join us in San Diego at the Omni Hotel to convene with new and familiar friends and family! The 2023-2024 CODA International Board |