Special Campaign for Quaker Camp Opequon 

Bethesda Friends is seeking donations during 2024-2025 to support and build Baltimore Yearly Meeting's (BYM's) summer youth arts camp (Opequon) in Harper's Ferry, WV. 

Please read more about this campaign in the links below. 

You can donate to this Opequon campaign via check or credit card, noting that your contribution is for "Opepuon Special Campaign." 

More information

• Over the last 100 years, BYM Camps has grown to a family of four summer camp programs spread along the Appalachian Mountains – Opequon, Catoctin, Shiloh, and Teen Adventure. Serving more than 600 young people each year, each of our four camps offers distinctive programming tied together by the belief that there is “that of God” in each of us.
• As we enter the next century of BYM Camps, the creative arts camp, Opequon Quaker Camp, has moved to a new home at the Rolling Ridge Conservancy in Harper’s Ferry, WV. This beautiful, permanent home for Opequon Quaker Camp is the next step in the growth and long-term sustainability of BYM Camps. 
• WE ARE RAISING MONEY TO BUILD OPEQUON QUAKER CAMP – HELP US IGNITE THE FUTURE! Your Support will make the Difference. 

Learn More from these links to Baltimore Yearly Meeting's campaign (which your donation goes toward): 

Frequently Asked Questions

Spring 2024 Campaign Update

Summer 2024 Campaign Update

Social Concern of the Month 

If you want to direct a donation to one of our Social Concerns, please choose from the list below. The donation should be made during the designated month. Use our Donate Online Now page to donate online. Scroll back up for information on how to donate via a written check.  

The Social Concerns Box for January is for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN)

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Their mission is to build and mobilize a powerful grassroots movement in this unique region that surrounds our nation’s capital and to call for state, national and international policies that will put us on a path to climate stability. Some BFM members join in CCAN's annual Polar Bear Plunge fundraiser, and a Quaker team often tops the donation chart.  

The Social Concerns Box for February is for the Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism (QCUR)

The Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism (QCUR) is a collaboration between six Quaker organizations -- American Friends Service Committee, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends Council on Education, Friends General Conference, Pendle Hill, and Quaker Voluntary Service -- who are working together to accelerate the movement for, and capacity to create, racial justice among (and beyond) Friends. QCUR leads a nine-month cohort program, which will include BFM participants in 2024, that allows racial justice changemakers in Quaker communities to learn and experiment with actions together, empowering them to support the racial justice work of their home communities. In 2023 QCUR developed a guide on "Racial Wounding and Racial Justice in Quaker Communities." To sign up for the QCUR newsletter, please go to https://groups.google.com/g/qcur-newsletter. QCUR relies on the financial support of individuals and communities that are committed to its mission.

The Social Concerns Box for March is for the Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR)  

This Quaker program Right Sharing of World Resources was established in 1967 with the notion that well-off people had much to learn from poorer people. With our donations, RSWR can award grants to groups of marginalized women in Kenya, Sierra Leone, and India to fund individual micro-enterprise projects. The start-up money provided by RSWR promotes self-sufficiency such as the purchase of seeds, well-digging, or the purchase of animals. RSWR provides Friends the means by which we can examine our life of plenty, offer a practical outlet to assist and empower some of the poorest people in the planet (some of whom are Quakers), and come to a deeper understanding of economic discipleship as part of our individual and corporate life as a faith community. The RSWR web site also has educational resources for youth and adults. 

The Social Concerns Box for April is for Ramallah Friends School 

The Social Concerns Box for April is for scholarships to the Ramallah Friends School in the Palestinian West Bank. Much of our contribution used to be raised at Spring Fling, and now we depend on offerings made via check or online. This support is an opportunity for us to help build peace in the Middle East via this Quaker school that has been in existence since 1869 (more than 150 years).

The Social Concerns Box for May is for STRIDE

The Social Concern box in May is in support of two youngsters from the Friendly Gardens community in Silver Spring, MD, to attend the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Summer Camps through the Strengthening Transformative Relationships in Diverse Environments (STRIDE) program. Last year we were able to support one Friendly Gardens camper, who will be returning this year.  Our hope is to support a second camper this year with money for the camp cost plus funding for camping gear items. BYM camps provide opportunities for enrichment and leadership building in a wilderness environment, and STRIDE is committed to ensuring that young people from all racial, geographical, and economic backgrounds have the opportunity to benefit from such an environment. 

The Social Concerns Box for June is for SOS Children's Villages Palestine

For more than 75 years and in over 130 countries and territories, SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest organization focused on ensuring that children and young people without parental care or at risk of losing it grow up with the care, relationships and support they need to become their strongest selves. In more than 540 villages, they provide family-like care and loving homes for children and young people living without adequate parental care. Their mission is to strengthen families to prevent separation, empower the support systems around children, and ensure the successful transition into adulthood so that young people have what they need to become their strongest selves. 

The Social Concerns Box for July and August is for Camp Opequon Capital Campaign

Bethesda Friends is seeking donations during 2024-2025 to support and build Baltimore Yearly Meeting's (BYM's) summer youth arts camp (Camp Opequon) in Harper's Ferry, WV. Over the last 100 years, BYM Camps has grown to a family of four summer camp programs spread along the Appalachian Mountains – Opequon, Catoctin, Shiloh, and Teen Adventure. Serving more than 600 young people each year, each of our four camps offers distinctive programming tied together by the belief that there is “that of God” in each of us. As we enter the next century of BYM Camps, the creative arts camp, Opequon Quaker Camp, has moved to a new home at the Rolling Ridge Conservancy in Harper’s Ferry, WV. This beautiful, permanent home for Opequon Quaker Camp is the next step in the growth and long-term sustainability of BYM Camps. WE ARE RAISING MONEY TO BUILD OPEQUON QUAKER CAMP – HELP US IGNITE THE FUTURE! Your Support will make the Difference. 

The Social Concerns Box for September is for Helping Refugees

Through BFM's Helping Refugees Group, we are focusing on a fundraising drive in September to assist immigrants and refugees in the DC area. We will use our donation funds toward an organization like Homes Not Borders, CASA, or KindWorks. BFM has a list of specific actions we will begin in Fall 2025, which includes opportunities to volunteer with these groups.  In addition, we urge folks to check out our broader list of actions that individuals and self-organized groups can undertake at any time to help refugees and immigrants.

The Social Concerns Box for October is for the Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund  

Each year, funded entirely by the generosity of donors and fueled by committed volunteers, the Mary Jane Simpson Fund awards college scholarships to graduating DC public school seniors.  The fund is jointly managed by Bethesda Friends Meeting, Friends Meeting of Washington, and Langley Hill Friends Meeting.  BFM plays a vital role in funding, selecting the awardees, and making decisions about the program’s policies and practices.  MJS Scholars have proven records of academic and extracurricular achievement coupled with strong civic values and a history of familial or community contributions.  Our Scholars demonstrate an ability to overcome challenges to development or success; evince a commitment to getting a college education, are driven to succeed academically, and have demonstrated significant financial need.  THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN HELP! Depending on the financial contributions of Friends and friends, 4 or more applicants can be awarded critically needed scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 each year for each of the 4 years of college. These are life-changing donations and every dollar matters in our Meeting's commitment to address this concern. Please give and give often to the Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund!

The Social Concerns Box for November is for Interfaith Works -  Walkathon 

For nearly 50 years, Interfaith Works has provided affordable housing and social services to families in Montgomery County as they transition from homelessness to independence. Key programs are their clothing center, emergency assistance, and vocational services.  BFM has long been one of the member organizations, and BFM children participate in an annual mini-walkathon for the homeless. Interfaith Housing Coalition is a subsidiary of Interfaith Works that provides permanent housing and supportive services to  families in 26 units across the county. 

The Social Concerns Box for December is for Bethesda Help

Bethesda Help, Inc.  is a community-based, all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 1968 to support neighbors in need. They provide critical safety net services, for example, food assistance and limited financial assistance for prescriptions and utilities, to those in need who reside in lower Montgomery County.