Brumit Restaurant Group (BRG), franchisee of Arby’s, the iconic Fast Crafted sandwich brand, continues their tradition of investing in the local community by coordinating an in-store local fundraiser to help secure $150,000 over the next 5 years to YMCA Camp Watia near Fontana Lake.
“We are honored to be part of such an amazing place that will ultimately help provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences to thousands of kids in western North Carolina,” says JoAnn Yoder, Brumit Restaurant Group’s president.
The YMCA’s vision for YMCA Camp Watia is to provide an environment for kids to unplug from technology, be physically active and learn skills that will contribute to their independence and success as adults. While many camps in the region cater to out-of-town children, YMCA Camp Watia is designed to be affordable and accessible for the children of western North Carolina.
“The more the BRG team learned about the plans for the camp, the more excited we became about the amazing resource that it represents to the families right here in this area,” Yoder adds. “We felt we needed to find ways to support their vision.”
In addition to the fundraising efforts, BRG is sponsoring six family members of the BRG team to attend YMCA Camp Watia during its inaugural season this summer.
YMCA Camp Watia is a 900-acre summer camp located approximately 15 miles west of Bryson City. The 130 acres of programming space includes a welcome center, a dining hall with an indoor recreation room, an outdoor amphitheater, a large open-air pavilion, a half-size basketball court, a soccer field, a swimming hole with a 100-foot water slide, and both a boys village and a girls village along with a hammock village for campers to relax and enjoy nature. The remaining 770-acre tract will be under a conservation easement made possible by a land donation by Ken and Nancy Glass.
The first group of children will arrive for YMCA Camp Watia’s first session on Sunday, June 12.
