UPDATE:

Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas have since discovered that the American Camp Association — including its President Tom Rosenberg and longtime ACA lobbyist Catherine Barankin — arranged this meeting with reprehensible intentions. Meow Meow Foundation will no longer support the efforts of the ACA. Not only did Tom Sawyer Camp owners Sarah and Guy Fish lie about a child drowning at their camp, the other pro-ACA attendees attempted to manipulate Forbes and Matyas to support a bill that would have granted the ACA near total control of camp oversight in California. Based upon subsequent research, the ACA is primarily a lobby group that prioritizes camp profitability, not child health and safety.

On September 17, Meow Meow Foundation President Doug Forbes and Treasurer Elena Matyas discussed legislative and advocacy initiatives with officials from a variety of nationally recognized camp organizations.

Attendees were Michele Branconier, Western Region Director of the American Camp Association (ACA) and current California Collaboration for Youth (CCFY) board member; Darrow Milgrim, the National Director of Independent Schools and Camp Programs in the Gallagher Education Practice at Arthur J. Gallagher;Rick Benfield, immediate Past-Chair of CCFY, and Sarah Horner-Fish and her husband Guy Fish who own and operate Tom Sawyer Camp in Pasadena.

Forbes and Matyas said they were concerned about a rather deep history of failed attempts to license day camps. Benfield and Branconier, who were strategically involved in some of those attempts, said that they had successfully instituted certain standards and practices beyond the legislative scope but admitted to some unforeseen political challenges along the way.

The Fishes said that is has been frustrating for camps like theirs, that want to be licensed and afforded oversight, to face opposition for health officials who do not seem to understand vital health and safety issues at stake.

Milgrim said that such opposition is sadly overcome only when a seismic event rattles cages at the state capital. In this, case, he said, the June drowning death of Roxie Forbes at Summerkids camp in Altadena is likely to have a much different impact on legislators.

Forbes and Matyas said they want to have representation from both the ACA and CCFY at a working meeting aimed at evaluating strengths and weaknesses of prior bill attempts. These representatives agreed to collaborate with MMF and its legislative partners to craft an airtight version that will pass during the next legislative session beginning January 2020.

Benfield said that he would also immediately network with other camps and recreational, health and safety partner-advocates to gain greatly needed support.