COCUSA Endowment Fund
Plant hope. Build faith. Shape futures—one camper at a time.
The COCUSA Endowment Fund, a Designated Endowment established in September 2025 by COCUSA Board member Sarah Schrock and her husband, Steve, supports the impact area of youth and faith-based education through summer ministry. Its purpose is to provide a permanent, sustainable source of funding that enables COCUSA to expand outreach, offer financial assistance to campers, and continuously enhance programs rooted in faith, fun, and personal growth.
Why This Fund Matters
Camp of Champions USA is a summer youth day camp that has been serving Morton and the surrounding Central Illinois communities since 1995. Through our summer and school-holiday day camps, we provide safe, joy-filled care for children—while creating meaningful work and ministry opportunities for teens and young adults as they serve as camp staff.
Each summer, more than 250 families rely on Camp of Champions for dependable childcare and life-changing experiences. Our 1.5-acre facility on the outskirts of Pekin, Illinois serves as camp headquarters and the host site for our Pekin location. We also partner with local churches in Morton, Germantown Hills, and Peoria to bring camp to their communities—and are exploring new partnerships to expand our reach in the coming years.
This fund was established in 2025 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Camp and to create an enduring resource of funds to support the work of Camp.
How the Endowment Works
Permanent Gift, Everlasting Impact: Contributions to the fund are never spent. Instead, the principal is invested, and a portion of the earnings is distributed annually to support COCUSA programming.
Flexibility Within Purpose: Distributions can help cover scholarships, facility improvements, staff training, program innovation, or other strategic needs.
Sustainable Support: This fund amplifies the Foundation’s mission by providing stable, long-term funding for a vital community ministry.
Your Gift Matters
When you contribute to the COCUSA Endowment Fund, you’re not just donating to a camp—you’re investing in the next generation:
Supporting children’s spiritual growth
Removing financial obstacles to participation
Strengthening a proven faith-based ministry for years to come
Would you consider making a gift in honor of someone’s birthday or a milestone? Your lasting gift helps ensure that every child has the chance to experience COCUSA.
To make a tax-deductible donation to this endowment fund, you can:
Donate by check: Make it payable to Morton Community Foundation and mail it to 135 S First Ave, Morton, IL 61550. Please write “Morton Impact Fund” on the memo line.
Make a tax-advantaged gift of stock…Visit our stock gifting page by clicking HERE.
Give online by clicking the button below.
Are you a Caterpillar Employee or Retiree?
The Caterpillar Foundation is proud to offer the year-round Matching Gifts Program to support their employees, U.S. retirees and board of directors in their contributions to worthy causes. Eligible Caterpillar participants may request an annual total maximum 1:1 match of $10,000 USD each calendar year to eligible charities to which contributions are tax deductible. The Morton Community Foundation is an eligible charity. So, if you are an eligible Caterpillar participant, you may submit any donations to this fund for an equivalent match, up to your total maximum of $10,000 per year. CLICK HERE to link to the Caterpillar Foundation’s Matching Gift website.