PACA is an organization born out of the grassroots work of the Owners, Directors, and other vested individuals in the Northeastern PA camp community. In 2004, The Wayne County Camp Association (WCCA), an organization comprised of these interested camp professionals whose camps are in the northeastern part of the state, mostly in Wayne county, researched and hired a government affairs firm in Harrisburg to represent our interests. State and local laws were being passed without camps having any voice in what was being legislated.
The WCCA is comprised of camps that are ACA (American Camp Association) members from the New York and Keystone sections. In the early stages of organizing, WCCA met with the Keystone ACA leadership to work in coming together with a joint effort to support the costs of lobbying, to provide access to our elected officials so they can hear our concerns on issues as they were being discussed in the State Senate and in the House.
Following this initial relationship, the WCCA continued funding the large share of the annual contract. It soon began that the WCCA members involved in the lobbying and government outreach process then contacted all ACA camps in Pennsylvania, encouraging them to get behind us and be part of these efforts. During this period, the organizers decided to there was a need to form an independent organization, the PA Camp Association (PACA) for the explicit purpose of lobbying. As PACA succeeded with laws helping all camps, every camp would benefit by our efforts. Thus, it logically followed that it should not remain in the confines of the Wayne County camps alone.
Following the development of PACA as an organization, PACA leadership have formed an excellent relationship with Triad Strategies, our government affairs firm. Triad has provided excellent representation and resources to speak with our elected officials as laws concerning the well being of our business are being considered and passed. Without this representation in the past, the Pennsylvania camp community had no voice.
Over the past 15 years, the Association has raised awareness to our state legislators on many key issues for camps on topics as wide ranging as building codes to background check regulations, serving as the primary input our government officials will receive when it comes to how their determinations will effect the camp community at large.