Expanding Youth Camps Into Full Year Revenue Stream
Rob Huizenga, Associate Director, Operations for CENTERS at Moraine Valley Community College, where he leads innovative strategies to grow revenue and community engagement.
Campus Rec Campus rec centers have long been about more than just fitness. They serve as hubs for community building, skill development and engagement. However, with financial uncertainty growing in higher education, many departments are thinking creatively about revenue streams.
By monetizing strategic programs, some campus rec teams are successfully driving revenue without sacrificing their core mission. In many cases, these initiatives generate income and also strengthen connections with students, staff and visitors from the community.
At Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC), the Health, Fitness & Recreation Center (FitRec) team has taken a tried-and-true summer offering — youth camps — and expanded it into a full-year revenue stream. The eight-week summer camp for ages 5 to 12 provides structured recreational activities, themed weeks and field trips across campus. Due to the popularity of the summer camps, MVCC looked for ways to grow the program.
“The success of FitRec’s summer camp program over the last decade has led to additional programming throughout the year,” explained Robert Huizenga, the senior assistant director of Business Services and Communications at CENTERS LLC at MVCC. “We felt this success signified a need for high-quality and affordable camp options for working parents within our area. These positive additions have given FitRec the ability to meet the needs of youth and family programming within our community.”
Some of these year-round camps include School’s Out Camp, Winter Break Camp and a Spring Break STEM Camp, all of which maintain the goal of offering high-value, low-cost programming. The results have been undeniable.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of participation in our afterschool programming offerings since August 2024,” explained Huizenga. “In fact, all our spring afterschool programs are operating at capacity for the first time ever. Many of our participants were first introduced to FitRec through our summer camp program. From an operational standpoint, our summer camp program gives us the opportunity to hire new camp counselors. Many of them have continued employment at FitRec and have become very valuable contributors to day-to-day operations of our facility.”While youth programming strengthens engagement with families, FitRec is also tapping into corporate partnerships to boost membership and revenue. Leaders recognized an opportunity to expand their membership base through a partnership with WellHub, formerly GymPass, a corporate wellness benefit that offers employees subsidized gym memberships. FitRec saw the program as a low-maintenance way to increase revenue while introducing new users to the facility.
Beginning in fall 2019, members of companies that provide the corporate wellness benefit can access many amenities to improve their physical and mental health. For a low-cost subscription rate, customers can access a network of gyms, wellness professionals, online classes and more.
“We felt this partnership made a lot of sense as a low-maintenance way for our facility to increase membership numbers and revenue,” said Huizenga. “As a CENTERS site, community building and enhancing quality of life for our members are a strong part of our vision. This partnership with WellHub checked both boxes for us.”
WellHub members follow a simple check-in process, and FitRec receives a set payment per visit. This has resulted in an average of 318 check-ins per month and an additional $1,200 in monthly revenue. While WellHub members don’t receive all the same perks as standard community members, the program has led to long-term growth. Some participants who no longer qualify for the corporate benefit opted to continue their membership as full-paying members, making the partnership an effective pipeline for membership retention.
A key component of making revenue-generating programs work is pricing and accessibility. FitRec’s WellHub partnership provides a lower-cost way for employees of local businesses to increase their wellness.