Troy Camp hosted its annual “Pass the Can” fundraiser Saturday during USC’s homecoming game against Iowa.
Founded in 1948, the organization is one of USC’s largest student-run organizations with around 200 counselors and additional advisors. Troy Camp has taken hundreds of local Los Angeles children on week-long camping trips, providing a space for mentorship and connection. The camp works with students from elementary to high school, offering various programs to students based on their age group, according to its website.
But the organization’s work doesn’t end when they return for the summer. Throughout the school year, Troy Camp counselors meet with their kids weekly at USC, doing activities that range from filmmaking to coding and making music.
“What I love most about Troy Camp is that it doesn’t just end over the summer, it’s continuous programming throughout the year,” said Diane Kim, a sophomore Troy Camp counselor and member of the E-Board. “These kids from third grade stay with Troy Camp until they graduate high school. [The camp] focuses on long-term mentorship.”
Troy Camp’s main focus is reaching out to students directly in the South Los Angeles area.
“[Troy Camp] gives them the opportunity to be outside of their usual L.A. environment, really just fostering things like leadership and empowering the youth here,” said Christopher Apy, a sophomore Troy Camp counselor and assistant to the E-Board. “Making them feel like they could really make a difference in the world once they grow up, just being really good mentors to them.”
Due to its size, the program has turned into a non-profit, with an annual goal of $200,000 in fundraising to serve to fund the annual summer camp and other resources.
Since 1960, “Pass the Can” has served as one of the nonprofit’s main fundraisers. The event starts early, with volunteers and Troy Camp organizers walking around the tailgating grounds collecting contributions before kickoff. Students have the chance to reconnect with camp alumni and to meet other counselors and participants.
Later, milk jugs are passed around the stands of the Coliseum while Troy Camp participants and volunteers chant: “Left. Right. Forward. Back. Pass the can like a quarterback.”
For Phu Quach, Troy Camp’s student director of fundraising for the event, Saturday marked the completion of months’ worth of preparations.
“‘Pass the Can’ is not just a one-person job, but a collective effort from the whole team,” said Quach. “Planning for the operation started in early April…it did take me six months to plan.”
While Quach accounted for many variables, there was one surprise on gameday.
“One of my biggest obstacles…was obviously the weather. Those are stuff that I couldn’t really plan for,” said Quach. “For the past five to 10 years, it has never rained during a USC game, and this just happened to be the year that it rains.”
The rain meant fewer fans in the stands — a noticeable shift from last year’s homecoming game, which raised $60,000. But Quach said that the community’s response was inspiring given the conditions.
“It really speaks and attests to the long-standing value and presence that Troy Camp still has on campus..that the community still cares about the work that we do,” said Quach. “No matter the weather…if we want to provide free camp for campers in May, we still have to push for our operations.”
Despite the rain, Troy Camp had more than 700 volunteers.
“Our spirits were still high. I was having a lot of fun going around before the game, during tailgates,” said Apy. “My feet were soaked, but we were asking for donations, and people seemed enthusiastic.”
Even in the soaked bleachers of the Coliseum, this tradition still carried excitement.
“This year there was a lot of rain, and so that added some complications. But still, it was such a good time. Walking to the Coliseum together and seeing the jug being passed around was so cool,” said Diane Kim, Troy Camp Counselor and member of the E-Board. “It was just so surreal seeing so many people listen to what Troy Camp does and donating.”
Kim, who was positioned in the opponent section, found support there too.
“I mainly talked to Iowa fans because I was in the Iowa section and they were so sweet,” said Kim. “It was nice to connect with them. A lot of them were saying, ‘Oh, we have programs like this in Iowa.’”
Beyond the homecoming game, the fundraiser’s main mission is to ensure that its programs remain free and accessible to all students.
“What we really care about is the kids, the retention rate, whether they’re coming back every year, whether they’re coming to programming every week, because once they’re in high school, they could also be a junior counselor for Troy Camp,” said Apy.
“It really warms my heart, knowing that we could just put a smile on their face every week, that for one hour, they could just forget about their school stuff and just have more fun,” said Apy. “It also gives me time to be a kid.”
After the rain and the long days of preparation, Quach said he still feels that the fundraiser was a success.
“Seeing that also makes it feel like, you know, despite the rain, it was all worth it,” said Quach.