BILLINGS A free multi-sport camp in Lockwood is giving kids a chance to stay active this summer, offering relief to families who say the rising cost of summer care has forced them to make tough choices.Fellowship Baptist Church has hosted the camp for 10 years. Ray Willis, who works closely with the church to organize the event, said the goal from the start was to make it affordable and accessible.Click here to learn more about camp costs: As camp costs rise in Montana, one group offers free summer programs"We started it saying 'Okay. It's not going to cost you anything, just sign up,'" Willis said Tuesday afternoon. "A large number of these people, the children come, they can't afford to go to any camp."The camp is drawing families from across the Billings area who say programs like this are increasingly hard to afford. Rachael Lyon said that it's likely the only camp her two sons will attend due to rising costs."To be honest, I don't know if our sons would be able to go to camp necessarily," Lyon said. "So, it's really a blessing that they can put this on. Everything has gotten more expensive, and so (have) summer camps."Another Billings mother, Anna Dailey, agreed with Lyon, adding that her family has been forced to make tough decisions regarding summer camps for her children due to the expense."My boys kind of start missing out on things, you know, because we have to pick and choose instead of like 'All right, let's try something new,'" Dailey said.It's a pinch felt nationwide. According to NerdWallet, 25% of parents spent $2,000 per month on summer camps in 2025.A Billings mother of four, Kylie Jonson, didn't send her children to the camp in Lockwood, but spends $227 per child per week at a different summer program."After-school or summer care programs are very expensive for the kids to be in," Jonson said Wednesday. "It's worth it, though because the busier they are being active is better for them. Kids need to be stimulated in controlled environments."Jonson said the expense is necessary, but the financial strain is real."It's only temporary," Jonson said. "It's only 13 weeks until school starts again, but it puts a toll on things for sure."Dailey said the rising costs of other camps just adds to what makes the one held in Lockwood so special."It's nice to not have that additional headache on top of everything else you already have headaches from," Dailey said. ...read more read less