Summing up Summer Camps 2018
(2-Minute Read) By Meghan Franklin
As the summer wraps up and the kids are back to school, we can’t help but reflect on the successful summer it has been for our kids. The children whose families are clients of our food bank had the opportunity to attend different types of summer camps because of our community’s generosity.
If you ask most adults who have attended a summer camp when they were a child, they usually have lots of great memories and stories attached to those past experiences. Summer camps give children the opportunity to learn and experience new things as well as create lasting memories that they will hold onto into the future. Unfortunately, children of families that use the Food Bank often don’t have enough for the necessities, much less the extra cost of camp. We are so happy to be able to partner with businesses and camps to give the gift of summer camps no matter their family’s financial situation.
This year, 40 children between the ages 6 and 14 were able to attend a week long Soccer Camp through Northview Community Church and Athletes in Action at a reduced rate. At soccer camp they got to play fun warm up games, learn and practice new soccer skills, and watch skits and hear stories put on by the leaders. Northview Church also offered us 5 spots at their day camp called Adventure Scouts.
For the first time, we were able to send children to Twisters gymnastics who generously gave us two fully funded seats (one for ages 4 to 5, and another seat for ages 6 to 12). At the camps, the kids got to learn about the basics of gymnastics, play games, and use the fun equipment. The seats had a large waitlist, so we are hoping to be able to increase numbers in the future!
Other camps included sleep away camps throughout the Fraser Valley (Camp Luther, Camp Squeah, etc.) which 20 children were fully funded for through the Union Gospel Mission’s camp partnership program. We also had a child who was able to attend a day camp through the BC SPCA camp where they got to learn about animals, and attend field trips related to what they were learning. The mom of the child said,
“We are so grateful for the opportunity she got to attend the BC SPCA camp. It even furthered her ambition to be a veterinarian!”
Thank you so much to the community for giving children these amazing opportunities and memories. We can’t wait to see what happens next summer!