The sounds of summer are already filling our neighborhood. Children are coming home from school, riding their bikes with the Bike Team in the sunshine, heading out to Rio’s for a water ice, or just running outside to play. The summer season bursts with possibilities for kids and youth!
In addition to week-long adventures at our partnering camps like Camp Southern Ground and Camp Grace, kids in our neighborhood will take interesting day trips and participate in a variety of fun-filled activities. No matter what children are up to with us, the focus is the same: nurturing the lives and spirits of young people, giving them the sense of the vast and positive opportunities they have at their fingertips with a community of support around them.
Taken out of their normal routines, youth discover their capabilities and often exceed their expectations. At camp one year, a young person from South Atlanta scaled a climbing wall. She reached the top and burst into tears. All she kept on saying while crying, “I didn’t think I could do it. I can’t believe I did it.”
These are the kinds of moments that give young people a sense of possibility and agency. They are the moments that help young people grow into rooted and positive community leadership. Taking time to invest in this new generation is an essential strategy for community transformation.
To this end, camp is a bargain. With imagination and a lot of volunteer help, we will organize multiple opportunities for students to attend sleepaway camp and plan a summer packed with positive experiences.
Your support is critical for ensuring that all neighbors have equal access. A $100 sponsorship will enable a child to participate in a summer full of enriching activities. It’s one of the best investments I know.
