More than 400 Cleveland-area kids participate
The City Mission Pathways program is running a free summer day camp for Cleveland-area youth in grades 1 to 8. The Cleveland charity’s camp is being held Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 11 through August 3, 2012.
“Summer is a difficult time for parents with school-age children,” says Randy Brown, Pathways Family Outreach Services program manager. “The cost of daycare is out of reach for many parents, and neighbors and grandparents are not always available to help. It’s an especially difficult time for single mothers.”
At The City Mission, Brown says parents can be assured of a safe, fun environment where their kids will learn and grow. “The camp helps us connect with new families in the neighborhood and assists kids in character development so they can begin to make good choices early in their lives,” says Brown. The Cleveland charity’s hope is that as the kids grow older, they will be able to overcome difficulties that could derail their dreams for a better future.
This year’s camp theme is “Kids following Christ.” The camp includes daily breakfast and lunch as well as Bible lessons, competitive recreation, gospel choir, mentoring, music, dance and field trips to the Cleveland Metroparks Penitentiary Glen, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, movie theaters, Wild Water Kingdom, the Children’s Museum, and more.
More than 400 kids, including the homeless children at Laura’s Home, are currently participating in the day camp. But according to The City Mission, space is a limitation. “We currently have 175 children on our waiting list,” says Brown.
The Pathways staff and 12 summer interns make the camp happen each day. Additional volunteers who can come for a week or longer are always needed, and more information is available at http://www.thecitymission.org/summer-camp.
Contributions, sponsorship of all or part of a field trip, and restaurants interested in providing breakfast or lunch for the children are welcome. To contribute or sponsor a field trip, visit http://www.thecitymission.org/summer. To donate meals, call the Cleveland charity at (216) 920-4129.
“This camp is an invaluable and rare camp in Cleveland,” says Kimyatta Taylor, the mother of 3 boys participating in the camp. “It provides a safe and interactive environment for my sons to mingle with their peers, praise the Lord and enjoy many community sites. The group leaders are kind, considerate and consistent. These characteristics ease my mind knowing my sons are in their care.”