Help send a kid to camp this summer
Summer camp isn’t just about making sure kids have something to do. It’s about transformation: a non-swimmer learns how, or a shy child makes friends, or a kid who spends too much time in front of the TV gets to spend more watching the wonders of the outdoors.
Sadly, because of a shortage of funds, the organizations that help send kids to camp are not going to be able to help as many of them this year unless public-spirited folks start kicking in right now.
“We have had to turn kids away,” said Andrew Meyer of Wake County 4-H Youth Development, which is under the shared realm of Wake County Human Services and N.C. State University’s Cooperative Extension Service.
Parents can get partial help or full help, provided the contributions come in.
Transformative. All children deserve that opportunity. But, Meyer says, fewer than half of the kids who’ve applied for scholarships to one camp will be able to get one.
Yes, there are kids for whom camp is a given, something they take for granted, and there are camps where tuition and room and board run to the thousands of dollars. But for many children, a week or so at a camp can be just as wonderful, just as exciting, as any time at an exclusive camp for those of affluence. Riding in a boat, or camping out, or swimming or learning about plants and animals in the woods can make a summer spectacular.
This community can respond. Making a difference for a child can make a difference in everyone’s future.
Summer camps
Those who wish to help with camps may contact the following organizations:
The Triangle Community Foundation’s Send a Kid to Camp program, and there is a list of links to its 2015 camp partners at trianglecf.org/about_us/send_a_kid_to_camp/.
For information about Schoolhouse of Wonders’ summer camp or to make a scholarship gift, go to schoolhouseofwonder.org or call 919-477-2116.
Here is a list of area summer camps, some of which offer limited scholarships: www.raleighsummercamps.org/.
Information about the N.C. Museum of Art’s summer camps is at http://ncartmuseum.org/
This story was originally published May 10, 2015 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Help send a kid to camp this summer."