THAT’S $3.3 MILLION RAISED BY YOU TO ENSURE ALL KIDS HAVE ACCESS TO CAMP ENRICHMENT.
Since 1984, the Send A Kid To Camp™ program of Triangle Community Foundation has provided a safe, educational, healthy outlet for our community’s children through summer camp scholarships. All children can benefit from a camp experience; especially those who may otherwise be unable to attend due to financial constraints or family situations. Students from low-income families often not have access to enriching summer activities, and research shows that children often forget what was learned during the school year over vacation, creating what is known as the “summer slide.” As a part of our commitment to ensuring everyone can thrive, Send A Kid To Camp™ combats this summer learning loss by providing camp tuition assistance funding to partner camps in our four counties.
A volunteer committee chooses our camp partners each year, and for 2018 we are proud to announce that we have 30 camp partners! They are: Abundance NC, Artspace, Autism Society of North Carolina, Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties, Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake County, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation, Chatham County Cooperative Extension – 4-H, Communities In Schools of Durham, Communities In Schools of Wake County, East Durham Children’s Initiative, Garner Road Community Center, Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines, ILASS, Kidznotes, Learning Outside, Muscular Dystrophy Association, O.A.S.I.S. Foundation of NC, Partners for Youth Opportunity, SEEDS, Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities, The Art of Cool Project, The B.E.L.L. Foundation, Inc., The Emily K Center, The Learning Trail, Inc., The White Oak Foundation, Inc., The Gifted Arts, Inc., Triangle Bikeworks, Wake County 4-H Youth Development/Wake County Human Services, and Walltown Children’s Theatre.
Summer slide is real, and combating it is important for all kids. “Summer programs that have an academic component are really important, especially for kids who attend low-performing schools or are struggling academically themselves,” said Lauren Stephenson, development manager at East Durham Children’s Initiative. “If you have a kid who’s not reading on grade-level or is slightly behind, and then they experience summer learning loss, well, now they’re even further behind, which can be detrimental.”
Spring is the time of year when we raise funds for our next summer camp partners! If you are interested in participating this year, you can donate through a fund at the Foundation, online on our website, or by mailing a check to our office. Every dollar you give goes directly to help send a child in the Triangle to summer camp. $45 will send a kid to camp for a day, $160 will send a kid to day camp for a week, and $500 will send a kid to overnight camp for a week. Thank you for your continued support of our region’s kids!