FREE CAMPS FOR KIDS

(Article published in HWW May 2009)

You still have time to sign your boys and girls up for one of the three big camp programs that offer inner city, low-income kids a free fun and educational summer break.

COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS, started in 1984, calls its Camp Homeward Bound “the first summer sleep away camp designed specifically for homeless and formerly homeless children.” The camp also accepts children of families on public assistance.

Campers between 7 and 15 years old can attend one of three 16-day sessions: June 29 to July 14, July 17 to August 1, August 4 to August 19 at Harriman State Park, an hour from NYC. The Coalition assures parents “Camp Homeward Bound does not automatically exclude children with behavioral or emotional problems. We ask that parents tell us up front if their child has any special needs.”

To register, contact Charlene Fulton at (212) 776-2020.

HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS’ sleepaway Camps Lanowa and Wakonda serve campers from 7 to 13 years old. Children can attend one of three two-week sessions: from June 29 to July 13, July 17 to July 31, or August 4 to August 19 also at Harriman State Park.

HFH promises “Your child’s day at Camp Lanowa or Wakonda will combine educational activities with a true summer camp experience. Campers can hike and explore on wooded trails, swim and boat in a mountain lake, sing and tell stories around a campfire, and sleep in tents and cabins. Also they can take computer classes, have access to a library of books, and keep their own daily journal.

HFH prides itself on providing a safe camp experience. There’s one staff member for every four campers. Counselors are trained in safety procedures and mediation. Swimming is supervised by CPR and First-Aid trained lifeguards. Transportation to and from the camp is provided from pick-up/drop-off locations in each borough.

To qualify, kids must have an active public assistance case. Priority is given to children now living in a shelter or who have lived in a shelter within the last year . To find out how to register, call the Camp Recruiter in the borough where you live today. Call now because campers need to finish their paper work two weeks before their session begins.

BRONX

Coretta Miller (718) 617 6100

BROOKLYN AND STATEN ISLAND

Patricia Virola (718) 244 0670

MANHATTAN

Meagan Danforth (212) 765 4557

QUEENS

Harvey Robinson (718) 244 0670

THE FRESH AIR FUND runs five sleepaway camps on a 2,300 acre site in Fishkill, New York, for boys and girls from low-income neighborhoods who are six to 12 years old. In addition, The Fund’s Friendly Town program places inner city children in the homes of host families in suburbs and small town communities.

The Fund promises “Wherever children go, they may learn new skills like riding a bike, swimming or gardening and make friends that last forever.”

Community agencies in all five boroughs of NYC register children for the Fresh Air Fund programs. For a referral to a participating agency, visit www.freshair.org or call (800) 367-0003.