Monday, July 13, 2015

Climbing New Heights

By: Sabrina Clay
It was a day full of fun and adventure. From rock climbing and tug of war to human knots and trust mind field games, everyone had a blast!
The day was sponsored by Goldman Sachs who brought with them 9 volunteers to give 18 kids, ages 5-14 from our Mentoring Youth and Mentoring Moms programs, a day of daring and exciting activity at The Gravity Vault in Upper Saddle River, NJ.

The camp-like experience and team oriented games created positive outcomes for the kids, boosting their confidence and self-esteem while teaching them the importance of trusting each other and working together.
The day’s adventures also brought out the kids’ leadership skills, which often times go unnoticed in their everyday lives. At first, some of the kids were afraid to climb the wall. But with lots of encouragement from the volunteers and fellow peers, they overcame the fear and conquered the wall – climbing all the way to the top! With new found confidence, some of them even attempted the really hard vertical wall!

I believe that through this fun-filled day, the kids realized they can overcome personal, mental and even physical hurdles if they set their minds to it.
A big thanks to Goldman Sachs for sponsoring the trip and raising over $1,300. And thanks to The Gravity Vault for offering up their staff and creating an amazing experience valued at $500.

What the kids were able to accomplishment on the rock wall is a true metaphor for what they can accomplish in life too. These kids were simply amazing!

Saturday, July 4, 2015