As school resumes and we have a hint of Fall each evening, we wanted to take a moment to thank the people who support the Bergen Campership Fund. A fund that few are aware of that help send low income children to great summer camp programs that have so many important benefits:
- exercise and fun;
- learning experiences that keep young brains active and curious;
- a safe environment so that working parents need not worry about little ones during the day;
- good friends and supportive adults to encourage growth.
Studies show that children from low-income families often begin the new school year having lost academic and intellectual ground over the summer. So, in fact, summer camp also helps close the achievement gap.
The summer of 2015 was a wonderful one for the Campership Fund. Because of your generosity, the Campership Fund raised $47,471. We allocated $39,988 to support 31 kids in a summer camp experience.
Thank you!
We here at the Volunteer Center got to witness first-hand how much the Campership Fund means to families. In May, a mom in our Mentoring Moms program arrived for a celebratory brunch, saw Cindy Andrake, Program Director of Mentoring Moms, threw her arms around her and burst into tears. The day before, she had received notice that the Campership Fund would help pay for summer camp for her 5 year old. The mom had just started a new job, and was so relieved to know that her daughter had a safe place to go and grow for the summer.
Thank you for helping to make the summer a wonderful time for children and their families. To learn more about the Bergen Campership Fun please email Lynne Algrant at lalgrant@bergenvolunteers.org.