Youth participating in The
Salvation Army's Summer Day Camp
program at the Irvington Corps Community Center. |
In the rush of
morning traffic; in the hustle and bustle of daily commutes;
hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 begin arriving at The
Salvation Army’s four area corps community centers throughout
the Greater Houston region.
They are there to
participate in the Army’s annual Summer Day Camp program, which
provides working parents a safe and affordable option for
keeping their kids occupied during the long summer months.
Many have been to the
summer day camps since they were eligible to participate at age
five. Others are attending for the first time, and all seem to
be having a great time as they partake in a host of
opportunities that give them the option to finesse their acting
skills, learn a few new hip-hop dance moves, play recreational
sports, or hone their singing skills at an actual recording
studio, all while their parents are at work.
“We get to do a lot
of fun things with our friends here,” said a group of eager
Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club members at the Aldine Westfield
Corps Community Center recently. “This Friday we are going to
SplashTown!”
In addition
to Aldine Westfield the Pasadena, Northwest, and Irvington corps
community centers are also operating Summer Day Camp programs at
this time. Participating youth are engaged in various activities
while at these sites, taken on weekly field trips, and fed twice
a day on a daily basis. Parents pay a weekly fee of $25 to $100
for the care given by The Salvation Army staff and volunteers.
“They
definitely get a lot of bang for their buck…that’s for sure,”
says Doug Smith, executive director of The Salvation Army of
Greater Houston’s Boys & Girls Clubs.
“We want them to leave with some great memories, and to come
back next year.”
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