Our Community Cares Camp, Inc.

Organization's Mission:
Our Community Cares Camp is a long-standing free camp serving the highest need children and families in the Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District. Campers face many adverse childhood effects and often come from households experiencing generational poverty and/or generational trauma. Our mission is to create a caring, nourishing community where every child can find success. We do this by offering breakfast and lunch in July to school-age youth who qualify for free or reduced meals during the school year. We also engage up to 120 youth ages 5-13 as campers through a day camp for those most in need of social-emotional support and engagement in the summer. Campers often, if not always, have stressors that impact their ability to be successful when participating in traditional summertime programming for youth. In addition to supporting elementary and middle school-age children, we serve youth ages 14-18 through both our internship program and as paid staff for the camp. Roughly 50% of our paid councilors are former campers. Our program offers an open and safe atmosphere where youth can gain mastery navigating social integrations within various developmental stages, including transitioning to adulthood. Our programs build well-being through nutritious food as well as through working with youth in a peer-to-peer model to gain confidence and self-esteem. Our programs in STEM and physical activity engage a spectrum of interests and activities. We nurture social and emotional needs and offer opportunities for young people to make connections with peers and skilled adults. Referrals to our camp come mostly from school principals, guidance counselors, and school clinicians as they know who is most at risk and who will benefit from our healthy and supportive environment. In 2020 our camp offered extended hours to help meet the needs of essential workers and working families already stressed with the effects of COVID-19.