Top 10 Reasons to Sponsor a Child to Kamp Kiwanis
10. Serves the Kiwanis Mission
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world, one child and one community at a time. As volunteers within your community you have the opportunity to pick an under served child to attend Kamp Kiwanis. By directly giving the gift of Kamp to a child you perpetuate a chain a giving that will hopefully come back to your community full circle with that child giving to someone else in need.
9. Your club will promote Health and Fitness
20 percent of NYC public school children are obese. Here at Kamp we fight that just by the existing. Kamp is active. Children move here from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Some activities include sports, hiking, dance and swimming. Kamp provides healthy meals and snacks and constant activities to keep kids moving.
8. Your club will introduce the child to Healthy Role Models
Here at Kamp we hire approximately 50 college aged staff to work, teach and supervise the children. Everywhere children look they will see someone that has come to work just with them. Staff are background checked and references are checked for each staff member. Staff are trained a minimum of 7 full days from 7:30 in the morning till 10 at night. Some are trained for up to 17 days just to work with the kampers. They will joke with them, play with them and teach them self reliance and kindness.
7. Your club will give the gift of Nature
A study by The Journal of the American College of Cardiology states that not only does exposure to nature make you feel better emotionally, but it can contribute to your physical well being, it has shown it can reduce blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the production of stress hormones. Here at Kamp we have 102 acres for the children to live, breathe and play in. A forest surrounds the property and is abundant with green life and living creatures. Children go fishing here, look for bugs and have nature hikes throughout the property.
6. Your club will lead a child toward Independence
Kamp allows parents/guardians a safe place for children to explore their independence and self reliance. Once they get to Kamp the children meet all of the new people they will live with for the next week. They make choices on the activities they want to do for the week and they will set up their bed and surrounding area for their own comfort, all without their parents/guardians guiding them and all within a safe setting. They may even pick to do activities outside of their comfort zone, as here at Kamp, there are no preconceived notions of their abilities. For many this power of choice allows them to flourish here at Kamp and extends into their lives at home.
5. Your club will open a door to Adventure
Adventure is the participation of an exciting, bold and sometimes risky undertaking. Kamp Kiwanis is all of those things. Kamp is loud and stimulating. Kamp allows children to be themselves and to be silly. It may be risky if a child has never been away from home before. It may be risky to a child if they have never sung or danced in front of an audience. It may be risky because a child most likely has never slept in a teepee before. But sometimes being bold and risky is a good thing and introducing that to a child in a safe, fun setting is allowing them to have adventures they never dreamed possible. Often that is hard to come by but at Kamp it is encouraged.
4. Your club will provide a child life long memories
Firsts in life are memory makers. Kamp is a place of firsts for many children. The first time away from home, the first time they slept in a cabin, the first time they catch a fish or the first time they canoe. Kamp is a place where children will laugh and make new friends. Kamp is a place that a child will remember forever. Kamp is a place where Kiwanians build tomorrow's memories.
3. Your club will keep a child unplugged for a week
Summer camp is one of the only places a child will be banned from electronic screens and they will thank the adults for it. There are no phones, video games or the internet at Kamp. Children are forced to play, speak and forge friendships without the assistance of electronics. Kamp is a place where children make interpersonal face to face connections. At Kamp we accomplish this by playing board games, telling stories and encouraging problem solving through empathy and body language. Your club will help to contribute to the lifelong skills of face to face communication for the children that you sponsor.
2. Your club will help conquer childhood hunger
One in five children in America today live in poverty and are hungry. 90 percent of children that attend Kamp Kiwanis qualify for the USDA Summer Food Assistance Program. Whilst at Kamp children are served three meals a day and one snack. If a child needs another snack then fruit or yogurt are always options for hungry children at Kamp. At home many of these children will go hungry but by sending them to Kamp your club is ensuring that for one week they are not hungry.
1. The smile on the child's face when they get off the bus
For many children, coming to Kamp is a scary proposition. They will get on a bus with 50 children they have never met before and three adults that look like an older brother or sister. Many are scared and have never left home before. Some children cry as they have no idea what is ahead of them. But throughout the week they have an amazing experience, meet new friends, do some incredible activities and learn many silly songs. They will eat, play games and laugh. At the end of the week they will get on that bus again with those same 50 children but they won't be strangers anymore. They will be friends. They will be sad that they have to leave this place but once they arrive at the bus stop they will see the faces of the people there to pick them up and they will smile. Smile because they missed their families but also because they succeeded in an amazing accomplishment. They will smile because they want to share their experiences and silly songs. They will smile because they want to show off their arts and crafts projects. They will smile because they want to introduce their new friends. They will smile because they had an experience of a lifetime, all because of you.
Column Posted on Web Site April 29, 2016
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated