• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Recreation / Entertainment / Camp helps disadvantaged

Camp helps disadvantaged

July 8, 2004 By admin

It’s summer-camp season, and a special opportunity is available for some disadvantaged kids who might not otherwise have much of a chance at summer fun. Mary Lou Garcia is executive director of Wildwood Hills Ranch, a 400-acre facility near St. Charles, about 25 minutes south of Des Moines. There’s a 9-acre lake with a water slide as well as canoes, kayaks and paddleboats, there’s horseback riding, mountain bikes, a sports field, basketball and volleyball court, art building and a confidence-building course. In the off-season, the facility’s even rented out for executive business retreats, but in summer Garcia says local counselors refer at-risk kids to come to camp free. They work with other organizations from the Department of Human Services to schools to Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers and Big Sisters programs. Counselors and directors focus with the kids on team-building, character and leadership, so while they’re having fun, positive principles are woven in to the experience. Those skills can help the kids make their lives different from what they’ve been up to now, she explains. Garcia says kids are divided by age and gender as soon as they arrive for a camp session. The teams of 8 to ten kids have two or three counselors, and together they “rotate” through all the activities in the camp, working, playing, even eating and sleeping as a group. The faith-based, nondenominational camp weaves in lessons on character with the summer fun, and Garcia says there’s no shortage of high school and college-age counselors though the work’s demanding and low-paying. The Iowa Hospitality Association supports the camp, which is free for the at-risk kids.For three weeks there’s also a paid camp anyone can send a child to, and that helps raise money for the rest of the sessions — she says at-risk children come at no expense so they do conferences, retreats and the paid camp to fund scholarships. For more information surf to www.wildwoodhills.com

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Recreation / Entertainment

Featured Stories

Iowans 65+ now eligible in next phase of Covid vaccinations

Bill would remove transfer limits in five Iowa school districts

Former Iowa sports talk host sentenced to federal prison for ticket scams

Feenstra only member of Iowa delegation not at Biden’s inauguration

Congresswoman Axne favors Biden pandemic relief plan, Hinson not ruling out a ‘yes’

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

UNI adds two nonconference games to basketball schedule

Iowa State-Kansas postponed

Iowa-Michigan State postponed

Fire damage to Riverfront Stadium electrical system will cost Waterloo thousands

Iowa State at Kansas State postponed

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC