Congressman Himes Visits Boys & Girls Club Of Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Campers at the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich had a special guest on Wednesday, as Congressman Jim Himes (D-4th) paid a visit to tour the facility and participate in Game Show Week activities.

The club has three camps — Clubhouse Camp, Teen Camp and Camp Simmons — which serve approximately 400 kids per week. Campers either live in Greenwich, or their parents work in town.

BGCG CEO Cristina Vittoria said she hoped Himes would see what goes on at the club during the summer, and she hoped the campers would learn a thing or two from an elected official.

"I think it's really a great opportunity for kids to meet their elected officials and understand their role in the community," Vittoria said. "I think it's important to engage kids early in civics and understanding how elections have an impact, and our representatives should really represent their community."

Himes assumed office in 2009 to represent the Fourth Congressional District, which covers most of Fairfield County and some of New Haven County.

On Wednesday, he visited soon-to-be fifth graders in Clubhouse Camp and played "Are You Smarter Than Your Congressman."

Himes faced off against each camper to answer various questions from Quizlet's fourth grade government quiz about government and how it operates. The end of the game focused on state capital trivia.

Himes lost in a landslide.

"I thought it was amazing," Himes said afterwards of the campers' knowledge of government.

Camp is currently in its eighth week. The cost to attend camp at the club is $175 per camper per week, or $150 in the early bird signup period. During the school year, every day after school and during school vacation days, club membership costs $75 per year.

Vittoria said the club gives out between $60,000 to $70,000 per year in reduced camp discounts.

"We want to make sure that no matter what, a family has the option to come to camp here," she said. "We work with the Department of Human Services, [nonprofit] Person to Person, and we make sure that every child who wants to come to camp can come."

After his appearance on Wednesday, Himes, a Greenwich resident, praised what the club offers the community.

"For generations in this town, this club has offered incredible opportunities for kids that might otherwise be sitting in front of a television or worse," Himes said. "People forget that in the town of Greenwich there are kids who don't have a lot of options, that don't have access to a swimming pool, and a lot of those kids come here and have opportunities that they might not ever have had."

Himes will seek reelection this fall against Republican and former Darien First Selectman Jayme Stevenson.