Camp for homeless youth champions youth mentors too

Abingdon, Md. – In about six weeks, school halls, cafeterias and even classrooms will be filled with stories of how fellow classmates spent their summer vacations but somewhere moving through the crowds trying to go unnoticed will be homeless students whose summer routines won’t be as hype-worthy as many of their peers.

Unless, of course, they attended Camp Happy.

Youth who live at Anna’s House in Bel Air and Harford Family House in Aberdeen went horseback riding, visited a dairy farm, enjoyed a mid-week movie outing, spent hours at a local pool and hosted a variety of guest presenters ranging from retired Soldiers to a Zumba instructor and a soccer coach.

Camp was totally free to these youth and their parents.

To manage that, the all-youth board of advisors of the We Cancerve Movement, Inc., who created this camp in 2015, come up with the happy campers’ daily schedules.

“Through networking, we figure out who among our group knows people who would volunteer their time and resources to these children and we simply ask them,” explained Grace Callwood, age 13.

Harford Family House partner Empower4Life, a Baltimore-based nonprofit, has played a significant role in planning Camp Happy activities for the past two years.

“Empower4Life is a really great partner. They dedicate a lot of time and energy to the children, which makes it fun-filled for everyone. We’re very grateful to all of our camp supporters and all they bring; the campers definitely enjoy their contributions,” said Callwood, a rising eighth grader at Edgewood Middle School.

Over the years, other supporters have include the Iota Nu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. New this year is the Joppatowne Lions Club.

Callwood created the camp after meeting with Anna’s House staff and learning the importance of a summer enrichment program for homeless youth in their program.

“I was 10 years old at the time and I didn’t realize that homeless youth often struggle academically because they move a lot and because of their lack of permanent housing, they probably worry a lot about where they’ll sleep or what they’ll eat and when they’ll bathe,” said Callwood. “So we sponsor this camp to give homeless students fun summer memories to last a lifetime.”

What’s unique about this camp, Callwood said, is that it’s designed by kids for kids, and area youth serve as junior camp counselors, or buddies to the homeless children.

Jaydn Betters, 13, joined We Cancerve’s all-youth board of advisors this year and at its kickoff meeting this spring, she immediately joined the camp’s planning committee. Betters organized the equestrian center and farm visits.

“I figured that most kids loved animals but don’t have an opportunity to interact with farm animals. I know I love the farm and I find it fascinating to learn where our milk comes from,” Betters said, who also volunteered as a junior camp counselor. “And, I loved how the kids got to ride on the horses that I escorted I also liked that both Anna’s House and Harford Family House kids were able to meet each other during these trips.”

Destani Fitzgerald, age 11, attended Camp Happy for the first time this year. She said she thought camp was awesome because “instead of sitting in the house and being bored, they took us fun places. On the first day, they took us horseback riding and I’ve never been. I was so fun!"

On average, We Cancerve recruits 12 junior camp counselors for Camp Happy. These youth help facilitate activities, serve as youth mentors and role models, and assist staff and guests. This year, We Cancerve had a record number of 18 junior camp counselors. To date, about 60 homeless children have participated in Camp Happy. In August, We Cancerve will expand to a third site: Eastside Family Emergency Shelter in Rosedale.

“Coming up with Camp Happy really bridged a gap for us that otherwise we would not have had and we’ve been able to offer this to our younger kids who normally kind of coast along with mom,” said Amanda Morlok, case manager at Anna’s House who inspired Callwood to create the summer enrichment program. “Now we’ve been able to directly service them and help them. In this way, we’re helping mom through the kids and that’s pretty awesome.”

According to data provided by the Maryland State Department of Education, there were approximately 16,521 school-aged youth experiencing homelessness during the 2015-2016 school year. MSDE also reports that there were between 385 to 461 homeless youth enrolled Harford County Public Schools for the school years 2012 through 2016. That’s more than the total student population at more than one of the county’s elementary schools.

“Camp Happy was a fun experience. I loved interacting with the kids and teaching them cool science experiments. I liked that we were able to give them a fun camp that they may not have been able to attend,” said Betters, a rising eighth grader at Bel Air Middle School. “I am proud to say that I helped kids enjoy their summer. I’m also happy if they are able to learn something along the way.”

She said, “you don’t need money to have a great time. You need great people to spend your time with and you’ll always have fun.”

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We Cancerve was established in 2012 to bring swift solutions to sick, homeless and foster children because happiness shouldn’t have to wait. Run by an all-youth board of advisors, who are under the age of 18, We Cancerve operates a full-service clothing boutique at a Bel Air group home for teen girls in foster care and hosts an annual breakfast food drive for homeless children. We Cancerve also created a pediatric patient assistance fund at Sinai to help offset costs associated with medical care for sick children, particularly at the pediatric hematology and oncology clinic. For more information about We Cancerve, email peoplewhocare@wecancerve.org.