Teens Tap Hollywood Choreographer for Homeless Kids' Benefit

(Abingdon, MD) – Katelyn O’Connor has been dancing for almost as long as she’s been walking. And, the joy she gets from the artform is what inspired her to team with a fellow dancer to plan a fundraiser benefitting a summer camp for area homeless children.

O’Connor and her dance buddy Elizabeth Wesdock, both age 16 and juniors at C. Milton Wright High School, have organized a beach-themed dance party they say will be a ton of fun, and they’ve solicited help from Hip Hop aficionado Lance Guillermo, who’s guest DJ for the event.

“I see myself as a Hip-hop connoisseur. The essence of Hip Hop and its culture is to uplift those around you especially those in need of uplifting. I feel it is my duty as an ambassador of Hip Hop to give back to organizations such as We Cancerve. It is the duty of the DJ is to keep the party moving in which I hope to set the tone for a fun time for everyone in attendance,” said Guillermo.

Guillermo’s choreography television credits include Disney Channel’s, “Lemonade Mouth”, “Shake It Up”, “SYTYCD” Season 12, ABC’s “Good Morning America”, and “The View”. His performance credits include the “American Music Awards”, “Good Morning America”, “The View” and the “Teen Choice Awards”. He has performed with music artists Imagine Dragons and Khalid, Lady Gaga, Ciara, and Gloria Estefan. Represented by The Movement Talent Agency, Guillermo is a resident instructor at the Rage Box Contemporary Dance Company in Forest Hill.

Rage Box owner Karen Muccioli is donating her studio for the party, which will be held there next Saturday, June 23 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $8 and funds raised will be donated to support Camp Happy, a free summer enrichment program created in 2015 by the We Cancerve Movement, Inc. O’Connor and Wesdock joined the nonprofit’s all-youth board of advisors earlier this year.

Camp Happy is held annually at Anna’s House, a transitional housing program in Bel Air for homeless women and children, and at Harford Family House, a transitional housing program in Aberdeen for homeless families including a father. O’Connor and Wesdock are both members of the non-profit’s all-youth board of advisors.

The Camp Happy model is simple, said We Cancerve Founder Grace Callwood, age 13. “We want to bring happiness to homeless children over the summer because their parents can’t afford to enroll them in traditional summer camps or take them on different vacations and trips to amusement parks or water parks like many of us experience over the summer.”

The idea to create the camp came directly from the people who will benefit from it.

“I wanted to donate books to Anna’s House in early Spring 2015 so my mom and I visited them and toured the area where the kids hang out while their moms go to routine meetings to learn about budgeting or get job coaching and stuff like that. We noticed that they already had a lot of books for the children there but one thing the case manager said they needed was summer enrichment for the children. She said many of them lag behind their peers socially and academically so an organized summer program that also incorporated fun was what she thought they needed,” recalled Callwood, a rising 8th grader at Edgewood Middle School.

Every day after school for almost a month, Callwood, then 10, bunked on her mom’s bed and surfed the internet for ways to create a summer camp model that would be free to children and parent, no or little cost to the transitional housing program and to We Cancerve and most of all create great summer memories for the children. She pulled from her own memories of fun summer activities and came up with the perfect name for her idea: Camp Happy. She pitched it to Anna’s House leadership who immediately adopted the program.

Harford Family House introduced first Camp Happy to their youth in 2016. Both locations rely on adult volunteers who serve as guest speakers and guest facilitators, youth volunteers who serve as junior camp counselors and aides, and sponsors who donate free and discounted services to the camp. In the first year, Flavor Cupcakery donated signature cupcakes to the closeout event. Last year, Klein’s Shoprite in Aberdeen donated a deli tray to the pool party and luncheon We Cancerve sponsored. This year, the Joppatowne Lions Club is sponsoring the BBQ at the close out events at both locations.

Some summer activities cost; even trips to the dollar movies and the local swimming pools add up quickly, said Callwood. On average, each site enrolls 10-15 children for camp. Money raised from this dance will help offset costs associated with ensuring the children have comfortable environments, summer bridge work and lasting memories like exciting field trips.

“But if the indoor camp sites need a couple of fans, money we raise from the dance will help their staffs buy those fans. If either site needs a new water hose, a portable cooler or a grill for example, the funds we donate to them will cover those,” explained Callwood. She said the money will also help cover transportation costs associated with field trips planned for happy campers, as they call camp goers.

“Doing this event to benefit homeless children is important to me because homeless children should be able to experience the same happiness as anyone else. Doing this event to raise money for Camp Happy can help them to achieve that happiness during the summer by allowing them a fun summer day camp,” said O’Connor. “Other kids should want to help homeless kids to have a fun summer because every kids deserves to have a fun summer.”

RSVP today for the dance at here. For more information about We Cancerve, email them at peoplewhocare@wecancerve.org.