Church of the Living Hope
For more than 35 years, the Church of the Living Hope has been running a summer camp for youngsters ages 6 to 12 from East Harlem. The goal was, and continues to be, to provide recreational activities during the summer vacation in a safe and caring environment. The program includes spiritual, athletic, academic and cultural aspects, and teaches job skills. The camp lasts seven weeks and can accommodate approximately 45 children. The program is funded mainly through churches in our community.
Friends of PS 169 – Summer Camp
PS 169, The Robert F. Kennedy School, is a special education middle school located on 88th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. The students who attend the school are learning disabled and emotionally disturbed. Some of them are autistic and most are economically disadvantaged. Many are foster children and quite a few are homeless.
Friends of PS 169 is a neighborhood organization started about 45 years ago that works to enrich the lives of the children by tutoring, supporting literacy and educational programs and summer camp. Camp Ramapo in Rhinebeck, New York is host to PS 169 campers. It costs $2,160 to send one child to camp for three weeks. Summer camp outside New York City is a tremendous enrichment experience in the lives of these children and their families.
GirlsQuest
www.girlsquest.org
GirlsQuest began in 1935 with the mission to empower girls to become strong, productive and caring contributors to their communities through outdoor experiential education. The program offers girls from New York City their first camp experience, and year-round mentoring and leadership training.
Camp Oh-Neh-Tah, the GirlsQuest facility, is located on 464 acres 150 miles north of New York City on Silver Lake in the Catskill Mountains. Each summer, 300 girls attend camp — 100 per session. Ninety percent of campers are from families below the poverty level and 95 percent come from single-parent, grandparent or foster families.
Manna House
www.mannahousejazz.org
Founded in 1967, Manna House’s mission is to establish a sense of pride in youth by exemplifying the harmony that can be achieved among diverse cultural groups through jazz. Manna House is a grassroots nonprofit educational and cultural organization based in East Harlem serving all of the greater New York area. Manna House provides an alternative to the streets for children, teenagers and adults by offering educational programs in music, dance, and performing arts. Founded by Gloria DeNard, an alumna of the Julliard School of Music, Manna House strives to meet the needs of talented persons in this community.
St. Aloysius Education Clinic
www.saedclinic.org
The St. Aloysius Clinic is dedicated to providing educational, cultural and recreational programs to children. Founded in 1979, the organization serves inner-city youth and their families. The clinic operates eight programs: Academic Learning and Enrichment, Job Training, Counseling/Welfare, Preschool Literacy, PSAT/SAT Preparatory Classes, Reading is Fundamental, Running Start, St. Aloysius Education Clinic and Saturday Club.
Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center
www.isaacscenter.org
The Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center reaches across generations and cultures with innovative programming that encourages growth and self-reliance throughout every stage of life. Bridging the neighborhoods of Yorkville and East Harlem, the Center provides educational and cultural opportunities and promotes social and physical well-being while responding to the changing needs of the communities it serves.
Founded in 1964 in the settlement house tradition, Stanley Isaacs services include Meals on Wheels, adult day services, a senior center of over 2,100 members, after school and evening programs for children and teens, youth employment services, adult education classes, community, cultural and educational events and workshops, and parent education. Stanley Isaacs has a track record of program innovations that have served as models for others in the fields of older adult services, adult education and youth services.
This ministry offers volunteer opportunities to provide fellowship to a lonely elder; assist the elderly in shopping or medical visits, and assist staff at the senior center, particularly during lunch time. For more information, please visit the Stanley Isaacs Center website.
Trail Blazers
www.trailblazers.org
Trail Blazers’ core program is the Summer Outdoor Experiential Education Program. Approximately 300 children spend 24 days each summer living at the camp’s rustic site in rural New Jersey. Trail Blazers’ Summer Program encourages the development of academic and social skills as well as self-esteem. Conservation and respect for the natural world are also emphasized. Trail Blazers also works to combat the achievement gap. Summer participants receive at least three hours of academic enrichment each day through hands-on workshops in environmental science, math and literacy. A study completed by an independent evaluator reported that after attending a single session at Trail Blazers, children improved by one letter grade in school.
The program focuses on noncompetitive, educational activities. There are no competitive sports or contests at Trail Blazers – instead, activities emphasize the growth of the “whole” child emotionally, socially, intellectually and physically. Children learn by doing, rather than through lecture.