The Salvation Army hopes to change that through a donation drive aimed at sending 125 homeless and impoverished Austin-area children to summer camps from June 13 through mid-August.
Jan Gunter, communications and community relations director for the Salvation Army Austin, said there are and estimated 80-100 children at Austin-area Salvation Army shelters on any given day and an additional 400-550 women and children on a waiting list to get into the shelters.
“[The number of homeless women and children in Austin] is a hidden crisis in the shadow of our economic prosperity in this community,” Gunter said.
Children attending day camps will participate in team-building activities, swim lessons, outdoor exploration, sports, games, talent shows and faith-building lessons, according to a Salvation Army news release.
Aside from the life skills and lessons that can be learned at summer camp, Gunter said the camps provide an invaluable service to the families whose children attend the camps.
She said while the child’s parent—most often a single mother—works or goes to school during the day, the children are taken care of at camps. Without that childcare, the parent would likely be unable to work or attend classes, furthering the cycle of homelessness, Gunter said.
“It really is a vehicle—in addition to all these other things about camp—it is a critical need that families have to help them to continue to move forward in their self-sufficiency plan,” Gunter said.
In addition to funds to pay for camp, Salvation Army Austin is seeking donations of supplies, including:
- Flashlight and new batteries
- Plastic water bottles with attached lid
- Sunscreen—4-8 oz.—SPF 30
- Travel-size toothpaste & toothbrush
- Baseball caps (for boys and girls)
- Hand sanitizer—2-4 oz.
- Beach towels
- Wash cloths
- Backpacks/beach bags
- Water shoes (for boys and girls ages 10-12)
- Insect repellent, individual size
- Sleeping bags (need 35)
- Socks (for boys and girls ages 6-12)
Donations of supplies can be made at any of the Salvation Army Austin's four Salvation Army Family Stores. Monetary donations can be made online or by texting "LOCAL" to 91999. Checks made out to the Salvation Army and marked "Summer Camps" can also be mailed to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1000, Austin, TX, 78767.
The deadline for donations is June 15. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/CampForKids.
CI Cares seeks to aid citizens in our communities affected by hunger and poverty in order to give them a chance to thrive.[/caption]Editor's note: The Salvation Army is the nonprofit Community Impact Newspaper has chosen to support in Central Texas for its CI Cares initiative. CI Cares seeks to aid citizens in our communities affected by hunger and poverty in order to give them a chance to thrive.
