The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command

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Summer Day Camp in full swing
Some 400 area youth are participating in The Salvation Army's annual Summer Day Camp program thanks to the generosity of Houstonians supporting the social service agency

July 2 -July 1, 2009 - The Salvation Army

Youth participating in The Salvation Army's Summer Day Camp program at the Irvington Corps Community Center.

In the rush of morning traffic; in the hustle and bustle of daily commutes; hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 begin arriving at The Salvation Army’s four area corps community centers throughout the Greater Houston region.

They are there to participate in the Army’s annual Summer Day Camp program, which provides working parents a safe and affordable option for keeping their kids occupied during the long summer months.

Many have been to the summer day camps since they were eligible to participate at age five. Others are attending for the first time, and all seem to be having a great time as they partake in a host of opportunities that give them the option to finesse their acting skills, learn a few new hip-hop dance moves, play recreational sports, or hone their singing skills at an actual recording studio, all while their parents are at work.

“We get to do a lot of fun things with our friends here,” said a group of eager Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club members at the Aldine Westfield Corps Community Center recently. “This Friday we are going to SplashTown!”

In addition to Aldine Westfield the Pasadena, Northwest, and Irvington corps community centers are also operating Summer Day Camp programs at this time. Participating youth are engaged in various activities while at these sites, taken on weekly field trips, and fed twice a day on a daily basis. Parents pay a weekly fee of $25 to $100 for the care given by The Salvation Army staff and volunteers.

“They definitely get a lot of bang for their buck…that’s for sure,” says Doug Smith, executive director of The Salvation Army of Greater Houston’s Boys & Girls Clubs.
“We want them to leave with some great memories, and to come back next year.”

In order to participate in the Summer Day Camps youth should be between the ages of 5 and12, have their parent’s register them for the program, pay a small fee, and be members of The Salvation Army’s Boys & Girls Clubs. Nonmembers may pay the $5 to $12 annual fee to become a Boys & Girls Club member in order to participate in the Summer Day Camp program.

Currently more than 9,800 youth throughout the Greater Houston region are members of The Salvation Army’s Boys & Girls Clubs.