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Hello Summer!The Systemic Impact on Families
Poverty is often a structural failure of society, not a personal one. Lacking options and luck are factors.
For many families, summer isn't just a break, it's a financial and child care crisis. When school ends, parents in low-income communities often face impossible choices between working and providing safe, enriching care for their children.
The Economic Hardship Simulation
Experience the daily realities of living with limited resources through this game, SPENT. By stepping into these shoes, you can better understand why your support for camperships is a lifeline for stability and opportunity in our community.
Use this interactive tool to navigate a month of living on a tight budget. See firsthand how rising childcare costs (which have increased by 41% nationally) impact a family's ability to thrive.
Learn how your contribution to our summer camp project empowers youth and bridges the gap for families facing these systemic challenges.
How We Empower YouthWhen we provide camperships to youth in underserved communities, they gain access to structured environments that foster resilience, empathy, and social-emotional skills.
By removing the financial barriers to summer programming, we prevent the "summer break gap" for working families and empower young people to return to their communities with increased self-esteem and a stronger readiness to contribute.
The SolutionThrough your generosity, a child can experience a summer of growth. Your gift of $100 a month sends one youth to a week of overnight summer camp, providing the mentors and opportunities they need to thrive.
Educational Media & Book Nook
Children’s Book:
Far Apart, Close in Heart by Becky Birtha
Graphic Novel:
When the Stars Are Scattered by Sam Kahiga
Memoirs:
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Nonfiction:
Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Documentaries:
Born Poor (PBS Frontline)
Crip Camp (Netflix)
Human Flow directed by Ai Weiwei (Amazon Prime or Apple TV)
Shows:
Maid (Netflix)