Hispanic Family Camp Held at YMCA Camp Onyahsa
Seventy-five people representing eighteen families from the local Latino community attended the first ever, “Dia Familiar en el Campamento Onyahsa del YMCA” – Family Camp at YMCA Camp Onyahsa on Saturday, October 20. This event, made possible through a grant from the Jamestown Public Schools 21st Century grant, was intended to bring local Latino families, primarily of Puerto Rican origin, to camp for an enjoyable day of traditional Onyahsa activities. It also sought to educate families about after-school programs offered in the Jamestown Public Schools, as well as services available to them such as the reduced lunch program and literacy programs. According to Julie Poppleton, 21st Century Grants Director for the Jamestown Public Schools, “The Onyahsa Family Camp Day aligns nicely with our mission of purposeful collaboration in outreach, student support and service to our community. The event exceeded expectation: an extraordinary team effort produced extraordinary success!”
Several agencies were instrumental in bringing this family camp to fruition, including the Jamestown Public School System, Joint Neighborhood Project, Eastside YMCA, and YMCA Camp Onyahsa. “Joint Neighborhood Project was very happy to have been asked to collaborate on this project with the Jamestown Public Schools and Camp Onyahsa. It was a wonderful opportunity for our Hispanic families in Jamestown to experience what Camp Onyahsa has to offer.” stated Patty Perlee, Executive Director of JNP.
The event ran from 1:00pm to 7:00pm, and the day began with families rotating among several programs including archery, sports and indoor games. The later afternoon programs included fishing, decorating pumpkins, and hiking. Traditional Hispanic food was provided and enjoyed by all who were in attendance.
The evening concluded with a campfire and traditional camp songs after, which each family was presented with an award and book bag. “I think everyone will sleep well tonight, I know I will,” stated Samantha Ellis, one of the translators from the Joint Neighborhood Project who was also responsible for recruiting the majority of the families to attend the program. “Bilingual translators, like Samantha, were key to the success of the program,” stated Jon O’Brian, Camp Director, He then added, “This program supports our central mission to build strong kids, strong families, and a strong community. We hope to expand this event next year, and to encourage these families to send their children to our summer-long youth camps that promote child development among participants from diverse backgrounds. We thank the Jamestown Public Schools for their support and Joint Neighborhood Project for their assistance.”
The Camp administration hopes to make the family outing an annual event, and to bring more Latino children into the traditional summer camp program.