Durham Summer Camp Focuses On At-Risk Children, Others

The Star Foundation begins its Fun in the Sun camp this week.

By: Josh Green | MyNC
Published: June 16, 2009

Brandon Williams spent part of Tuesday morning learning about Montana. The 12-year-old worked with a volunteer at Fun in the Sun Summer Camp to put a United States puzzle together.

"Every little memory you have of summer camp - it's precious," Williams said as he worked. "All the friends you make ... everything you do cause you might not ever have a chance like that again."

The Star Foundation, a non-profit community outreach and youth mentoring program in Durham, opened up this camp for the first time Monday to help kids put those small little pieces of summer into one big memory.

"Our focus is on at-risk children, who normally would not get to go to camp because of financial restraints or other economic factors," said Laurel Nicolosi, the education coordinator for Star Foundation. "But we welcome all children who don't have a summer camp to attend."

So far, 25 signed up. The camp can hold 100.

"Parents are losing their jobs. Programs that would normally pay for kids to go to summer camp are now saying they're having budget cuts," said Joyce Waller, founder and CEO of the Star Foundation.

"We want to reach out to those children who don't have a summer camp and say - somebody will pay for you to come. Somebody will give us a donation for you to come."

Waller said there are some staff members who have been working with the Star Foundation since March who have not been paid because of the economy.

"They have their heart in the right place, but we were supposed to have some funding from agencies that didn't come through," she said.

Nicolosi said there's a reason she's volunteered here.

"I've worked at summer camps before but it's always been - okay come in do your job and you get paid - for me, this is more of a labor of love," she said.

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE CAMP