Back-to-school season is in full swing across the country, which means summer camp season is coming to a close. For many kids, camps are a home away from home, but for some, they are the only home they know.
Camp Homeward Bound is a summer sleepaway camp designed specifically for children who come from New York City homeless and domestic violence shelters.
Cici Johnson, 17, is now a counselor, but was just 8 years old when she first arrived as a camper herself.
“As I grew up in the shelter, I realized that I didn’t have an actual home. Coming to camp made me realize that this camp could be my home for the time being,” Johnson said.
The Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit, opened the camp 41 years ago. It’s funded through donations.
“We’ve had kids here who have experienced abuse — physical abuse, sexual abuse. Some of the kids have been in the shelter for six years. They really lose their childhood,” said Beverly McEntarfer, who has served as camp director for 19 years.
Childhood is cherished at the camp. Elijah Martinez, 11, enjoyed a rite of passage he’d missed at home: biking.
“Where I stay, no one lives near me. All my friends are far away. But here I get to train with my friends,” Martinez said. “It feels comforting, because I have someone to actually be with.”
Connection isn’t the only benefit — activities boost confidence as well.
“Here we do work a lot on character building, and just saying to someone, ‘You’re courageous,’ just to help build them up,” McEntarfer said.
After two weeks, the campers board buses for the ride back to the reality of their lives in New York City. Yet Cici Johnson says the confidence she gained has stayed with her. She plans to become a pediatric neurologist.
“I hope they realize that they do not deserve what they’re going through,” Johnson said of the campers. “Yes, some things can be hard, but things will get better, even if they don’t feel like it will.”
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