Summer Camp Update

Third Annual Broad Creek Summer Camp
a Big Success!

Twenty-Three students participated in the Third Annual Broad Creek Summer Literacy Camp which ended July 24, 2008.  The five week camp at Richard Bowling Elementary School in Norfolk, VA included the following components: literacy tutoring, art awareness, music appreciation and sports.  The one-to-one (Project Light) literacy tutoring focused on comprehension, grammar, and phonics.  The summer campers were also exposed to age appropriate Bible stories to encourage character and moral development.  Students expanded their creative abilities through the art awareness segment and deepened their understanding of different musical forms through the music appreciation classes. Some coaching in tennis, ice skating and martial arts broadened their horizons in the area of sports. The weekly field trips to the Botanical Gardens, Virginia Sports Museum, Luray Caverns, Virginia Children’s Museum, the Chef’s Academy and the Norfolk City Jail stimulated the imagination of the children and served as a reward for their good behavior.  The significant partnership with Richard Bowling Elementary School and the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority allows us to continue our commitment to enrich the lives of children for a brighter tomorrow.  If you would like to volunteer at a literacy tutor during the academic year, please contact the LEC at 757-623-6001.

2006 Summer Camp Update

The Broad Creek Community Youth Connection Summer Camp which started on July 11 and ended on August 18th was a huge success!  Twenty literacy volunteer tutors were recruited to help 20 students from Richard Bowling Elementary School improve their reading and comprehension skills.  The students met with their tutors for one hour Monday-Thursday.  The literacy component was followed by sports, art awareness, and music appreciation segments, each lasting for an hour.  Fridays were devoted to a community service activity.  On Friday, July 29 and August 11, the students visited the Franklin Arms Senior Citizens complex in Norfolk to share some of the things that they learned during their art and music appreciation classes. It was amazing to witness the powerful dynamic between the students and the seniors. The seniors were charming and warm and were revered by the young campers.

Richard Bowling Elementary School personnel including, Mrs. Brenda Shepherd, principal, Mrs. Mamie Johnson, instructional specialist and Broad Creek civic league president, and Ms. Dominique Lawson guidance counselor were instrumental in the development and implementation of the camp.  They have invited the LEC back to partner with them in addressing the intellectual, social, cultural, and spiritual needs of both the students and the adult residents of the historic Broad Creek community.  The Fall 2006 kick-off outreach is the “Back-to-School” initiative which will provide approximately 400 students at Richard Bowling with back packs and school supplies.

Strategic Partnerships to Impact a Community
The following organizations formed a formidable partnership to implement the 2006 Broad Creek Community Youth Connection Summer Camp:

• Richard Bowling Elementary School and The Life Enrichment Center collaborated to develop the Camp’s mission, content, structure in addition to recruiting and training the tutors and program coordinators. 
• The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority provided two new vans to transport the students to and from the camp.  NRHA also transported the students and camp personnel to the service events and the various field trips.
• Sheep Shed Ministries Inc accessed monies from the USDA to underwrite the expenses for meals for the campers, tutors, and coordinators. 
• The Norfolk Public School Board approved the use of the school
• Norfolk City Jail hosted the students and gave them a tour of the facility.
• Residents of the Franklin Arms Senior Citizens facility provided wise counsel and encouragement to the students as they presented material they had learned from their camp experience.
• Students participated in a half-day basketball camp hosted by Lake Taylor High School on Saturday, July 29, 2006.  Each camper received a t-shirt and an excellent picnic lunch. 
• Project Light donated the literacy software ($400. value per computer) to the summer camp.

We are blessed with this opportunity to work closely with other organizations and individuals to ensure that Broad Creek is restored to its original splendor.  Significant renewal is occurring as old housing is being replaced by new structures giving the community a facelift.  However, in order to sustain this renewal, the hearts, minds, and the spirits of its citizens must be transformed.  Our mission is to help facilitate a new way of being, and a new way of thinking, which will incite a new way of living.  Our earnest prayer is that the Kingdom of God is expanded and that He is glorified in and through all of our outreach endeavors!!

Kevin H. Turpin
Executive Director