The STARS Summer Enrichment Camp is not just any other summer camp. Hosted by the Center for the Visually Impaired, the two-week summer camp hosts elementary through high school students that provides them with the opportunity to continue their learning and development during summer months.
The summer camp is a part of the Social, Therapeutic, Academic, Recreational Services program that provides school-aged youth with the skills and self-confidence to live with vision loss. Comprehensive programming takes place year round in four components: after school, mentoring, summer camp, weekend recreational events.
Through the program, students gain confidence to set and attain goals for independence, education and employment. Many students consistently make significant academic progress, obtaining grade level promotion and graduating with a high school diploma (rather than a certificate of attendance or special education diploma, which are frequently not accepted for college admissions). STARS graduates have gone on to pursue advanced degrees in fields such as law, education and technology.
The summer camp programming, “allows for a continuation of academic enrichment, confidence building, social skills development, college and career readiness, and transition,” said Stephanie Pizza, interim director of children and youth services. “Students gain confidence to set and attain goals for independence, education and employment.”
During the first week, the staff and campers visited the Whispering Woods Braille Trail, GLASS library, Emory indoor swimming pool, and Coan Park. Activities included adapted tennis, swimming lessons and relays, creating tactile thank you cards for the Braille Trail, and student-led games at the Center.
The second week, themed “Foodie 2.0 Week,” was provided to middle and high school students to encourage a higher level of independence. Similar to week one, activities also included creating a shopping list for the camp’s first annual cook off. The students and staff shopped for the listed items, prepped the food using CVI’s adapted kitchens, and then worked within teams to cook the meals.
Additionally, the camp has a group of volunteered Buddy Guides (sighted volunteers) paired with the visually impaired kids during camp. This aspect of the camp breaks down barriers for both groups as they interact and gain a new perspective.
Volunteers support the camp as well as CVI’s overall mission. The community can support the organization by providing transportation, reading mail, helping with a special event, recording a book or providing classroom assistance with the children’s programs. Corporate groups are always welcome to help with events such as fundraisers and youth activities.
The STARS Summer Enrichment Camp had total of 24 students, while there are 107 kids actively involved in STARS throughout the course of a year.
“This camp helped me learn more skills and gain more independence,” said Ariel McDaniel, 16, from Snellville, GA, whose favorite activity was the cook-off. “Summer camp and STARS at CVI is a safe place where kids can belong - where we can gain the self-confidence and skills necessary to thrive.”
In other news: The Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation awarded the Gwinnett Tech Foundation a $10,000 grant to create scholarships to assist single parent students with childcare tuition. The grant provides tuition scholarships for children to attend the D. Scott Hudgens Jr. Early Education Center while their parents seek higher education and the opportunities it provides for their families. The D. Scott Hudgens Jr. Early Education Center provides a literacy-rich environment, which supports children from six weeks to eight years old.
Information: cviga.org
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