The children at the NVFS SERVE Family Emergency Homeless Shelter have been enjoying the summer with a variety of activities and outings during the SERVE Shelter Summer Camp. Between the outdoor play and water games we managed to sneak in educational and developmental items like arts and crafts and STEM projects. The most popular activity though was the water games. To be fair, you can’t beat sprinklers and water balloons on hot, sunny days!
SERVE also welcomed some wonderful local groups who volunteered their time and expertise to add to the Campers’ summer experience. WonderGo, a local performing arts group with a focus on giving back to the community, inspired the kids during a comedy improv workshop. We were impressed by the kids’ displays of creativity and quick thinking. We also welcomed back the Caring Angels Therapy Dogs. Sprocket, pictured, is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people in stressful situations or who have experienced trauma. Sprocket’s gentle, loving nature welcomed the Camper’s affection and truly left us all feeling calmer, more positive, and happier.
One particularly popular outing was the field trip to the National Zoo. We enjoyed sharing the animals with the kids and for some of them it was even their first time visiting a zoo! The big cats were by far the favorite animal, and out of the big cats, the striped tiger truly took the show.
A special thanks to the incredible volunteers who collaborated with our staff to facilitate these fun and exciting camp activities and make this an unforgettable summer for the kids.