December Campaign 2013 3 of 4
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Greetings!
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Welcome to the third week of YES' December S'More Campaign. Each Tuesday in December we look forward to introducing you to a YES participant or family whose life you helped to enrich in 2013.
Make your gift count S'More! A YES donor has offered to match every online donation made in December up to $5000.
Thank you for being a YES supporter and for helping us to create more success stories in 2014.
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Sharmica and her younger siblings attended Family Camp for the first time in the fall of 2013.
"I feel that Family Camp brought us all out of our shells and we bonded as a family. The experience taught me to be more open minded and made me want to be more active in nature. We enjoyed hiking, the various activities, and getting to know the families that live in our community who we'd never met before. Since Family Camp, we've been spending a lot of time outdoors and have been going on hikes. I'd like to say thank you so much for giving my family and I the opportunity to get away, explore nature, have fun and get out of our comfort zones." - Sharmica, Fall 2013
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YES started providing Family Camps in 2004 so that parents would feel comfortable sending their children away to summer camp. Ten years later the camps have become valued institutions in the Central and North Richmond schools and neighborhoods where they are offered. Family Camp consists of five weekends each year where families spend meaningful time together with their loved ones and their community in nature. Each camp revolves around a central theme that is reinforced through team-building and camp recreational activities such as climbing wall, zipline, and archery. Families also participate in art, education and adult workshops and celebrate with music and laughter around the campfire. On average 25 volunteers act as guides and facilitators to support families during the camp weekend. All programming is translated in English and Spanish.
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2013 marked the 10th year of YES providing Family Camps to the underserved Iron Triangle and North Richmond neighborhoods. A total of 385 family members participated in the five Family Camp weekends with a majority being return families. After camp, 100% of the families reported wanting to spend more time in nature and to participate in community improvement activities back in Richmond.
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