The mission of Camp AmeriKids is to enhance the lives of youth in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut who are infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS by providing a traditional summer camp experience, year-round skill building, and a supported transition into adulthood. The goals of Camp AmeriKids are to provide respite for the children and their families; to create opportunities for socialization and exploring new interests in a learning environment; and to enhance the children's life skills. Every summer we host 250 children ages 6 - 17 at our campsite in upstate New York. Campers are able to spend time outdoors while engaging in a variety of activities like sports, swimming, drama, poetry, African drums, dance, arts & crafts and more. They can roast marshmallows, catch frogs, and star gaze. Camp AmeriKids is offered entirely free of charge.
In additional to our summer program, Camp AmeriKids also runs a year round Leader-in-Training ("LIT") program. The LIT program was designed in response to the needs of older campers who are "aging out" of the camp program. Our Leaders in Training are 16-17 year old former campers who stay connected to the Camp AmeriKids community through planned monthly cultural days in NYC and weekend teambuilding retreats. During the summer, some LIT program participants attend Camp as Junior Counselors to practice their leadership skills by helping out in the younger cabins. The goals of the program are to continue the promotion of positive self-esteem through life skills and leadership training. We will give adolescents tools to succeed in their ability to set and achieve life goals, and to become active and engaged community members.
Thanks to the PZ Foundation, members of our Camp AmeriKids Leader-In-Training Program have enjoyed two Cultural Day field trips in NYC.
For the first trip, held on May 23, 2007, our group of LITs toured a music production studio in Brooklyn. They had the opportunity to participate in the creation of song tracks, editing, and the development of different sound techniques. From there, the group traveled into New York City for a pizza lunch followed by a trip to the off-Broadway musical "Stomp". After the inspiring performance, our LITs had the opportunity to meet the performers and ask questions. It was a truly memorable experience.
Our second sponsored Cultural Day made possible by the PZ Foundation included a trip to the Public Theater in Manhattan on December 8th, 2007. Our LITs saw a play called "The Brothers Size" which touched on issues of family, loyalty between friends, race, ambition and the difficult decisions we must sometime make in order to stay on the "right path".
We are grateful to the PZ Foundation for recognizing the value and potential of our youth and for allowing us to bring new and uplifting experiences into their lives. Our program has been significantly enhanced by your generosity and commitment, and we are honored to have you as our partner.
