Summer camp being held on Sprigg Street

Neighborhood children and some from Jackson are gathering at the Cape Area Family Resource Center to enjoy summer camp until Aug. 8. About 60 to 70 children daily are attending the camp.

The program begins at 11:30 a.m. daily and ends at 4 p.m. for those not participating in free dance lessons. Children aged 6 to 17 benefit from having a place to go that doesn't cost their parents anything.

"The biggest challenge we face is funding," said director Pat Brey. "Our priority is to keep the program free. Parents who bring their kids here can't afford to pay for a camp."

Donations are always welcome. The camp is currently seeking a portable basketball hoop.

Brey's daughter, Tiffany, teaches ballet, tap and jazz dance at the camp. She is a certified Dance Masters of America teacher. Her salary is made possible through a United Way grant.

Camper Elizabeth Johnson Carter, 10, who is taking dance lessons for the first time, said she wants to be a singer, dancer and cheerleader. She likes to perform, go on field trips and see her friends there.

Ja' Ryan Bland walks to the camp located on Sprigg Street. If he wasn't attending summer camp he'd be at his friends' houses.

"My favorite thing is going on field trips and the computers," he said.

Southeast Missouri State University students Susan Bundy and Thomas Drummond are assisting Carron Drummond, youth supervisor at the camp.

"We have to make use with what we have," said Thomas Drummond, a practicum student majoring in recreation. "We lack the resources for a good summer program."

The campers have enjoyed visits from Kids Be Fit, a Southeast Missouri Hospital exercise program available through Main Street Fitness; John Spear at the juvenile office in Cape Girardeau; storytellers from the Cape Girardeau Public Library; and programs on anger management from Tender Hearts Child Therapy Center.

"Things have changed since my kids were coming up," said secretary Rhoda Riley. "We took turns keeping them in each other's houses. This is a place for kids to go in South Cape."

The camp is funded by the United Way and Weed and Seed, and lunch is provided by East Missouri Action Agency.

When school begins, the camp will be replaced by an after-school program.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133