Drumheller FCSS has received a grant that will help young people attend summer camp despite financial limitations.
FCSS coordinator April Harrison tells the Mail, they have been successful in a grant application to offer a subsidy to lower and moderate-income families to attend the Sun’s Out Fun’s Out (SOFO) summer camps. It provides a sliding scale with up to 75 per cent discount.
“The grant is through Alberta Blue Cross, it is a COVID grant,” said Harrison. ‘We applied just to be able to provide a subsidy so as many kids as possible can go to camp knowing they have been stuck indoors for so long. We are just trying to reduce barriers.”
The camps are run outdoors, based at the Newcastle Recreation Area for youths 6-9 and 10-13. There is a different theme each week.
“One of the things we are really pleased with this year is the Family Resource Network is offering a session a week for us as well. This is doing some wellness stuff with the kids, doing a check-in, helping them think about their feelings in a fun way,” she said, adding AHS will also be offering some services.
“We know it has been, for some kids, quite the trauma, not being able to see their wider families, not being able to see their friends, not being able to go to school and see their teachers.”
She says the grant fits with the mandate of FCSS.
“FCSS is about preventative social programming to the community regardless of their household income,” she said. “The mandate of FCSS is to reduce barriers and meet community needs. And the reality is one of the community needs right now is kids not to be stuck in their houses.”
Harrison says there is a quick application available online at www.drumheller.ca as well as on the Drumheller FCSS Facebook page.
“We are very happy to offer a subsidy, it is something we have been hoping to offer for a few years and we are really pleased this funding has been made available,” she said. “We never want to exclude anyone and this just means everyone has a chance to be involved.”
