Camp Lots-of-Fun was LOTS OF FUN!

That’s a wrap on summer 2022, and another year of Camp Lots-of-Fun! This summer was a particularly special year for Family Promise’s two-week day camp, as many of the restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. We’re happy to report that for the first time since 2019, we welcomed back boys and girls from the Center for Hope and Safety and new this year from the Bergen County HEARTS Program, offering a safe and fun camp experience for even more deserving children!

Our campers enjoyed visits to the pool, a tour of Veolia North America’s Haworth water cleaning facility and outdoor classroom, and a trip to Pony Power Therapies, where they groomed horses and learned about farming. There was so much to do back at the Camp Lots-of-Fun home base as well, which again this year was the spacious and beautiful offering of St. Catharine Church in Glen Rock. Campers loved the visit from two Bright and Beautiful therapy dogs, a special Carnival Day, a dance party with DJ Scott Reddin, and much more! The hot August days called for plenty of water play and there were varied STEAM, literacy, and art projects for all ages.

Camp was led by our new and amazing camp staff – Camp Director Tara Brannan, Assistant Director Nicole LaBroseur, and Head Counselor Abbie Kelemen. Fortunately, they had the support of our own Fran Robertson who returned to camp this year to organize and help serve every breakfast and lunch.

As soon as Tara came on board in early July, she hit the ground running. She and Family Promise’s new Office Administrator, Emily Marques, worked closely to coordinate all of the details for camp, from trips to activities to meals and beyond -to ensure that this summer was a success.  We are so grateful to both of them for all of their hard work!

For the second year in a row, we offered stipends to our teen counselors for their time at Camp Lots-of-Fun, opening up jobs for teens who must earn an income during the summer and an opportunity to diversify our staff. As always, our teen counselors were wonderful, connecting with our campers and making them truly feel special by the individual attention they received. Thank you!

Camp Lots-of-Fun was made possible through the support of many individuals, corporations, and foundations, including the Robert & Joan Dircks Foundation, the Owens Foundation, Sharp Electronics, Visions Federal Credit Union, Veolia North America, and Columbia Bank. We also want to extend a special thank you to BD for supplying new backpacks and school supplies for our campers.