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There is literally a camp for every interest imagineable.
There are sports camps, adventure camps, as well as camps that specify in art and modeling, there is even a camp with dolphins, the kind that swim in the ocean. Nic Marconato is the director of the website called MySummerCamps.com.
“You can definitely sort by the type of camp that you want. You may want a day camp or overnight camp, and you can enter your zipcode. And then, you can specify the age of the camper, and then you can also sort by the activities that you would like your child to be doing at camp.”
Parents who may be on a tight budget can find affordable summer programs. Marconato says close to 90-percent of camps offer some type of financial assistance:
“There are many ways that parents can get either a discount or financial help, so I would recommend to parents that they should request more information about…institution can help.”
One institution that works with families in that regard is the Houston YMCA. COO Paul McEntire says there’s no reason why kids and their parents can enjoy the summer:
“Camp is a great time to build relationships. They make connections with their counselors that are adults, and those relationships help build self-confidence, self-esteem, they learn to work as groups. So, a lot of the things that help someone grow up to be an effective adult to perform well in school, though not directly academic, are built into our curriculum and out programs, not only at our day camps, but at our resident camp.”
Nanci Rutledge, director of financial development says Houston comes through when it comes to helping kids enjoy their time:
“Every dollar that’s donated, goes directly to the programs. None of it is used for administration. So every dollar donated, changes a child’s life in the inner city, low income, single parent families, children’s homes like DePelchin’s, the Boys and Girls Harbor, we turn no one away, due to the inability to pay.”
There’s still time to enroll at the various camps this summer. You can find more information on summer camps by going to www.mysummercamps.com, and the YMCA at www.ymcahouston.org.