The City of Atlanta’s Office of Recreation’s summer program, Camp Best Friends, is in full swing with the assistance of important volunteers. With reductions in the budget and staff, and facility closures, Camp Best Friends is still thriving this summer with more than 2,200 campers.
“We are exceeding our expectations for enrollment,” says Charlene Braud, Office of Recreation Director. “Parents realize the value of the Camp Best Friends experience for their children.”
As with most cities faced with the national recession, the Office of Recreation was forced to close facilities and reduce staff. In response to that hardship, the Office of Recreation has created a partnership with a national community service group, the Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps who provide staffing assistance.
“They are offering assistance when we need it the most,” says Braud. “Through these partnerships, we’ve staffed recreation centers, kept after-school programs running and built playgrounds for the community.”
The Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps (GYAC) is a program of Operation REACH, Inc., a New Orleans-based community education nonprofit resource, that places college-age AmeriCorps volunteers into leadership roles in the youth services sector, providing needed support to these programs as well as valuable service-learning experiences. Six volunteers are currently located at two recreation centers.
“The Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps has a track record of assisting communities in restoring youth services in times of crisis, whether it is a natural disaster or during an economic recession,” says Operation REACH, Inc. CEO Kyshun Webster. He continues, “we will continue to expand our reach in the Atlanta area to ensure a community where young people can live, learn, lead, thrive and grow. “
Camp Best Friends is open to children and youth ages 6-17. Campers are located at 11 sites including a residential camp and 5 specialty camps for tennis, swimming, track and field, basketball and golf. There is also a Camp Best Friends for children with special needs and a Golden Age Club Camp Best Friends for Senior citizens. Camp Best Friends offers swim sessions, field trips, and indoor and outdoor games and activities.
The 2009 summer season runs June 1 through July 24, and the extended camp will be available from July 27 – August 7 at 4 locations throughout the City of Atlanta.
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The Office of Recreation is a division of the City of Atlanta’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, a nationally accredited agency. The mission is to provide quality professional recreational services and programs to all citizens of Atlanta through balanced, enjoyable and affordable activities.
The Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps is a program of Operation REACH, which engages more than 10,000 youth each year across the South through its cradle to career pipeline of programs. The mission of Operation REACH’s Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps is to engage, empower, and inspire community-focused youth leadership in the American South. For more information, visit www.operationreach.org or www.thegyac.org.