News & Stories

It was a joy to connect with dozens of our camper families in June and July through our new Camp2U program. While we had hoped that our next step could be a weekend retreat for campers this fall, the health risks of a children’s event remain high. We are excited, instead, to offer two family retreats, one September 25-27 and one  October 9-11.

Family retreats will be an opportunity for our campers, with their caregivers and other household members, to get out of the house and into a fun, loving environment where they can grow closer to God, and closer to their family. A number of health measures will be in place to ensure these retreats are safe and that risk is limited. Please stay tuned for registration details.

After one month of our Camp2U program, our team has served nearly 50 families, one at a time, in Decatur, Douglasville, Atlanta, Fairburn, Powder Springs and Marietta. We have enjoyed sharing socially distanced picnic lunches while connecting with parents and Camp Hope Kidz! Each family is leaving not only with smiles on their faces, but with a grocery box and “Camp-in-a-Box” full of games and activities to bring the fun of Camp Hope to their home.

Thank you to MUST ministries, our community donors, and local churches throughout Atlanta that made this possible!  We are looking forward to the visits we have planned for the coming weeks, but you can check out the photos from our visits so far right here!

To our Camp Hope Family,

We are sad to know state leaders have formally determined overnight camp is an unsafe activity this summer.  Our disappointment is heavy, but we understand and agree with the decision, and always want to do what is best for these kids we love so very much!  One of our favorite camp songs pulls from scripture reminding us, “Though our sorrows may last for a night, His joy comes in the morning!”

Our team has been working for weeks in anticipation of this possible outcome to design revised, meaningful summer programming that will allow us to continue toward our essential mission of providing stability, opportunity, and a Christian community.  Highlights of our plans include:

JUNE/JULY:

• Camp2U:  Visits to each camper family to deliver food, supplies, and materials for fun camp activities that can be done at home.  This will allow us the opportunity to check in with each family to see how we can best provide support.  UPDATE:  We have met with many families over the past two weeks for fun and fellowship, and will continue our deliveries over the next two weeks!
• A virtual capstone project for Interns4Tomorrow students who can’t visit businesses in June.  This includes student-led Zoom interviews with several professionals in their fields of interest.  UPDATE:  The first two weeks have gone well for our interns.  They are quickly learning the importance of planning and following through in order to succeed!

JULY (THESE PLANS ARE STILL TENTATIVE):

• Day-long “camp style” activities for small groups of youth, providing community and a much needed but safe, break from isolation.
• Small-group support activities for parents coinciding with activities for kids.
• Disbursement of school supplies to camper families to support either distanced, or traditional, learning in the fall.  UPDATE:  Our target date is August 4 – look for more details to come!
• Possible in-person internships for students in the Interns4Tomorrow program, if safe.  If not remote projects and training opportunities will continue, allowing students to earn this promised income.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER:

• Overnight weekend retreats for each age-group of campers, whenever this is deemed safe.
• Continued individual support for families as needed, including emergency financial assistance and resource referrals.

Thank  you to the volunteers who donated items for our Camp2U boxes!  We will communicate more on volunteer and financial needs associated with these activities in the upcoming weeks, and this plan won’t be possible without you!

We are grateful knowing this community will be there to help ensure our youth feel the love of the Lord, and their Camp Hope Family, throughout the summer.  Praying for you and that your families are safe and well!

Christina Cummings

 

Our sincere thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this such a special celebration! We had 140 K2l volunteers, donors, friends, staff and former campers and their families gather to honor our founder, Diane Parrish, and celebrate 20 years of serving children on inmates. Thanks to Ms. Donna, our dedicated Camp Hope photographer, who captured the evening perfectly in pictures – check them out! Look for more photos to come in a special edition of the Newsletter in December!

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

This summer we joyfully celebrated our 20th anniversary of Camp Hope! We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the community of supporters God has provided over the past two decades. We hope you will join us on November 2 at our gala event at Olde Towne Athletic Club in Marietta as we commemorate this milestone and honor our founder, Diane Parrish, and her husband Ray, for their vision, commitment and love of our children. We will celebrate with a night of dining, dancing and shopping our awesome silent auction items. Dress for the evening is Cocktail Attire.

Interested in being a sponsor? CLICK HERE to download a list of opportunities or contact Melanie Kleekamp for more information. You can now sign up for sponsorships or purchase tickets online by clicking the button below: