Kalamazoo moms host neighborhood summer camp to keep kids active and learning
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — With the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled many summer programs for children, moms Iesha Williams and Sharon Hutchins decided to keep their neighborhood's youth active and learning this summer.
The two moms are from Interfaith Homes, where they put on the program outside, every single day for local youth. Children of all ages and from all neighborhoods are welcome.
They said they started with a small group of about 15 kids two weeks ago. Now they have about 75 kids coming to the program every afternoon.
Out of their own pockets, Williams and Hutchins said, they are supplying food and activities for the kids.
Once community members heard about the program, they rallied around the moms, who were able to raise $2,200 in less than 24 hours to keep the program going.
"We had so many donations it blew us away," Hutchins said. "We didn't expect this at all, but we appreciate it and trust me every dollar that we get is going towards these children."
The women said to keep the kids' brains sharp, they are incorporating learning with daily reading and journaling before the kids can start activities, which include arts and crafts and movie nights.
“To make sure the kids when they do go back to school, that they’re on point. So that they didn’t lose anything over the summer or while they were out of school," Williams said. "We’re also doing it in a way that’s fun and they don’t actually know that they’re learning, but they are."
Williams said they are hosting the program to bring Kalamazoo kids together and keep them out of trouble.
"Some kids don’t have parents or role models. They don’t have both parents in the home and it’s sad because we have kids their age," Williams said. “Right now, we are basically all they have and sometimes people forget about the kids and families in the low-income areas. They don’t really have everything that they need and we are trying to help with that."
Hutchins said this is a hard time for kids and she wants to make sure they are taken care of.
“Some of them don’t have food due to the pandemic, so we’re making sure we feed them, that is one of our main goals," Hutchins said.
The moms said they are taking safety precautions, during the ongoing pandemic, ensuring that the kids wear masks and practice social distancing. The kids are also sticking with the group of kids they live with and the adults said they are disinfecting everything.
The women said they hope to keep the program going through the rest of the summer and even into the fall and winter if they can find indoor space to host the program.
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