Registration is underway for Camp CommUnity, the non-profit summer camp program for incoming Kindergartners and children in grades one through six.
Amber Wakem, Administrator of Camp CommUnity, spoke with members of the Wimberley Rotary Club last week to give an update on the growth and needs of the camp programs. Camp CommUnity, in partnership with Wimberley Independent School District, will continue to host four weeks of Summer camps at the Scudder Campus, 400 Green Acres Road.
The camps meet an urgent need in the Wimberley community where parents struggle to find affordable childcare during the break. According to Wakem, 32 percent of WISD students are financially disadvantaged.
In addition to classes, students are given a hot breakfast and lunch and two snacks per day of healthy food. Last year, 5,640 meals were served, along with 726 snacks.
The camps also fill an important niche of minimizing summer learning loss among young students. When school dismisses in late May, many students enroll in WISD’s summer school during June. When that period ends, Camp CommUnity offers kids stimulating and informative programs until school gets underway in mid-August.
Teachers report that when school begins, less time is spent reviewing materials from the previous year if kids have had a structured learning environment during the summer.
In addition to the summer camps, Camp CommUnity provides programs during holiday breaks, spring break and afterschool programs.
According to Wakem, the first camps were held in Summer 2023 and the program continues to grow. In 2024, 4,563 campers attended, and 404 of those received scholarships.
Volunteers logged 1,684 hours, many of them WISD teens. The largest part of the budget goes to well seasoned, experienced teachers.
Camps will be conducted June 23 to 27, July 7 to 11, July 14 to 18 and July 21 to 25. With the assistance of community partners, a dedicated corps of volunteers and certified teachers, Wakem hopes to continue the Camp CommUnity programs into the future.
Scholarships to send one student to camp is $175. To sponsor a week of meals, the cost is $25. For a full week of after care, from 3:15 to 5 p.m.
The nonprofit welcomes donations of any size. Along with monetary donations, Wakem has a “wish list” of new and gently used items such as: · Sports equipment, used or new · Children and Young Adult books · Art supplies such as glue, paints, pencils and markers. They do not need to be new.
· Sewing materials, such as yarn, burlap, fabric and buttons · Woodworking supplies, such as wood and other construction ma- terials · Board games that fit the age profile of the students · Cooking supplies, pots and pans and ingredients · Working digital cameras · First Aid supplies · Snacks, such as Goldfish crackers · Misting electric fans · Stuffed animals To register your child, to volunteer, to donate supplies and equipment and money, and to sponsor other kids, go to campcommunity. org, or email Wakem at [email protected].
