RC Kids Day Camp in Portland!
After teaching kids in our newly sprouted Root Cellar classrooms through the past winter and spring, we were happy to collaborate with East End School and welcome 30 children into our RC Kids Summer Day Camp!
We can’t talk about the kids without introducing you to a few!
There was Albertina, (6) who had an invisible pogo stick and was prone to leaping from her chair and dancing wildly at unusual moments. And there was Nicky, (7) who loved to draw and whose artwork and I love you cards ended up on everyone's desks and office walls. Then there was Klever, (9) who was really very clever and always had piercing questions. And I can't leave out Mumina, (7) who's shyness was overcome by her sweet smile and her constant desire to help. Of course Isabel (7) soon became a leader for all of us, shining the way with her brilliant ideas and constant care for all the other kids.
Those are only a few of the wonderful little lives that we became part of through the summer.
Many of these kids were new to The Root Cellar and we found, once again, that we fell in love with our littlest neighbors on Munjoy Hill, East Bayside and Kennedy Park.
Programs were packed full of many elements that included scientific discovery, baking with C. Love Top Chef, Katherine Slevin, sports in the park, beach days, and exploring the natural fauna and flora around us.
We also sprinkled in healthy doses of quiet creative time and one-on-one pauses for reading together.
Partners, Volunteers and Longtime Friends stepped up
We were thankful for a large group of volunteers that came and helped with the programs. Richard Hagerstrom from The Supreme Court Jesters joined us to run weekly magic shows, while teaching juggling and even a few magic tricks that kids could do at home! There were always many oohs and aahs for his classes.
One of Root Cellar “Alumni”, Yousra, taught hip hop classes with the kids, letting them collaborate on the best moves. Other Root Cellar veterans, Nancy Gunnoe and Mary Stockmeyer built a 5-week discovery class where kids could experiment and experience science and geometry in action.
We partnered with an amazing team from Mayo Street Arts who offered artistic enrichment in the forms of puppetry, drumming, dance, improv, stitching, and literary programming.
Teens at work
We were also thankful for a group of young teenagers who joined a new Teen Work Experience program serving as Teen Mentors. These teen positions were integral to our success as they provided youth leadership as role models in the community. They were required to be a part of the daily programs, complete weekly training sessions and received a stipend for their participation. We were excited to see them grow personally and as a team, and are hoping they will be joined by others for a similar program in the fall.
We forged some strong bonds over the summer both with the kids and with their parents, and are looking forward to those relationships continuing throughout the fall.
In the midst of the homemade cards and hugs we received and gave on our final day, we were grateful that we could promise the kids that we would be back for after-school programs when school started again.
Looking to fall!
Pray for us as we put together fall programming. We are hoping to have the volunteer and staff capacity to engage a good number of the kids that have become part of our family over the past year and a half. For this we could use your help!
If you would like to hear more about the programs we are planning as well as the opportunities to be a part of these wonderful kids' lives, please call Sean Noe or Christine Ming at 207-774-3197 or fill out the form below!
