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Camp Newport offers Boardman youth food, fun
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Newport campers Payten Cylar (left) and R'mauni Martin became fast friends at the day camp and lunch program.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Jordan Bell spends most of his year as a student at West Boulevard Elementary in Boardman, but this summer, he became a very happy camper at Camp Newport.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .During a parachute activity time, Newport campers played a game where they were required to use their parachute as the river Nile that leads baby Moses to Egypt. After a few rounds of play, a happy Newport camper showed that baby Moses arrived safely.
By SARAH FOOR
Three years ago, the Greater Austintown Ministerial Association created Camp Woodside to provide free lunches and learning activities to local kids free of charge. This year, Camp Woodside earned a younger sibling of sorts, as Camp Newport was created to meet a similar need for school-aged kids throughout Boardman.
Camp Newport, which was held from June 13 to July 29 every weekday afternoon, offered free lunches, recreation, arts and crafts and speakers to entertain about 50 Boardman kindergarten through sixth-graders.
Nate Childers, who has run Camp Woodside since last summer, helmed the creation of Camp Newport through his faith-based outreach program, Lampstand Fellowship.
“We at Lampstand saw a need, and more than 10 churches from around Boardman agreed with us. The same funding that supports lunches throughout the school year is unused during the summertime. Our priority is to feed local kids while offering new experiences and lots of entertainment,” Childers shared.
Newport offered campers a “Journey Around the World” by exploring a different continent and its countries each week. Well-traveled missionaries visited Newport weekly to chat with the campers, and Newport kids were given the chance to try out traditional games and foods from countries around the world.
Volunteer Jamie Butcher gives her time at Woodside and Newport.
“I love hanging out with the kids and helping them learn something new. It’s a rewarding project to be a part of, and it’s amazing to see the growth and progress of the students only after a few weeks with us,” Butcher said.
Camper Layla Hassen also had high praise for her experiences at Newport.
“I like making new friends and story time, too. It’s something different every day,” Hassen said.