Madison County non-profit to host over a dozen summer activities

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Some children in Madison County have several fun camps and programs to look forward to this summer.

Madison Countians Allied Against Poverty has created several fun summer events for those who are less fortunate to get out, get active, and allow kids to just be kids.

“We will have 11 sessions of Vacation Bible School, healthy cooking classes, which are called Fun with Food for Kids, as well as arts and crafts camp,” Karen Robison, Executive Director of MadCAAP, said.

From teaching kids how to cook to encouraging them to use their imaginations, MadCAAP wants your children to get involved.

But these camps aren’t just for anyone. Robison says they’re geared toward a specific group who is often left behind.

“Children, number one, didn’t choose to be born into poverty,” said Robinson. “And a lot of times they are in a working family, but maybe they’re working part-time or full-time at a fast food place or just minimum wage at a big box store if you will. So we can help fill their summer up with a lot of fun things to do.”

“When you’re maybe not as well off, you don’t get as much of a chance to just be a kid. You don’t get the time, maybe, to do as much like playing around or hanging out with friends because you have other things to worry about,” said Julie Luke, a volunteer for MadCAAP. “And so I think these kinds of things are super important.”

Camps will begin the first week of June and go until August, and organizers say you don’t have to be a participant to join in on the fun.

“We will need a lot of volunteers to help us pull off all of our summer camps,” Robinson said. “We will need regular volunteers that really just want to love on these kids and show them that they’re loved regardless of their economic status.”

“This feels meaningful,” Luke expressed. “It’s helping kids, you know. Who doesn’t want to do that?”

To participate in these programs, you have to live in Madison County. To register with the organization, click here.

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