Fostering Bulloch’s 7th Mile Farm is currently hosting its "Camp7" and Royal Family KIDS (RFK) Camp for children in the Foster Care System. The summer camps serve foster care children from residential homes, centers, and organizations from across the state of Georgia.
The volunteers from the three different camps spend 4 days with foster youth, sharing the love of Jesus and making lifelong memories along the way.
Royal Family KIDS Camp are different than a standard summer camp, as they include:
- Trauma-Informed Training
- Camp Family Model
- Two Adults Always Present
- Comprehensive Safety Protocols
- Bible-Based Curriculum & Program Activities
Camp7 for Boys was held from 6/30-7/3, and Camp7 for Girls was held from 7/7-7/10. Royal Family KIDS Camp will take place from 7/14-7/17.
Some of the activities camp-goers (alongside volunteers, known as "COUSINS"), participate in together are kayaking, fishing, rock climbing, paintball competitions, and so much more.
There is no cost to the foster parents or volunteers to attend the camp. Furthermore, all money donated to each camp goes towards meals, camper's gear, clothing, Bibles, and other needs.
Grice Connect caught up with a few of the Camp7 "Cousins" to get their take on the life-changing camp experience.
Gary DeLong, Camp7 Boys Volunteer, had these sentiments to express on the experience.
"Each year, we host countless foster care youth at Camp7 to show them the love of Jesus Christ. We strive to show our youth this love through playing interactive games with them and participating in challenge courses with them, to help build trust and connection. Each camper is assigned to a 'cousin', who is responsible for displaying the love of Jesus to our youth through friendship and communication. One highlight from the Camp7 Boys experience was a segment where the youth wrote down their troubles on a piece of paper and sailed it out onto the river, which helped them release the burden from their hearts and minds. The connections and camaraderie found in these camps is deeply powerful, and this has been a highly rewarding experience for me."
DeLong has been a camp "Cousin" for 2 years.
Stan Akins, Director of Camp7 Boys, shared similar thoughts to DeLong stating that,
"This is my first year with Camp7 Boys. I have enjoyed getting to know each of the kids and watching their inner light shine from within over the course of camp. Regardless of where each of these youth come from, Camp7 seeks to intentionally pour the love of Jesus into the lives of these youth like never before. Our camps have been deeply moving. So much so, that we have had a few campers and 'cousins' accept Christ into their lives during the camp experience. Each of these camps remain a deeply powerful experience for everyone involved."
For more information on summer camps, visit https://www.camp7thmile.com/, https://www.facebook.com/RFKStatesboro, or contact Chris Yaughn at (912) 601-7647.
For more information on the Fostering Bulloch organization, please visit their website at https://fosteringbulloch.com/.