From the
Desk of Thomas M. Menino
From the Desk of Thomas M. Menino
7/9/07
While visiting with youth at Camp Harbor View these past few
weeks, I am amazed at how many kids say they’ve never been
to camp. Camp Harbor View is an opportunity for 600 Boston
youth to attend one of two four-week day camp sessions of camp
for only $5. Campers are provided with three meals each day,
sports, arts and music and other activities. They are also
transported to and from the camp each day from one of 14
transportation hubs located across the city.
Located on Long Island in Boston Harbor, the camp was built
with help from Jack Connors and Suffolk Construction and has
programming through the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston. The
new summer camp is currently hosting its first campers, a
group of boys and girls ages 11 to 14 from across Boston.
I am very excited about this project. With the completion of
Camp Harbor View, Long Island is now an oasis for hundreds of
young people this summer. With the help of so many partners we
have made kids’ dreams of a summer adventure come true. For
only five dollars our campers have the chance to meet new
friends, challenge themselves and enjoy the great natural
resources of our Harbor Island. It’s a fantastic opportunity
and we hope this summer is the beginning of many wonderful
memories at this beautiful camp.
Camp Harbor View is an initiative of the Camp Harbor View
Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the City of Boston and
the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston. The campers come from
every neighborhood in the city and have been selected based on
outreach to community organizations and city agencies,
including the Youth Service Providers Network, the West End
House, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, and the Boston
Housing Authority.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston will staff and operate the
camp. Camp Harbor View’s Director is Carolyn (Cara) Gould,
who has 14 years of experience working with adolescents in
both Boston and Los Angeles, and is joined by Associate Camp
Directors Isidra Quinones and Tony Soares. They will manage a
full-time staff of 45 and 24 junior counselors recruited
through the Boston Youth Fund. The camp will have an
experienced, licensed social worker on staff and healthcare
professionals at the on-site health facility donated and
staffed by Partners Health Care.
Camp activities and instruction are focused on four core
areas: developing leadership skills, environmental education,
sports & fitness activities, and fostering creative
expression through the arts. Activities will include tennis,
basketball, nature walks, field trips, and exploration of the
marine environment, a ropes course and aquatics. In
partnership with City Fresh, the camp will provide each camper
with three nutritious meals per day.
Camp Harbor View programs are being supported by a group of
generous partners who are contributing to the camp’s
activities. Among the partners are: Good Sports, Mass Audubon,
Metro Lacrosse, New England Aquarium, New England SCORES,
Peace Games, Project Adventure, the Hip Hop Roundtable, Save
the Harbor Save the Bay, Tenacity, Urban Improv, the Boston
Natural Areas Network and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The estimated $3,000-per-child cost to run the camp is
expected to be paid largely by ongoing corporate and private
donations. Campers will only be charged $5 for a four-week
session ($1.25 per week). Jack Connors donated the first $2
million and has spearheaded the fundraising effort to raise
$10 million.
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