A kid’s summer camp at Isleworth G&CC plants the seeds of generosity in its youngest members.
Learning about the importance of giving back starts young at the Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere, Fla. For the last 11 years, kids at the club’s summer camp paint canvases that are auctioned off for charity.
On the first day of camp, counselors ask campers to work on paintings throughout the summer. At the end of the summer, the club displays the artwork in a gallery in the clubhouse, and it is sold in a silent auction at the club’s end-of-camp celebration, the Camp-ademy Awards.
During this event, parents bid on the artwork, with the proceeds going to a charity. Some charities the club has supported in past years have included the Ronald McDonald House, Central Florida Search and Rescue, Humane Society, Special Olympics and the Gift of Swimming.
The Goal: Teach children at Isleworth G&CC’s summer camp about the importance of charitable giving by raising money for a different cause every summer.
The Plan: Have campers work on canvas paintings throughout the summer that will be auctioned off at the end-of-camp celebration night. |
“We pick a charity that our campers [ages 4 to 14] can relate to,” says Cindy Wright, Director of Youth Services. “Last summer, to go along with our effort to be part of the world’s largest swimming lesson for the Guinness Book of World Records [see pg. 45], our charity was the Gift of Swimming, a local organization that provides lessons for the community’s underprivileged, mentally- or physically-challenged, or otherwise disadvantaged.”
This summer, Isleworth is supporting the Foundation for Foster Children, which serves and supports 1,400 children in central Florida. “We ask our campers to paint something they love doing,” says Wright. “That might be going to basketball or lacrosse camp, taking piano lessons, swimming, going on a trip, or even to a summer camp like ours.”
The camp counselors then ask the campers what they would do if they didn’t have an opportunity to do what they enjoy, which leads to a discussion about how they can help foster children by raising money through their paintings.
“The older kids spend weeks on their paintings, and it’s always a big deal for them to see who makes the most money,” says Wright. “The parents get pretty into it, too.”
At the end of camp, about 160 paintings are displayed in the art gallery for the Camp-ademy Awards. Parents bid throughout the evening, and all of the campers and their families enjoy a fun night of dancing to a DJ and dinner.
On the last day of camp, the club invites a representative from the charity to visit the camp and find out how much the campers raised for their organization. Last year, the camp donated $1,000 to the Gift of Swimming.
“Raising awareness about these charities each year and teaching our campers to understand that giving back is an important part of growing up at any age is an important facet of our club,” says Wright. “[This helps teach them that] generosity contributes to your personal well-being throughout your entire life.”
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