Camp 2012

Rachel can hardly wait to go back to camp this summer. Like other Goodwill kids, she remembers the nature hikes, the swimming pool, the talent show — and the great friends she made last year.

What Rachel doesn’t know yet — she’s only 14 — is that these experiences are opening her eyes to a wider world. Someday when she looks back, she’ll remember this time when studying a grasshopper under a magnifying glass or learning to swim was the beginning of real change and real possibility.

Rachel may not understand this yet, but I am very glad — and grateful — you do. Friends like you help Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries reach out to the children in our community who need us most. Your gift helps us offer a very special summer experience to the boys and girls who participate in our yearround youth programs.

Last year we worked with nearly 1400 young people.

Some of the children are looking forward to camp — a place where they can feel cared for and safe, and where they can try new things and expand their horizons. Almost all of Goodwill’s children come from families struggling to make ends meet, and without your help, they might never have this chance.

Some teens work as counselors after many summers as campers themselves. They know what a big step it really is to leave home for the first time and explore a wider world, and serve as role models for the younger children.

Many teens need to stay in the city during the summer — for summer school, a job or other program — and Goodwill helps them have a positive summer experience as well. In the spring, there are workshops to help young people apply for jobs and learn more about what it is like to work. And, Goodwill helps them find summer jobs at Goodwill or with our community and business partners. There is even a job fair just for them.

Thanks to the generosity of friends and neighbors like you, we are planning special evening and weekend programs for these teenagers throughout the summer, with visits to museums and sporting events, art and media projects and fun activities like basketball and roller skating.

At the end of the summer, before school starts, all the teens have their own exciting outdoor experience, with sailing, swimming, hiking, a ropes course and various team-building exercises.

All the children return to school refreshed, more confident and ready to take on the challenges ahead.

Your generosity helps insure that each and every Goodwill kid can look forward to a special summer experience. Thanks to friends like you, we have never turned away a child — and with your help we never will.

Please make your gift today while you are thinking about the boys and girls for whom a Goodwill summer means so much.