I LOVE KIDS HOPE! That is the first thing that came to mind when I sat down to write this newsletter. Maybe it’s because it’s Valentines week or maybe it’s because I have read so many positive Kids Hope Progress Reports this week that I just feel like celebrating. I think that it is also that we recently hosted an Appreciation Dinner for our volunteers and I remember just looking over the 40 or so who were there and how my heart was just filled with gratitude for each person who commits to this program.
I am also in the process of registering some of Kids Hope children for Camp Geneva. We are blessed here at Hope Church with a special fund that contributes directly to the cost of sending any Kids Hope children who want to go to either the day camp or the overnight camp. This amazing opportunity is made possible by the funds contributors, Karen and Larry Mulder, as well as by the generosity of Camp Geneva who holds spots for these kids and provides scholarships to cover part of the amount. All we ask of the parents is $25.00. As of today we have 8 children from our Hope Church Kids Hope program going to Camp Geneva. We had only 1 last year so this is really something to celebrate.
Why the increase? We made a decision to do a better job of not only informing the kids about camp but we also decided to do a better job of alerting the parents as to when the Camp Geneva forms were coming home. The kids saw a DVD of Camp Geneva during our Activity Day and I think that got them excited and I am sure our mentors also did a lot of talking in the last couple of weeks to encourage the kids to go. I love that this is part of the Kids Hope program! This is just another reason why I celebrate knowing that our Kids Hope children would not otherwise have this opportunity.
Soooo, love is in the air. Love for Kids Hope, love for our mentors, substitutes and prayer partners, love for Camp Geneva and yes, love for the support of Hope Church and it’s members that make all this possible. By the way, I love my job! Can’t get any better than this!
~Vicki Rumpsa, Kids Hope USA Co-Director