Kids Transported into Theatre's Fictional World
Mon, May 23, 2011 at 11:53 am
Friday the 13th conjoures up all sorts of images, one of them is not 25 children from Camden going to the Arden Theatre to watch "The Flea and the Professor." The students had an amazing time as the play, based on a short story by Hans Christian Anderson, left them smiling, giggling and outright laughing as they were transported into the theatre's fictional world which brought them to Europe, on a hot air balloon ride and even Cannibal Island!
Each year we bring students to the theatre and are so grateful for the Arden for believing in our students and giving them this opportunity. It is always a rewarding experience, but this year was truly amazing, as the students got back on the bus to go home they were actually singing some of the numbers from the musical, in a word - "Awesome"!
~ Mike "Boston" Andrejczyk, Camp Freedom Site Director
"When I Grow Up, I Wanna Drive the Bus!"
Fri, May 6, 2011 at 9:38 am
"Boston, when I grow up I wanna drive the bus and work at UrbanPromise!", these words from Naqwan, a sixth grade student in our [Camden] South After School Program revealed to me that the Urban "Promise" is alive and well. It is a true inspiration to see and hear specific kids realize that they have gifts and talents that they can share with others and to hear them say out loud that they want to do something to make a difference in their city.
I thought I'd share a few more of these stories. Yesterday I bumped into a former camp kid named Louis who now attends UrbanPromise Academy, and is currently employed as an UrbanPromise StreetLeader in East Camden. We had a great time chatting and catching up and he revealed that he would love to come and work at our Camp this summer because he is from South Camden and he wants to work with the kids from South because, "He knows and understands where they are coming from and wants to give back to them and help them."
My 3 year old son Na'Im who is originally from Camden rode to our After School Program with me the other day and I watched with tremendous love as my Camp Kids played with him, bought him snacks from the corner store and just loved him.
This month I am overwhelmed with joy as I see God doing great things in the lives of our students. Thank you to all of you who support us!
Mike (Boston) Andrejczyk, Camp Freedom Site Director
"Hey, Why Don't You Pick Me for Nothin'?"
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 9:14 am
"Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me." This message from Saint Patrick is as true today as it was when he penned it more than 1500 years ago. We realize that it is only by God's grace through His son Jesus that we are able to make a difference in the lives of these students in South Camden.
As this month brings to us the Lenten season I am challenged more and more to allow Christ to truly be a part of what we endeavor to do in Camden's waterfront south neighborhood of 6th and Ferry. I see around me scores of people who walk in darkness, that darkness brought on by a myriad of reasons but one reason stands out more than all the others and that is the absence of God's love in their lives. So the challenge is simple, introduce them to God's love! I dare to say that we his followers can truly be His hands, His feet, His voice and His love to all peoples!
We see this happen on a daily basis here at Camp Freedom. I watch as my three interns selflessly serve these students and families with all that they posses and even all that they are. I have been blessed by these three people, Christine Hamilton, Heather Bradshaw and Kelley Young who have given this year to serve our students. The love they have shown through selfless acts of kindness: helping kids do science projects after Camp has ended, inviting students to their house after a long and tiring day to play games and have community with our kids as well as spending their very stipend monies to take the kids out it truly resonates God's love to the kids. I am so proud of these three and you would be as well.
As the school year draws to it's last stages (we end in late May), we watch as a year of relationships have been built and the lives of 40-50 students challenged, loved and hopefully in some way changed because of the fact that Christ is beside us, before us, behind us, within us, beneath us and above us!
Thank you for your love, prayer, and support of our program! I leave you with one story. A few weeks ago we had a student we'll call Maurice who came to program but really didn't do much, he would zone out during homework and really would not even participate in options. One day he shocked us by declaring in our closing program, "Hey why don't you pick me for nothin!" So that day we chose him to be a part of the game and he shined. A few weeks later, Maurice is far from perfect but because of a simple game in which he felt loved he is now doing his homework and is perhaps one of our most enjoyable kids.
Thanks again for all your support,
Michael "Boston" Andrejczyk
"Let Me See Your Funky Chicken!"
Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 1:03 pm
"Left, Left, Left, Right, Left . . . Let me see your Funky Chicken"- these simple words to this silly Camp Song have brought so much energy, enthusiasm, and life to our After School Program.
Many have told me and I have experienced it myself that kids from South Camden's Camp Freedom would never sing our Summer Songs during the school year, and for three plus years they were right. I never thought it would happen either, but last year we saw it happen and this year we have seen the enthusiasm rise to an incredible level... I love my kids.
It is with that energy and enthusiasm that we look forward to March and all the busyness that it brings. We have many special events planned for March: the annual Olympics, Math Dare, March Maddness (basketball) and of course the countdown to Spring Break is offically "on."
Math Dare is a math competition between all of UrbanPromise's After School Programs, it involves doing math problems and participating in physical challenges (games, usually with a very messy feel to them). The Olympics are a time of the year where we break up all the kids into five different teams and they compete for a trophy and candy. The groups are designed to break down geographic boundaries and to build a sense of community and family amongst the kids. Our annual Spring Break Trip this year will be to Virginia and Washington D.C. Students earn the chance to go on this amazing trip and it is absolutely the highlight of the year.
"Spring has Sprung," and we could not be more excited and like our students more "enthused." I love my kids!
~Mike "Boston" Andrejczyk, Site Director
Interns Amazing with Creative Ideas
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 10:18 am
Things at Camp Freedom have never been better! Our rotating options have allowed the Interns to spend more time on developing Homework ideas to help inspire the students to learn. We have had an awesome month as we have watched children build a volcano, make stained glass with just cardboard, tinfoil, and permanent markers, and our journey to Ireland ended with the chance to eat “Bangers and Mash!”
This past month we discussed the idea of Stewardship with the kids and I know that they left with a greater understanding that they have a responsibility to take great care of the things that God has given them…especially their time, talents, and money.
Our Interns are amazing and continue to impress me with their love of the kids, creativity in planning, and just the overall way we all interact with each other and as a team to minister here in South Camden.
~ Mike 'Boston' Andrejczyk, Camp Freedom Site Director
Choosing Not to Wallow in Despair!
Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at 6:36 pm
A new year always brings with it the hopes of a fresh start, a clean slate and the belief that anything is possible. As 2011 begins, all of us at Camp Freedom are excited for what lies ahead for the ministry located in Camden’s Waterfront South.
2011 has not been kind to our neighborhood as acts of violence have already begun. In the midst of police layoffs, politicians and unions argue who is at fault but the ones caught in the literal crossfire are the children and families of our city. Just the other day right around the corner from our camp, rival drug dealers opened fire at one another and the result was the untimely murder of a woman who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our neighborhood needs us now more than ever to stand up and be a beacon of light and hope for these amazing children and families. We choose not to wallow in despair and hopelessness but to press on and make each day’s after school experience the best it can be.
We continue to see amazing kids on a daily basis and I believe amazing things are happening. I recently challenged a 6th grader to really buckle down and learn her times tables as she struggles with them. We began by memorizing the times 2’s and 3’s… she can now do them without using her fingers. She actually knows them! We are now working on memorizing her times 3’s and 4’s!
I am literally blessed each day as I watch our amazing staff interact with the children! We have a group of teenagers who work for UrbanPromise at our Program and all of them are from South Camden! They have an amazing ability to connect with our students and they are truly committed to see these kids succeed and be all they can be in life!
Our Interns continue to do an amazing job! Last week I saw students transported to Northern Ireland as Christine brought her homeland to life through pictures and words, now all our students want bangers and mash! Heather has students completely engaged as she uses art to create beauty in our neighborhood and Kelley is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to see the look on the students faces as they watch their Mt Saint Camden erupt in their classroom!
Great things are happening thanks to people like you believing in what we do—Thank-You!
~ Mike ‘Boston’ Andrejczyk, Camp Freedom AfterSchool Director
What do Volcanoes, Stained Glass, and the Emerald Isle Have in Common?
Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 11:03 am
Things at Camp Freedom have been going really great! We have a remarkable attendance of 40-45 kids each day! Our Interns have been very busy with plans and preparations for the after school time and beyond. As this is being written we have one group of students building a volcano and learning all about volcanic activity! Another group of children are creating "stained glass" to be hung around camp to surround us with the beauty of art, and our final options group is studying the Emerald Isle and will actually be enjoying "bangers and mash!”
We have decided to use our 8th grade students as tutors this year and they are doing an amazing job with helping the younger kids with their homework!
In our ‘closing program time’ we are teaching the students about stewardship! Stewards of the time, talent, money and energy that God has given to us and using our lives to bring honor to God.
~Update from Mike Andrejczyk,
Camp Freedom AfterSchool Site Director
Camp Freedom goes to Los Angeles for Spring Break!
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 8:31 pm
This Spring Break eight kids from Camp Freedom After School Program headed west to Los Angeles with seven kids from Camp Spirit. One of the goals we have at Urban Promise is to establish community amongst our junior high school students where they begin to view one another as family rather than rival camps or neighborhoods. These trips over Spring Break are intended to do just that and the results were visible.
On Monday April 5th we arrived at Philadelphia International Airport bleary eyed (some of us propped up by a 4:30 a.m. visit to Dunkin Donuts for some much needed caffeine) to prepare for our early morning flight and for some of our students it was their first time on a plane-- a few kids even raised their arms to the sky as if they were on a roller coaster. Upon arrival at LAX we began what would become for many a trip of a lifetime.
We participated in many incredible activities while on our trip. For some, the highlight may have been running into each other "NASCAR style" on the go-cart track or perhaps eating the same fast-food burger as their favorite athlete or celebrity at In-and-Out-Burger. For others the highlight of the trip might have been the day at beautiful, but chilly, Lake Elsinore (water temps were frigid at best) where we all had a chance to ride a jet ski. Our fearless intern Chad logged 40 miles and six straight hours driving everyone around the lake which gave everyone panoramic views of snow capped mountains in the distance-- a sight that none of the kids will ever forget.
The students were also able to visit the Nickelodeon Studies and saw where some of their favorite television shows are created. From "Fan Boy and Chum Chum" to "Dora the Explorer" we saw where it all happens. I believe a few students realized that there is a way to make a career out of their artistic abilities.
No trip to California would be complete without a visit to Mickey's House. It was an amazing thing to watch these kids enjoy the thrills of Space Mountain and the Tower of Terror, many of their hearts have yet to stop beating so fast from the excitement of the rides. To be able to provide them with a few totally care-free hours of pure fun was wonderful.
Our trip concluded with a trip to Universal City Walk where the kids had fun walking, talking and shopping at the same places as their favorite celebrities, followed by a red-eye flight back to Philadelphia. As I fell asleep I thought back on the fact that we brought fifteen students from Camden to the glitz and glamour of "Tinsel Town" and I remembered then and will never forget posing for pictures in the Hollywood Hills with the famed "Hollywood" sign on one side and the L.A. Skyline on the other and thinking to myself that we had an amazing time-- watching kids enjoy the sights and sounds of Los Angeles all the while growing in friendship with one another and God - A trip of a lifetime.
Saint Paddy's Day
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Saint Paddy’s Day was an eventful one at Camp Freedom! We had 11 volunteers helping us out for the week that week, which meant that running regular program became really hard to do. Especially when your volunteers and staff outnumber the kids in the classroom. To avoid the hassle of trying to pack everyone into our tiny camp, we decided to celebrate the Irish! The day was beautiful and one of the first warm days of the year. We hung out outside with our kids and played in the new playground that the City had up in the park next to our house. We then went over to the community garden run by an organization based out of Sacred Heart Church called Eve’s Garden to plant potatoes. I had never really planted anything before, but it was a lot of fun. Our kids came together with the community of Waterfront South to plant food that will be harvested in the summer. Eve’s Garden has a outdoor clay oven called the bread oven that they frequently use to make different things out of the veggies that they grow. After planting, we went back to the bread over for fries with the kids. Overall it was probably my favorite day this year!
Math Dare
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Last week we had our final March Madness competition. It’s called Math Dare and is a mixture of a math competition and gross physical challenges. All of the UrbanPromise camps participate. Each camp chooses four kids from each grade to compete. We have spent all year working on our multiplication problems to prepare for this event. On the day of the event we picked up our competitors from school and took them back to camp to psych them up for the event. We painted our faces with our camp color of white. My kids ended up painting my face completely, which resulted in me looking kind of creepy and like a mime. We arrived at the event and were paired with our little kids counterpart, Camp Peace. Together we brought our A game. I was so proud at how well our kids calculated the problems they were given and at how hard they competed in the challenges. Some of the physical challenges included slip and sliding with shaving cream, running through Ubleck (a cornstarch and water mixture that is both liquid and solid) and getting nasty blended drinks thrown on them. Camp Freedom won the event to bring home the trophy! Good job guys!
Students earn trip to Dave & Busters
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Camp Freedom recently took the winning team of our in Camp points system to Dave and Busters in Philadelphia for a fun field trip. The student's compete in the camp point system for points in a variety of ways;. they can earn points by their attendance, behavior, bringing and completing homework and also through team games.
We were able to bring members of the winning team with the most points to Philadelphia and all of the students had an amazing time playing various games and hanging out together. The points system is a great way for the kids to have fun, be competitive, and also teaches them about responsibility. It was a very successful trip and the kids can not wait until their next trip to Dave and Busters.
Camp Freedom turns their summer camp into a "City Invincible"
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Summer Camp in South Camden is underway. We have been blessed with a great team of Interns and Streetleaders and Camp Freedom is off to a great start despite the hot and humid weather conditions.
The theme for the Summer is "City Invincible", taken from the Walt Whitman poem which states,"(Robust love) was seen every hour in the words and actions of the men of that city, and in all their looks and words." We want to challenge the students to treat one another with love and to approach each day with the thought that Christ loves us and commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves and to reach out to others in need. If they can learn these simple truths and apply them to their lives then we will truly see them become invincible--able to meet any challenge that comes their way.
Kids from Camp Freedom are dancing to a new beat!
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Camp is going great. Our attendance is very strong and the kids are enjoying the activities and classes that the interns have developed. It has been a joy to watch the students respond to God's word in the Bible classes and participate in the Recreation activities.
Our Hodge Podge class has been centered around teaching the kids hip hop dance and beats as well as to find biblical lessons from the lyrics of different hip hop songs. Art class has been great! The students always amaze me with their artistic abilities. We have begun preparations for All Camp Day and anxiously await to see if 2010 will be the year that Camp Freedom can win the coveted Golden Crate.
Because of supports like YOU kids from Camp Freedom have a brighter future!
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 8:31 pm
We appreciate so much the generous giving of donors over the years. Without your kindness we would find it so difficult to have Summer Camp or After School Program. We are so thankful for the paper, pens, markers, crayons, books and other school supplies that have helped create fun in the summer as well as improving Math and Reading skills during the school year.
I just wanted to take time to thank all of you for investing into the lives of our students. I would like to leave you with a story about one of our students who is way below grade level in all of his academics. This past school year we used basic school supplies donated by you to help raise his confidence--whether using construction paper to create a math game or markers to help in the developing of a literacy based game, it really helped build the confidence of this young man and we hope to give him a bright future!
