Salvation Army beginning their summer day camp

The Salvation Army of Dover and New Philadelphia will begin a summer day camp for children age kindergarten through fifth grade. Though not entirely new, day camp has not been offered for a number of years at the local level.

“It was something we used to do regularly at the location in downtown Dover,” Commander Andrew Alan said, “but it just sort of fell to the side after the move. We’re glad to be able to offer it again this summer.”

Summer day camp is underway, but Alan said there are plenty of spaces available. The cost is $100 per week, and Alan said there are both full and partial scholarships for families who might have difficulty covering that amount. The day camp will continue weekly through Aug. 16.

“We have before care from 7-9 a.m., and camp itself is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Then we have after care 3-6 p.m.,” he said.

The before and after care periods are at an additional fee.

Salvation Army Day Camp offers a morning snack and lunch at mid-day for participating children.

Day camp kids keep busy with arts and crafts, games, and other activities. “Each week is a new theme,” Alan said. “We might have a Lego-themed week or learn about what first responders do or learn about outer space. We have focused activities to go with the themes, and most of the lessons are STEAM specific. Each day we try to help them learn something. And if they don’t realize there is an educational component to the day, so much the better. They may not even realize it.”

A field trip is planned for each Friday. A recent such trip saw the kids going out for a movie. “It’s an active day, and the kids learn a lot,” Alan said. “We had an after-school program for students earlier in the year. We wanted to continue to offer some kind of service for school children. These are kids who might not get a lunch or daytime attention, and the need doesn’t stop just because the school year ends. They still may have a need for a good lunch they may not otherwise receive.”

The Salvation Army building also is a Summer Feeding Service Program location, which Alan believes to be the only such site in Tuscarawas County. Any child age 18 or younger can come and get a snack at 10 a.m. and a lunch at 12:15 p.m.

The Summer Feeding Service Program is a federally supported offering under the umbrella of the United States Department of Agriculture and is coordinated by the Ohio Department of Education. All lunches are healthy and include milk, a protein, bread and fruit. There are no requirements for receiving the lunch, which is open to all, regardless of national origin, color, sex or disability.

“The lunch is designed to be as healthy as possible, and I want to say again that it is open to anyone under age 18,” Alan said.

Summer weather bears the fruit of winter labor at the Salvation Army. Alan said such outreach offerings as summer day camp are a direct result of the red kettle fundraising campaign at Christmastime.

“Those red kettles and the contributions we receive fund the programs we offer throughout the year including summer day camp. All the funds remain local to help with projects which benefit the community we serve,” Alan said.

Summer day camp at the Salvation Army has numerous available spaces for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. For more information and to enroll, visit the Salvation Army, 809 Emmet Ave. NW, New Philadelphia, or call 330-364-3811.