City Union Mission takes homeless children to summer camp

Kansas City’s at-risk and homeless children are getting ready to head to camp, thanks to City Union Mission. Registration is now open for the Mission’s summer camping programs which give children an opportunity to enjoy safe and wholesome fun while developing self-confidence and learning their true potential.

City Union is an evangelical Christian ministry that shares the Gospel and meets the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of people of all ages who are poor or homeless.

“Many of these children have never been to summer camp, and wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to experience this empowering rite of passage,” States Director Dan Doty.  “It is a blessing that we can provide fun and safe summer-long programs to help children develop healthier attitudes, values and skills.”

Throughout the summer months, their City Camp located in their Vanderberg Youth Center, offers wholesome and structured activities for as many as 79 boys and girls, ages 7 to 17. In the morning, homeless children who are guests in the Family Shelter are introduced to the Gospel and engage in activities that help them develop confidence and self-esteem. The afternoon session is community based, welcoming students from their City Corps after-school program, as well as boys and girls from the neighborhood and targeted public schools.

Both groups take part in devotions, recreation, arts and crafts, and educational field trips. The nine-week program runs Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and costs the Mission $44.80 per child, per week.

Children ages 4 to 16 can experience the Mission’s residential camping program at Camp CUMCITO, nestled on 600 acres of forest and meadow land near Warsaw, Missouri. Beginning June 24, six one-week sessions are held for campers according to their age groups. As many as 628 boys and girls can attend and enjoy Bible studies and arts and crafts, along with outdoor activities such as swimming, canoeing and archery.

While it costs the Mission $420 to provide one week at Camp CUMCITO for one child, families are asked to pay only a $5 registration fee.

“These lessons can help them become responsible adults and break the cycle of poverty, which is incredibly powerful. Thanks to donor support, we are able to make a huge impact in some of Kansas City’s most impoverished communities,” Doty tells Metro Voice.

Donations to support the Mission’s camping programs and help local kids participate can be made online at cityunionmission.org.