Mentoring Matters

“The summer camp experience can be truly transformative for a child. They have the opportunity to make new friends, try new activities, and spend time in nature.

But what happens when camp ends?

Those that have gone through Royal Family KIDS Camp, both volunteers and campers alike, would likely tell you that one of the most difficult parts of the camp experience is saying ‘good-bye.’ Some campers are joyful and ready to go home to share their delightful experiences, while others have streaks of tears rolling down their faces. Those are the kids that express wanting to stay at camp forever, begging to be taken home by the volunteers instead of returning to their own homes. Those are the ones that grip your heart. Your heart feels as though it was broken in two from seeing their faces–full of pain and anguish – before waving them goodbye. I found myself asking, how can we keep the momentum of relationships and growth started at camp sustained throughout the year?

Thankfully, For The Children has Royal Family KIDS Mentoring. In order to really help a child recover from abuse and neglect, intervention must go both deep and wide. Five days of immersion at camp goes deep and breaks barriers – our mentoring programs go wide. Having dependable, monthly contact with the same, safe adults all year long has shifted from heartbreak to heart opening and healing.”

- Lauren Behmlander, Mentor