Homes for the Homeless :: Summer Camps

Before coming to Kiwago, Lanowa and Wakonda, most HFH campers have never left New York City, and many have never experienced the wonder and excitement of nature first hand. Most campers have never hiked, played baseball, or learned how to swim. HFH Summer Camps offer a welcome opportunity for homeless children to escape the stresses of everyday life, and to engage in fun, healthy and educational activities.

Each summer, HFH offers three 16-day sessions at Camps Lanowa, Wakonda and Kiwago. These camps sessions offer participants a level of routine, safety, and stability that most of them have never before experienced, as the chaos of changing homes and schools repeatedly can give homeless children the impression that their lives will always be in transition. They arrive at camp and suddenly they have a set schedule; there is wake-up time, time for reading, and mealtime. Our campers learn to enjoy their daily routines and to eagerly anticipate their favorite activities.

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

Athletics
- Swimming
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Volleyball
- Soccer

Art
- Beadwork
- T-Shirt Making

Dance

Performing Arts
- Music
- Drama

Nature
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Bug Hunting

Camping
- Campfire Cooking
- Indian Lore

Computers

Journal Writing

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN HFH CAMPER

7:30 AM Wake-up

8:00 AM Raising of the Flag: All Campers

8:15 AM Breakfast: Pancakes and Sausage

9:15 AM Group Activities: Camp Clean Up

10:15 AM Earth Science: Identifying Local Birds

11:15 AM Learning Center: Reading Saddako and the 1,000 Paper Cranes

12:15 PM Cabin Time: Board Games

12:45 PM Lunch: BLTs and Fruit Salad

1:45 PM Cabin Time: Letter Writing

2:15 PM Arts and Crafts: Making Origami Cranes

3:15 PM Snack: Pretzels and Lemonade

3:30 PM Swimming

4:30 PM Hiking

5:30 PM Cabin Time: Individual Reading Time

6:00 PM Dinner: Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, and Corn

7:00 PM Talent Show: Dance Performance

8:30 PM Cabin Time: Journaling, Lights Out

For parents. For campers.