Organizations, community leaders work to keep kids out of trouble this summer

CHARLOTTE — Firearms are the leading cause of injury-related death for children and youth in North Carolina, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

“Instead of you being the next statistic on the street somewhere, or putting a needle in your vein, we want to save you,” said Janette Kinard, with Champion House of Care.

Community leaders, including Kinard, are gearing up to keep kids and teens busy this summer.

“For their next year in school, we’re going to push to improve them,” she said. “We want to give them that fighting chance.”

Champion House of Care is hosting a free summer camp.

“They’ll be doing their coding classes in here,” Kinard said.

The goal is to keep young minds occupied, active, and growing through the summer.

“We not just letting them play video games the whole time,” she said. “They’ve got to get some education.”

Kinard’s organization works closely with unhoused kids and their families who often live in hotels.

“We will continue to fight hunger, so when they come in, they will get breakfast, they will get lunch,” she said.

It’s her camp’s second year so parts of it are still a work in progress.

“We are looking for donations so that we can get these two basketball goals up to par,” Kinard said.

Mecklenburg County Park and Rec is also preparing to help to keep kids out of trouble.

“We have thousands of summer campers that come through our facility,” said Megan Keul, with Mecklenburg County Park and Rec.

They’re home to over 230 parks, rec centers, nature preserves, and nature centers.

“We do free swim lessons at our outdoor pools,” Keul said. “We also have free programming at our recreation centers.”

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools released a list of summer programs designed to ward off boredom.

LINKS:

• CMS Summer Programs
• CMS Learning and Technology
• YMCA of Greater Charlotte
• Mecklenburg County Park and Rec
• Mecklenburg County Rec Centers
• UNC Charlotte Summer Camps
• Freedom School Summer Literacy Program

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