(Photo courtesy of Interfaith Family Services)
For many children, summer is chock-full of camps, activities and learning experiences. But for children without the resources for expensive summer adventures, the season lacks stimulation and educational opportunities, and can lead to an academic regression.
Interfaith Family Services, located on Ross Avenue near Greenville, hopes to address these summer deficits. Socialization, Academic Advancement, Volunteer Opportunities and Exploration (SAVE) is Interfaith’s program for homeless children ages 5-18, which seeks to create a memorable and educational summer.
(Photo courtesy of Interfaith Family Services)
This year, more than 20 children whose families live at Interfaith are participating in SAVE, where they have volunteered at a vacation bible school, made a visit to the Dallas Opera and taken swimming lessons the YMCA. The older students will take a trip to Washington D.C. to visit colleges and tour the historic attractions. They also get to attend overnight camp at Sky Ranch for a week. The youth are constantly working to improve their math and reading skills via one-on-one tutoring, and have also worked on and performed a play. The camp runs from June to August each year.
Interfaith’s goal is to stabilize homeless families and help them become self-sufficient. The center provides families with fully furnished housing for a year, Â financial coaching, career guidance and life skill training, all while offering daily programming for their children.
