Being bored all summer is the worst fate for third grader, Serenity. As an only child she could have spent this summer at home alone.

Instead, she attended Camp Fire Summer Day Camp at Diamond Hill Station where she was immersed in activities, experiments and hands-on projects that sparked her imagination alongside friends.

Studies show that during summer break, children in 3rd to 5th grades lose about 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading and 27 percent of their school-year gains in math. To help address this “summer slide” phenomenon, Camp Fire staff designed an atmosphere of learning embedded in the fun of summer camp featuring weekly themes, service-learning activities, and projects inviting campers to explore the world beyond.

Serenity embarked on a learning adventure without even realizing it! Her love of pasta sparked her curiosity about the country widely known for its creation – Italy. She read books and explored online and other resources to create a poster all about the country. In fact, each summer camper got to pick out a country to learn more and create an art piece that showcased the country. Her poster of Italy was ripe with facts about the boot of Europe, from population to currency, to the capital, and even that the national animal is a grey wolf!

While summer was full of fun, the program made space for youth like Serenity to learn, grow and explore. It allowed Serenity to be a leader for the younger kids at camp, and they felt like the siblings she never had. From new friendships forged to exciting and creative activities, summer camp at Diamond Hill Station was not only a break from boredom, but it helped her continue learning and sharpening her reading, math and interpersonal skills at a time when so many lose what they have gained.

This year, more children and their families sought out and needed support for access to these vital programs. Please make your contribution to Camp Fire First Texas today and help write the story of learning and leadership for another child in North Texas. Take a moment today to donate to Camp Fire First Texas and help us write a fresh chapter in 2022 for all children in North Texas.

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