Thanks to the support of our generous donors, children last month were able to enjoy some much-needed fun at our Summer Club, a two-week learning-based enrichment experience for youth residents held at Bethany Hill Place.

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on children. Children fell behind academically and struggled to adjust to the demands of online learning. The familiar structure and routine of daily living disappeared overnight, and anxiety skyrocketed in the face of persistent uncertainty.

While it’s too soon to measure, many people fear COVID-19 has left lasting social, emotional, and educational consequences on children. Especially concerning is the pandemic’s disproportionately negative impact on low-income youth.

To continue actively addressing these issues, Bethany Hill Place relaunched its Summer Club in July – this year in-person after operating it virtually in 2020. This longtime youth program promotes learning while developing skills like self-confidence, problem-solving, and critical thinking to help children with navigating their emotions, behaviors, and relationships during these still uncertain times and throughout life.

For this year’s session, the Nature Connection and the Discovery Museum provided interactive onsite learning opportunities while Greater Joy Productions worked with children to present “MONARCH,” a short theatrical performance about children’s time in quarantine and their emergence from the “cocoon” into post-quarantine life. With an abundance of support from committed staff and volunteers throughout the Summer Club session, children also enjoyed creating art projects, reading books together and individually, relieving stress with yoga, and much more.

Bethany Hill Place is grateful to have the opportunity to help rebuild a sense of normalcy, structure, and routine for children. We look forward to continuing our work with youth in the school year ahead as they build skills that will help them achieve success in school and life.

To learn more about Bethany Hill Place’s programming and its impact on lives, visit our website or follow us on our Facebook page.

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