FRANKLIN
Children who attended Piney Grove Baptist Church Summer Camp not only got to enjoy crafts and exciting field trips, they realized that they are special.

“I learned that we are really blessed,” one camper said during a time of reflection.

The camp, which started on June 16, had its closing program on Thursday afternoon. During the concluding ceremony, Camp Supervisor Shelton Williams agreed. A deacon at the church, he stood up and said, “In one word, I would say the children were blessed with this camp.”

He added that the blessing with this camp started with a good core and the team involved in this was a great one. There were several partners to help with the program, and this summer they had more campers sign up than they have ever had before.

The program consisted of the children singing, dancing and sharing their experiences they had during the eight-week-long summer camp.

The students said they really enjoyed this camp and what they had learned from it.

“I learned not to judge a book by its cover,” one said.

The Rev. Delores Manley, assistant pastor at Piney Grove Baptist Church, who has been revamping this camp for the past three years, spoke of the hopes she had for this camp and the children involved in it.

“We love them and we appreciate them. This was a mission for us to help our children,” she said. “They need support, they need encouragement. All of them are different.”

The camp involved Christian education, recreation, arts and crafts, music appreciation, library activities, seminars, field trips and computer literacy.

Field trips included the Ocean Breeze Water Park, Virginia Living Museum and Café Cinema. A visit to the White House is scheduled for September.

J.P. King Jr. Middle School Principal Lisa Francis worked with the church summer camp and gave them access to the computer lab a few times throughout the summer. They worked on language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

The United States Department of Agriculture also supplied two nutritious meals for the campers each day.

Mayor Raystine Johnson-Ashburn left campers with a bit of advice.

“Young people, you are our future. We love you, we support you and we want you to do well,” she said. “All of your decisions you make now will determine your future. Students, children, honor your parents. Respect your parents. Love your parents.”

Church members and other community members also stood up and to talk about how proud they were of the campers and ended with how pleased they were with the camp this summer.