Support DC SCORES summer camps through Couch to Camp Campaign

“It’s better than doing nothing at home. You’d just rather come outside and play in the heat.”

Those were the words of Tubman Elementary School’s Christian L. last summer, as he stood on the soccer field outside his school in high-90s degree heat.

They represented, however, the thoughts of hundreds of youth who had returned day after day, week after week to DC SCORES summer camp in the oppressive summer heat.

Each year, DC SCORES strives to host three FREE summer camps for ANY youth — DC SCORES poet-athlete or not — in the District who needs a positive, structured environment for the summer in which they can stay active physically, keep their mind engaged and fresh, and development relationships with peers and coaches.

This is why our Couch to Camp Campaign is so vital. Unlike our fall and spring programming, we don’t have a variety of funding sources to pay for over 200 kids to attend 10 weeks of camp, be fed lunch and snacks each day, and go on field trips to the Newseum, to Nationals games, and to the local pool. 

We’re counting on you, our individual supporters who believe in DC SCORES’ mission. With your help, we can continue to provide this critical opportunity for hundreds of children who, quite frankly, would otherwise be doing exactly as Christian said.

“... nothing at home.”

Thanks to our new partner kajeet, which sells the safest and most affordable smartphones for kids, every donation up to the $5,000 mark will be matched.

And that is when we will have reached our goal.

That is when we’ll be able to rest during March Madness, take a deep breath, and say, Thank you for keeping so many kids off the couch this summer.

$10,000

That’s the goal.

Here’s how you can help during our version of March Madness:

1. Simply visit the Couch to Camp website and choose any amount, remembering that a $25 donation really is $50 because of kajeet.

2. Also come to our Couch to Camp happy hour on Tuesday, March 20, at Lounge 201. There will be exciting items auctioned off, and it’ll be an excellent opportunity to learn more about DC SCORES and our summer camps.

3. Share this blog. Or post it to your Facebook profile. Or Retweet it. Or (fill in the blank) it. The more people know about how important this campaign is, the more attention it will get.

Finally, to illustrate just how disastrous a summer without our arts-enriching and soccer-learning camps can be for DC youth who don’t have the means to attend traditional summer camps, studies have shown the following:

• More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. 

• Most children — particularly children at high risk of obesity —gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school during summer break.

— National Summer Learning Association, 2007

Let’s not let our kids become distressing statistics like these. Instead, let’s help keep them playing soccer, using their minds and working with their peers.

Exactly as they do during a regular DC SCORES season!

Donate here today.