Kayla, a student at Howard’s Healthy Choices, says she loves the organization’s summer camp because she gets to learn more about math and reading.

“We learn different subjects, and when we go back to school, we’re with a lot of the same students from the summer,” she said.

Kayden, who attended the Catholic Youth Organization summer camp in Trenton, enjoyed socializing and taking part in activities.

“My favorite part is having fun with my friends and doing stuff that I love like playing basketball or going to the pool,” Kayden said.

Howard’s Healthy Choices’ Summer Learning Academy and the CYO in Trenton were among the more than two dozen local nonprofits awarded a total of $500,000 in Summer Initiative Grants by the Princeton Area Community Foundation.

For many children, summer is a season of joy, filled with the excitement of being with friends, learning new things and spending time at their favorite camp. The Summer Initiatives program supports local nonprofits in providing these enriching opportunities to youth who might otherwise face barriers.

This support ensures that more children can enjoy and benefit from meaningful summer experiences. These organizations provide not only a fun and engaging social environment but also help prevent academic slide.

Funded through our Community Impact Grants, thanks to contributions from individuals, companies and foundations, the initiative has made a significant impact for the second year in a row. Beyond providing critical support to children, teens, and families, who would not be able to afford costly summer programs, these initiatives have also fostered meaningful connections among nonprofit leaders. Virtual Zoom meetings and in-person convenings created spaces for collaboration, enabling nonprofits to share resources, best practices and strengthen their collective impact.

At Howard’s Healthy Choices, the camp offered hands-on science projects and first aid classes, along with math and reading tutoring. Students also gained valuable skills in conflict resolution and problem-solving, to help build their self-confidence and critical thinking.

The summer camps offer activities that children don’t typically have access to, providing them with new experiences that are often unavailable during the school year. A chaperone from the Princeton-Blairstown Center expressed her love for the camp because it gives children who live in cities an opportunity to connect with nature.

“They do things they would not normally have the opportunity to do in their own neighborhoods,” said the chaperone.

With support from the grant, the Princeton-Blairstown Center’s Trenton Summer Bridge Program provided adventure-based education to youth from under-resourced communities. The students were able to challenge themselves through outdoor activities while incorporating STEM and literacy instruction to help bridge the summer learning gap.

“Thanks in part to the grant from PACF, we were able to welcome more than 80 students and chaperones from the Center for Child and Family Achievement for one week at no cost,” said Meredith Murray, VP of External Affairs. “In total, we served more than 200 young people from Trenton this summer at our beautiful Blairstown Campus. They enjoyed hands-on learning with STEM and literacy lessons in nature, and tried canoeing, hiking, and high-ropes adventures.”

Thomas Mladenetz, Executive Director of the local Catholic Youth Organization, shared that summer doesn’t mean a break from learning for their campers. The organization received a grant to support their 9-week East State Street Center Trenton Summer Camp. They offer students meals, swimming, computer lab lessons, literacy sessions and exciting field trips.

Every week, senior volunteers from St. David the King in West Windsor contribute their time to teach the students. Some campers get the rare opportunity to explore musical instruments and movement through music. For many, this is their only exposure to music programs, due to budget cuts that have eliminated music programs in Trenton.

“We’re able to expose our kids to a lot of new activities and we feel really good about that,” he said. “I know our parents appreciate it because that’s not something many of them are able to do.”