Fairfield County Community Foundation makes summer fun and memorable for 177 Norwalk youth

Carver’s summer camp is a pathway to new worlds of learning for Norwalk youth, made possible in part by a $23,000 grant awarded by the Fairfield County Community Foundation.

"The Foundation is pleased to partner with Carver to further its commitment to providing high quality summer learning opportunities for youth," said Juanita T. James, Foundation President & CEO. "This dedication to providing activities and field trips that combat ‘summer slide’ but that are also fun attracts families and children year after year, making it one of the most sought after programs in Norwalk."

Carver is home away from home this summer for 177 under-10s, tweens and teens – the happy and homesick, the hearty and stuffy-nosed, those with an abundance of friends and those who have none.

Summer camp begins with breakfast, then Summer Reading, and then depending on the age, an array of hands-on learning explorations: Music and Flutes; Arts & Crafts; Trivia Current Events and Contests and prizes; making Neon Buddy Bracelets; journaling; Story Time and naps for the little ones; making Horizontal Rockets and bubble-powered rockets; tie-dye t-shirts; hands-on-science projects; math games; creative writing; spoken word and poetry; dance; researching countries of family origins; baking; and/or, depending on the age and their respective schedules, the Field Trips!

Field Trips include the Norwalk High School swimming pool; the Maritime Aquarium and its IMAX Theatre; Stepping Stones Museum; Norwalk Public Library; the Thimble Island Cruise (Stony Creek, CT); Calf Pasture Beach; Connecticut Science Center; Norwalk Seaport dock; Bishop’s Orchards (Guilford, CT); NBC Studios; the Peabody Museum (New Haven, CT); Beardsley Zoo (Bridgeport, CT); New York Botanical Gardens; Stamford Nature Center; Fairfield County Sports Commission Field Day; Six Flags New England; Center for Contemporary Printmaking; Sheffield Island; Lake Compounce; Great Adventure; and  then the End of Camp Picnic for one and all.

It may not be the rustic canoe-and-campfire sleep away experience, but Carver kids will have just as many happy memories to share with their families, the promise of new best friends perhaps maintained for decades to come, and a lot of new confidence, new knowledge and honed skills and enthusiasm for learning when school returns in September. We are deeply grateful to the Foundation for giving our youth this chance at enjoying a full life.

A word about the Foundation: The Fairfield County Community Foundation promotes the growth of community and regional philanthropy to improve the quality of life throughout Fairfield County. Individuals, families, corporations and organizations can establish charitable funds and contribute to existing funds. The Foundation provides philanthropic advisory services, and develops and leads initiatives to tackle critical community issues. It is in compliance with the Council on Foundations’ national standards for community Foundations. The Foundation has awarded over $135 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond. For more information, visit www.fccfoundation.org.