Kinship Caregiver Coalition

Kinship Kamp 2007

As the fifth Annual Kinship Kamp began, the excitement grew as we partnered with the Dakota Center for another successful event. As a part of the Kinship Kamp activities, the children joined together in constructing arts and crafts, planting flowers and role-playing. During the kinship session the children looked at topics such as self-esteem, making friends, safety, and trust. Our summer intern, Katie Blommel staffed the Kamp and participated in the activities. This year’s Kinship Kamp took place from June 18th through June 29th.

The Center for Healthy Communities was able to provide ten scholarships to attend the Kinship Kamp this year. The Lafrancine Lewis scholarships provided a free two week session for children that are being raised by a relative.

Last year, the Kinship Caregiver Coalition decided to name the Kinship Kamp scholarships in memory of Lafrancine Lewis. Ms. Lewis was a grandmother who received the “badge of honor “ as she took on a second round of parenting for her three young grandchildren. From personal experience, she shared some of the needs that caregivers and children require to be successful in adjustments and forming new relationships with grandparents as parents.

A driving force on the Kinship Caregiver Coalition, Ms. Lewis initiated the discussion around developing a program for the children who were being raised by relatives. The education subcommittee agreed and as they say, “the rest is history.” Ms. Lewis approached Dakota Center to see if they were interested in partnering with the coalition. The Dakota Center staff embraced the idea and the coalition began to brainstorm on how they could fund the project.

Last updated 2007-08-10
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