At a recent press conference at Masonic Youth Center, Mayor Scott Avedisian announced a second year of partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Warwick (BGCW). The city will award BGCW a $25,000 grant to fund 250 weeks of summer camp for families that need financial assistance.

“We are extremely proud of the partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Warwick,” said Mayor Avedisian in a press release. “Together, we are giving children in the community a summer program they will never forget.”

The money will be used to help low-income families who apply to the BGCW scholarship program. Based on need, qualified families can choose to send their children to up to nine weeks of summer camp at no cost.

“This is the perfect example of a nonprofit and the municipal government partnering for the benefit of the children,” said Lara D’Antuono, executive director of BGCW.

To apply for financial aid, parents are asked to fill out a brief form and attach a copy of their 2015 Federal Income Tax Form 1040. Scholarship application forms can be found on the BGCW website.

BGCW summer camp, for children ages six to 13, runs from June 27 to August 26, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Masonic Youth Center on Narragansett Bay. Registration costs $125 per week, but D’Antuono knows this might not be affordable for some families. She hopes the scholarship opportunities will take some stress off of tight family budgets, while also providing relief to working parents. Children at the camp are left with experienced staff members who have passed intensive background checks and attended mandatory training sessions. Healthy lunches and extended care hours are provided for free.

“It’s a great opportunity, through the city, to allow working parents to continue to work,” said D’Antuono.

The BGCW staff and Mayor Avedisian also believe that providing free day camp is a healthy alternative for children in working families. D’Antuono noted that when parents are at work all day, children often stay indoors and rely on electronics to stay occupied. At summer camp, children spend the entire day outside learning, playing games and socializing with other children.

“The most unique thing about this camp is it’s one hundred percent outside. We’re unplugged out here,” said BGCW associate executive director Karin Kavanagh.

Instead of spending the summer playing video games and watching TV, children at the summer camp will play sports, make arts and crafts, and swim in the pool. Building contests, like whose Popsicle stick bridge can hold the most weight, will help develop teamwork and STEM skills. Campers will also participate in different theme weeks throughout the summer. The first week of July will be Stars and Stripes Week and campers will meet with first responders from Warwick’s police and fire departments and take a field trip to Fort Adams. Other trips include Mystic Aquarium, Southwick Zoo, and Roger Wheeler State Beach. The trips are not included in scholarship or camp registration fees, so children who cannot afford the extra cost will participate in activities at the youth center.

Whether children attend weekly field trips or not, none of them are ready to leave camp when the day is over, according to camp directors Monique Rossi and Nicole Spirito. The children enjoy learning and playing by the bay and many are close with the camp counselors, who typically work all summer and during the school year at the club.

“At ten of six, children ask their parents, ‘Why are you picking me up so early?’” said Spirito. “The kids will have an amazing summer.”