Summertime Kids Annual Fund of Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc.
News: We have finished the year with more camps than ever and we hope the children had so much fun. Thank you to Cumberland Community Foundation for their generosity through the Summertime Kids Grant.
June 1st, 2021 – Cape Fear Botanical Garden has received a generous grant from the Summertime Kids Annual Fund of Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc. The $4,000 grant will support summer camp activities including environmental education, outdoor exploration and nature appreciation to children from our community. This year CFBG is offering weeklong, 3-day, and one-day camps for children ages 4-15. Camps are limited to 10 campers and safety measures like temperature checks and social distancing have been implemented. Our Education Manager Barbara Goldentyer says “It’s so important to give campers a safe, fun place to explore during a time of so much fear in the world.” Camp activities are carefully chosen to provide an intimate experience with nature while teaching important science concepts. These experiences often stay with campers for life, making them more sensitive to the surrounding world and instilling in them the responsibility of being a good steward.
The awarded grant funds will assist with expenses related to providing a memorable camp experience for Summertime Kids Partner groups such as the Vision Resource Center as well as over a dozen camp scholarships for families with a financial need or children with diverse abilities.
On any given day, campers can be found dipping for tadpoles in the pond, catching butterflies in the Garden, or looking for animal tracks by the creek. Campers create nature journals, butterfly houses, and story stones and so many more amazing nature art projects and conduct science experiments to learn how plants absorb water, why sharks usually live in the ocean, and how ducks stay dry.
Established in 1989, Cape Fear Botanical Garden’s 80 acres are situated between the Cape Fear River and Cross Creek. The Garden is an NC Environmental Education Center and an approved Cumberland County Field Trip Destination. In addition to summer camps, the Garden provides school break day camps, afterschool and home school classes, workshops and field trips throughout the year. For more fun and educational programs, visit our calendar of upcoming events.
