Since 1997, we have hosted an annual Summer Camp for inner city children. Using our Barn, gardens, basketball court, labyrinth and fields, dedicated adults and teen counselors have hosted many hundreds of campers over the years. Our Camp programs emphasize gardening, nutrition, art, music, the labyrinth and, of course, fun and games. Our Camp partners are Episcopal Community Services and other faith-based community organizations which provide shelters for homeless women and their children.
Please contact Amy Tasman amyttasman@comcast.net or Elizabeth Kozemchak ekozemchak@gmail.com to see how you can help.
In her own words
It’s my call to ministry. Years ago, having grown bored with my marketing jobs, I asked: Where does God want me to go? My question was stimulated by a St. Thomas’ gifts discovery class. The answer: a merged love of gardening and education. My grandparents were farmers, my parents were avid organic gardeners and I studied gardening and education in depth. Now, I can apply my passion to help our campers. Our curriculum is science-based, with a focus on nutrition to reduce obesity, a huge issue for the urban poor. We always knew our campers loved to prepare food they picked from our garden, but now we teach them how plants are a metaphor for life: they co-exist in harmony; diverse cultures use food differently; plants can be used for medicine; vegetables are farmed, brought to market and sold as a business.
-Brenda Sullivan, Director, St. Thomas Summer Camp
