This summer, Graycor’s Community Fund Program has helped sponsor two children’s charity camp events for the first time: Kinder Camp and Camp “I Am Me.”
On June 25, Chet Nay, project administrator for Graycor Industrial, volunteered to help out at the United Way of Porter County’s half-day Kinder Camp held at an elementary school in Portage, Indiana, not far from Graycor’s Portage operations facility. The United Way of Porter County’s Kinder Camp is a school readiness program which helps prepare children (ages 4-6 years) in local communities for kindergarten.
The camp introduces youngsters to the concept of what to do at school, reading and writing, and explores STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) concepts to help increase knowledge and strengthen social and emotional skills needed to achieve success.
Chet toured classrooms, assisted with lessons, read stories to the camp’s students and learned about how the program helps the youth of Portage.
Living and working in the Portage community, Chet says, “I was very impressed with how the United Way and the Portage schools worked together to run this program which positively affects our community,” adding, “The children were engaged, excited and participatory.”
In 2017, the United Way of Porter County prepared more than 160 children for kindergarten by holding half-day camps on 15 days at schools throughout Porter County.
Another children’s charity event Graycor helped support for the first time is Camp “I Am Me,” a week-long camp event held June 17-23 for children and teenagers in Illinois who have suffered injuries from burns.
The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance’s (ISFA) signature annual charity event began in 1991 for the purpose of providing young burn victims with a safe, non-judgmental environment to help build self-esteem through the camp’s varied activities. The camp is located at the YMCA Camp Duncan in Ingleside, Illinois, about one hour north of Graycor’s home base in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.
Through donations, supporters and volunteers, IFSA is able to offer the camping opportunity at no cost to young burn survivors.