Tuesday, June 29, 2010

ARCHDIOCESE — The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is asking for help from the community at large, encouraging donations of any amount — $5, 10, 20 or more to help raise $4,000 to send 20 children from needy families for a weeklong summer camp experience. The children, who reside in low-income housing in Winton Hills, will go to Camp Joy in Clarksville. To help meet the goal, visit St. Vincent de Paul’s website at www.SVDPcincinnati.org from now until July 5, and click on the “Changing Kids’ Lives Summer Camp” logo.

 
“During home visits in Winton Hills, we see families with children that go to school hungry, sleep on the floor and see violence on a daily basis,” noted LaMonica Sherman, the site manager at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Winton Hills location. “Camp Joy provides an opportunity to build friendships, exercise, develop social skills and enjoy typical childhood experiences within a safe environment.”

Winton Hills has one of the highest crime and poverty rates in Cincinnati, with 63 percent of all residents living below the poverty level and half of all households headed by single mothers. More than 50 percent of the entire Winton Hills population is under 20 years of age with 25 percent between the ages of 5 and 14.
 
For more information on St. Vincent de Paul’s “Changing Kid’s Lives Campaign,” please visit www.SVDPcincinnati.org or contact Julie Rack, development director, 513-562-8841, ext. 225.