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Post date: Jun 17, 2012 1:45:58 PM
Greenville, South Carolina –On June 11, 2012, the Phillis Wheatley Association (PWA) and the Nicholtown Missionary Baptist Church launched the 2012 Let’s Move Summer Camp and Art Enrichment Program. The program welcomed over 200 children aged 4-15 to the historic Phillis Wheatley Community Center. The themes of focus for the summer include the development and enhancement of skills in visual, musical and dramatic art. In addition to the heavy emphasis on arts and culture, the camp also coincides with directives from President Obama’s Administration to make healthy eating and exercise a part of the daily lives of children. Students enrolled in the camp will be engaged on a daily and weekly basis to sports including: tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball, football and golf. Students will also assist in planting and raising several varieties of fruits and vegetables which they will sell to community members throughout the summer.
Along with the Nicholtown Church, several other partners have come together to make sure that the PWA summer program is a success. The Greenville Tech Charter School, local sports coaches, and several acclaimed local visual artists will instruct the children in courses including mural design, music production and mixed media art. Freedom Within Walls, an area nonprofit food sponsor will provide fresh and nutritious meals for the campers, the local Teen Companion program supported by the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will offer instruction on personal responsibility to Medicaid eligible campers aged 10-15 and Greenville cardiologist, Desmond Smith, MD will provide health and wellness education. As an added bonus, 30 children from the summer camp will learn to play the trumpet and a wide selection of percussion instruments from professional jazz trumpeter and band director, Melvin Miller of Atlanta, Ga.
Numerous private donors have made generous contributions to the summer camp in recent weeks. Brent Clinkscale, Esq., Chair of the Phillis Wheatley Association Board says that the organization is very excited to partner with so many interested parties to produce the camp. “The long standing tradition of servicing and sustaining the Greenville community that the Phillis Wheatley organization is known for is reflected in this summer program. We are pleased to assist in bringing such quality programming to the lives of our youth” says Clinkscale. Pastor Darrien Blue of the Nicholtown Missionary Baptist Church says that his church family is eager to aid the Phillis Wheatley Association in any capacity needed to ensure the longevity of the nearly 100 year old organization. Although the summer just beginning, plans are underway for the development of an afterschool program with similar themes.
For more information on the summer and afterschool program please contact Odeidra Williams at 864.235.3411 or 704.904.4451. Companies and individuals may support the efforts of the Phillis Wheatley Association. All contributions are tax deductable and may be mailed to Phillis Wheatley Association, P.O. Box 17126, Greenville, SC 29606.
About the Phillis Wheatley Association
Founded in 1919, the Phillis Wheatley Association is a community-service organization dedicated to assisting all people in Greenville and the surrounding areas to grow and develop to their fullest potential by providing educational, cultural, recreational, social and health related programs that promote self-sufficiency and enhance quality of life. For more information on the organization, visit our website at www.philliswheatley.org
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